Different countries can have different namesFor example, in South Africa, people born after 1994 are called born-free generation because they were born after the end of apartheid for their generations.
But the generation naming we come across most (Baby Boomers, Generation X, etc.) is a western concept driven mainly by the US.
Following WWII, there was a boom in the birth rate in America.
From 1946 to 1964, on average, four million babies were born per year compared to the average of three million per year in the previous years— the growth flattened again after 1964.
This ‘baby boom’ was first reported in media in 1951 after the 1950 census.
When the first batch of this generation enrolled in colleges in massive numbers in the 1960s, the term ‘baby boomers’ first appeared in the media.
This generation had a massive impact on consumption and, therefore, the economy.
For example, when they reached the car-buying age, car sales boomed.
So, it became necessary for economists and advertisers to study this generation in detail.
Labelling makes things easier to understand to the human mind—imagine comparing ‘those born between 1946 and 1964’ to ‘Baby Boomers’.
So, advertisers, expectedly, used ‘Baby Boomers’ for their studies.
And to compare data for Baby Boomers with that of the previous generations, they had to name the previous generations as well.
Thus came the labels ‘The Greatest Generation’ (born between 1901 and 1927) & ‘Silent Generation’ (born between 1928 and 1945).
For the post-boomer generation (1965-1980), several names came and went before Generation X registered itself with the public.
The book, Generation X, published in 1991, is credited with this generation’s name.
The book was written by Douglas Coupland, born in 1961.
Reportedly, he was sick of being associated with a generation characterised by status, money, and material consumption, which became his book’s theme.
The book with chapter titles such as ‘I Am Not A Target Market’ and ‘Adventure Without Risk Is Disneyland’ reflected a rebellious generation that distrusted the establishment.
While this happened, two researchers, William Strauss and Neil Howe, were working on a new theory called the Generational Theory.
The Generational Theory concluded that every 15 years or so, a new generation is born that is tied together by common themes such as age, social environment, beliefs, and behaviours.
So, by the early 2000s, it was time to name the generation (1980 – 2000) that came after Generation X.
And the obvious choice was Generation Y, but it didn’t stick.
Then a book, Millennials Rising, by these two researchers popularised the label ‘Millennials’ for those born after 1980.
Today, this label is used for anyone born between 1980 and 1996.
For those born after 1996, Generation Z has the highest recall, while several other names (iGen, Homelanders, etc.) have failed.
Labels are about ‘what sticks’ (i.e. what names the big media organisations start using).
The cutoff years (till what year to include) are no exact science—different sources use different years to study different generations.
