What is a generation? The common meaning includes those who were born at about the same time you were. Another definition is the amount of time between when your parents were born and when you were born. So, usually a “generation gap” means about 20 to 30 years before or after our own age . . . though new generations seem to be popping up with much more frequency these days.

Several generations in recent history have been given unique monikers by authors, journalists, and historians:

Author Gertrude Stein used the term the “Lost Generation” to describe the generation of the 1880’s, who became young adults during World War I.

Those born between 1901-1924, who came of age during the Great Depression and World War II, are now usually referred to as the “Greatest Generation” from the title of Tom Brokaw's bestseller, The Greatest Generation. The devastation of the Great Depression made virtues of being level-headed, patriotic, and frugal. One of the proverbs that sprang from this period was “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” The Greatest Generation have been noted for their strong work ethic.

A 1951 Time magazine story described the “Silent Generation” as the group of Americans born roughly during the Great Depression, or from the mid-1920s-1940s.

The “Baby Boom Generation” were born during the post-World War II birth-rate boom. Controversy surrounds the precise beginning and ending dates that define the Baby Boom Generation. Boomer birthdates used to comprise the period following World War II, that is, 1946 through 1964, when U.S. birth rates began to decline . . .

. . . But then Jonathan Pontell coined the term “Generations Jones” to refer specifically to those born from about 1954-1965, a significant number of people. Whether you believe Generation Jones was part of the Baby Boom or came after it, Generation X is said to include those born in the mid-60s to the late-70s. Generation Y comprises those born from about 1980 to the early ‘90s. (They’re also called Millennials and Echo Boomers.)

“Generations” seem to be arriving faster and faster, as our societal pace continues to accelerate! And the exact dates of what comprises these newer generations are up for debate. Already being proposed are Generation Z (for obvious reasons), Generation I (for Internet), and . . .