What Determines the Names of Generations?

We all have a general understanding of what a Millennial is. There are numerous stereotypes about what Millennials do or don’t do, whether they're seen as lazy or not, and how frequently they engage with their social media, all because we’ve grown accustomed to using this one term to describe an entire age group. The term Millennial is potent, not merely because of the age range it represents, but due to its effectiveness—much like Gen X or Baby Boomer.

There isn't a universal or typical method for how generations are named, as categorizing people of similar ages together is a relatively modern concept.

When did the tradition of naming generations begin?

Some social historians associate it with Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises: The book includes an epigraph quoting Gertrude Stein, who says, “You are all a lost generation.” (Although she might not have coined the phrase.) More definitively, in 1951, TIME published an article stating “today’s younger generation ... does not make manifestoes, make speeches or carry posters. It has been called the ‘Silent Generation.’” The term Silent Generation was widely used in the 1950s to refer to young people born from the early 1920s to the early 1930s, now generally considered to encompass those born between 1928 and 1945.

How did the Baby Boomers get their name?

Next came the Baby Boomers. Their name originated when the Census Bureau started labeling the years following World War II (now 1946–1964) as the “Post-War Baby Boom” due to the dramatic increase in births, from around 3 million a year to more than 4 million annually. As the children born during this boom grew up and became consumers, advertising agencies began targeting the Baby Boomers with their products. This marked the first—and so far, only—time that a generation's “official” name was coined by a government agency.

How did Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z come to be named?

As Baby Boomers aged and became less appealing to companies selling products, advertising agencies sought a new umbrella term for the emerging group they wanted to target and began experimenting with various names.

To figure this out, 'they throw things at the wall and see what sticks,' said Peter Francese, a demographic and consumer markets expert, in a 2018 interview with Mytour. 'And sometimes, they don’t stick.' This was the fate of Generation Y, an early term for Millennials, which was used briefly before fading out. 'Generation Y was too cumbersome to pronounce, too tough to brand, and lacked the appeal and energy of Millennials,' Francese remarked.

Whether or not a term catches on depends on its adoption by media outlets. But not just any media outlets. 'I’m referring to the Associated Press or Reuters—large syndicators who produce vast amounts of editorial content distributed across many organizations,' Francese explained. The process for defining Millennials’ dates was based on demographics, adhering to the principle of comparing equivalent data.

'In 2010, when the census was taken, Baby Boomers were all aged between 45 and 64,' Francese detailed. 'To make a comparison between Millennials and Baby Boomers, who represent the next demographic wave, you need a 20-year gap. So, in 2010, Millennials were people aged 15 to 34, and from there, they worked backward to pinpoint their birth years.'

If it feels like a generation is being skipped, it’s because it is. And for the most part, advertising agencies ignored it as well. In 1991, Douglas Coupland published his book Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, where he discussed the sense of anonymity he and his peers felt growing up in the shadow of the Baby Boomers. Generation X was the product of a 10- to 12-year decline in birth rates between the Boomers and Millennials, and although the term became widely known, its size made it irrelevant to marketers.

It seems unlikely that advertising agencies will adopt such a hands-off strategy in the future.

'Ad agencies have a crucial task of keeping their clients updated on market trends,' Francese explained. 'Thus, they end up dividing the American population into different segments. This necessity leads them to brainstorm and come up with names.'

Gen Z, the generation following Millennials, has now become a key consumer force, and its influence is set to grow in the years ahead. As this unfolds, advertising agencies will have a polished term ready to use in spending reports and lifestyle sections. Once Gen Z moves beyond the target demographic, Gen Alpha will rise to take its place.