Would anyone agree that a cultural generation is partially defined by the names its members bear?  For instance, Gen Y is full of Dereks, Matts, Jessicas, and Ashleys, Gen X is full of Lisas, Michelles, Joshes, and Richards, and the Boomers are full of Michaels, Williams, Janets, and Karens.  Gen Zers and the youngest Gen Yers tend to have unique or strange names.

Gen Y is full of Jessicas, Jennifers, Lauras, Emilys, Michaels, Evans, Brittanys, Matthews, Alexanders, etc. Gen X seems to have alot of Lisas, Michelles, Kimberleys, Tammys, etc.. The boomers are the "Barbara/Deborah/Susan/Patricia" generation.

Gen Y is full of Jessicas, Jennifers, Lauras, Emilys, Michaels, Evans, Brittanys, Matthews, Alexanders, etc. Gen X seems to have alot of Lisas, Michelles, Kimberleys, Tammys, etc.. The boomers are the "Barbara/Deborah/Susan/Patricia" generation.


I've always thought of Jennifer as a Gen X name. Michael is more a Boomer name; although it's very common among all 20th Century generations.

I've always thought of Jennifer as a Gen X name. Michael is more a Boomer name; although it's very common among all 20th Century generations.


Melissa is most definitely a Gen X name. So is Courtney, I think. Both of those I associate with people born in the late '70s...my babysitters who were born about 1978 had names like that. Alex or Alexandra, either gender, is very, very Gen Y. Also, Erin and Megan as girl's names seem very Gen Y, and Brendan and Brian (the "Irish name" category.)

Melissa is most definitely a Gen X name. So is Courtney, I think. Both of those I associate with people born in the late '70s...my babysitters who were born about 1978 had names like that. Alex or Alexandra, either gender, is very, very Gen Y. Also, Erin and Megan as girl's names seem very Gen Y, and Brendan and Brian (the "Irish name" category.)


Megan is very Gen Y. I think "Ashley" is the ultimate Gen Y name.

Megan is very Gen Y. I think "Ashley" is the ultimate Gen Y name.


Gen X (1965-1981):
Gen X names (girl): Lisa, Cynthia, Kimberly, Pamela, Tammy, Michelle, Julie, Christine, Amy, Julie, Jennifer, Angela, Melissa, Tina, Tracy, Kelly, Lori, Dawn, Heather, Rebecca, Shannon, Nicole, Jamie.
Gen X names (boy): Mark, Jeffrey, Timothy, Richard, Daniel, David, Michael, Brian, Kevin, Jason, Matthew, Joseph.

Gen Y (1982-1995):
Gen Y names (girl): Megan, Erin, Jennifer, Jessica, Brittany, Laura/Lauren/Lara, Emily, Julia, Shannon, Amanda, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Ashley, Heather, Crystal/Christina, Nicole, Rachel, Sarah, Samantha, Chelsea (late Gen Y), Kayla.
Gen Y names (boy): Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Jason, David, Daniel, Andrew, Brian, Brendan, Evan, Nicholas, Justin, Brandon, Adam, Eric, William, Ryan, Jonathan, Kyle, James, Joshua, Zachary.

Gen X (1965-1981):
Gen X names (girl): Lisa, Cynthia, Kimberly, Pamela, Tammy, Michelle, Julie, Christine, Amy, Julie, Jennifer, Angela, Melissa, Tina, Tracy, Kelly, Lori, Dawn, Heather, Rebecca, Shannon, Nicole, Jamie.
Gen X names (boy): Mark, Jeffrey, Timothy, Richard, Daniel, David, Michael, Brian, Kevin, Jason, Matthew, Joseph.

Gen Y (1982-1995):
Gen Y names (girl): Megan, Erin, Jennifer, Jessica, Brittany, Laura/Lauren/Lara, Emily, Julia, Shannon, Amanda, Stephanie, Elizabeth, Ashley, Heather, Crystal/Christina, Nicole, Rachel, Sarah, Samantha, Chelsea (late Gen Y), Kayla.
Gen Y names (boy): Michael, Christopher, Matthew, Jason, David, Daniel, Andrew, Brian, Brendan, Evan, Nicholas, Justin, Brandon, Adam, Eric, William, Ryan, Jonathan, Kyle, James, Joshua, Zachary.


Personally I prefer the Gen X names. Gen Y names are kind of a compromise between common Gen X names and weird Gen Z names.

Personally I prefer the Gen X names. Gen Y names are kind of a compromise between common Gen X names and weird Gen Z names.


I like some Gen X names, but some sound like inane porn star names (Dawn.)

I like some Gen X names, but some sound like inane porn star names (Dawn.)


Very true, they do have that vibe.

Would you say Gen Y names are kind of in between ultra-ordinary Gen X (i.e. Michelle) and ultra-strange Gen Z (i.e. Shiloh  ;D)? It seems like Gen Y names are either common Y names similar in ring to Gen X names (i.e. Jessica, Jennifer) or not-so-ridiculous Zish names (Emily, Chelsea).

Very true, they do have that vibe.

Would you say Gen Y names are kind of in between ultra-ordinary Gen X (i.e. Michelle) and ultra-strange Gen Z (i.e. Shiloh  ;D)? It seems like Gen Y names are either common Y names similar in ring to Gen X names (i.e. Jessica, Jennifer) or not-so-ridiculous Zish names (Emily, Chelsea).


Yeah, I think it gradates between the two. Like there was definitely a shift around 1986 away from the sort of later Gen X names like Melissa and variants upon them, like Jennifer, Jessica, and Jason, towards some more vaguely Gen Z-sounding names (Emily, Chelsea, Lauren, Evan), but even those still have an "airbrushed" quality about them which names from 1965 to 1995 had. Not super-airbrushed like Jennifer, but still pretty airbrushed. I think a name like Stephanie is very ultimate Gen Y, because it has that Gen X airbrushedness and that Gen Z unusualness.

Everybody I know is named Anthony.

Anthony is currently the most popular name in Jersey, or something.

Yeah, I think it gradates between the two. Like there was definitely a shift around 1986 away from the sort of later Gen X names like Melissa and variants upon them, like Jennifer, Jessica, and Jason, towards some more vaguely Gen Z-sounding names (Emily, Chelsea, Lauren, Evan), but even those still have an "airbrushed" quality about them which names from 1965 to 1995 had. Not super-airbrushed like Jennifer, but still pretty airbrushed. I think a name like Stephanie is very ultimate Gen Y, because it has that Gen X airbrushedness and that Gen Z unusualness.


Yeah Stephanie is EXTREMELY Gen Y. The ultimate X name is Lisa.

Yeah Stephanie is EXTREMELY Gen Y. The ultimate X name is Lisa.


I know ONE Stephanie, and no Lisa's.....

I know ONE Stephanie, and no Lisa's.....


Stephanies are everywhere. Nobody in their right mind would name their daughter Lisa after 1980.

Hannah is the ultimate Gen Z name, although it's very common among younger Ys, like those born in 1988 onwards too. Hailey is probably the ultimate Gen Z name actually, I take that back.

Yeah Stephanie is EXTREMELY Gen Y. The ultimate X name is Lisa.


The ultimate boomer name for girls is probably Deborah. The ultimate girl's Z name is Madison. You almost never hear Lisa anymore. I think the "boomer" names like Barbara and Deborah will start coming back in the 2010s with the children of baby boomers having children and naming them after their parents. I actually know one Gen X Stephanie, my 1967-born English teacher. It was very, very uncommon then.

The ultimate boomer name for girls is probably Deborah. The ultimate girl's Z name is Madison. You almost never hear Lisa anymore. I think the "boomer" names like Barbara and Deborah will start coming back in the 2010s with the children of baby boomers having children and naming them after their parents. I actually know one Gen X Stephanie, my 1967-born English teacher. It was very, very uncommon then.


Deborah is from the '50s, '60s, and early '70s. I associate it with Boomers and early Gen Xers. Tammy is of similar popularity, in terms of when it was popular, however it's sort of split between Boomer and X, and then it's a fairly common nickname for Tamara among Gen Yers.

Lisa is definitive Gen X. It's strange most Lisas today are around 35 or 40 years old.

Deborah is from the '50s, '60s, and early '70s. I associate it with Boomers and early Gen Xers. Tammy is of similar popularity, in terms of when it was popular, however it's sort of split between Boomer and X, and then it's a fairly common nickname for Tamara among Gen Yers.

Lisa is definitive Gen X. It's strange most Lisas today are around 35 or 40 years old.


Susan, Barbara, Deborah, Patricia, and Donna are quite boomer. They've fallen precipitously in popularity since Gen Xers started having kids. Yeah, I'd say your average Lisa is in the last half of her thirties. Any girl named Dawn, Tracy, Kelly, etc. is probably about 35.

There are alot of names (Jennifer, Jessica, Melissa, Nicole, Heather Jason) that are either Gen X or Gen Y. Like the average person named them is roughly 14-32, and they came in during the mid to late '70s.

Susan, Barbara, Deborah, Patricia, and Donna are quite boomer. They've fallen precipitously in popularity since Gen Xers started having kids. Yeah, I'd say your average Lisa is in the last half of her thirties. Any girl named Dawn, Tracy, Kelly, etc. is probably about 35.


Donna is very '70s name.

Would you say the oddness of late Gen Y and Gen Z names is a result of the Gen Xers "Peter Pan" syndrome?

There are alot of names (Jennifer, Jessica, Melissa, Nicole, Heather Jason) that are either Gen X or Gen Y. Like the average person named them is roughly 14-32, and they came in during the mid to late '70s.


Jessica is very Gen Y. Jennifer is both X and Y. Melissa, Nicole, Jason, and Heather I associate with people born around 1980.

Donna is very '70s name.

Would you say the oddness of late Gen Y and Gen Z names is a result of the Gen Xers "Peter Pan" syndrome?


Yes...probably. Also, alot of Gen Xers have this desire to be "rebellious" in every aspect of their life, and go against tradition just to make a point, even if they don't care that much. I also think alot of them felt so overshadowed by boomers and had names like Tammy, so they want to name their kids "uniquely." I think the wave starts about 1993, when early Gen Xers started having kids in number.

Yeah, Melissa, Nicole, etc. were the names of some of my babysitters, who were '90s teens born in the late '70s and very early '80s, like 1978-1982 or so.

Yes...probably. Also, alot of Gen Xers have this desire to be "rebellious" in every aspect of their life, and go against tradition just to make a point, even if they don't care that much. I also think alot of them felt so overshadowed by boomers and had names like Tammy, so they want to name their kids "uniquely." I think the wave starts about 1993, when early Gen Xers started having kids in number.

Yeah, Melissa, Nicole, etc. were the names of some of my babysitters, who were '90s teens born in the late '70s and very early '80s, like 1978-1982 or so.


Tammy is an awesome name though.  ;D

I think alot of people born during the height of the weird names, like 1997-2003, will probably end up naming their kids very normal things. I also think the popularity of "classy" sounding names like Isabella and Olivia is partially due to many Gen Xers having such porn star/cocktail waitress or very normal sounding names. I think the whole weird names trend is due to the Gen X rebelliousness/need to be noticed, "Peter Pan" syndrome you mentioned, and a reaction against their own names.

I think alot of people born during the height of the weird names, like 1997-2003, will probably end up naming their kids very normal things. I also think the popularity of "classy" sounding names like Isabella and Olivia is partially due to many Gen Xers having such porn star/cocktail waitress or very normal sounding names. I think the whole weird names trend is due to the Gen X rebelliousness/need to be noticed, "Peter Pan" syndrome you mentioned, and a reaction against their own names.


Would you say the weird name trend began in the late '80s? It seems like 1985 was about when it first started, even if the peak was around 2000.

Would you say the weird name trend began in the late '80s? It seems like 1985 was about when it first started, even if the peak was around 2000.


I think the trend towards having "old sounding names" began in 1985 or so, yeah, in that branch of the weird names craze. It came out of the professional class in cities with high yuppie populations. Like I associate names like Althea, Emily, Cassandra, Andrea, Julia, etc. with the "early phase" of that trend. Not that all of those are that weird, but it turned by 1996 or so into names like Isabella, Grace, Olivia, etc. Like "Emily" is a very late '80s yuppie name, though it became more widespread by the latter half of the '90s.

Also, I think there are some names that seem driven by Southern popularity (Amber, Brittany, Brandon, Madison, etc.)

I think the trend towards having "old sounding names" began in 1985 or so, yeah, in that branch of the weird names craze. It came out of the professional class in cities with high yuppie populations. Like I associate names like Althea, Emily, Cassandra, Andrea, Julia, etc. with the "early phase" of that trend. Not that all of those are that weird, but it turned by 1996 or so into names like Isabella, Grace, Olivia, etc. Like "Emily" is a very late '80s yuppie name, though it became more widespread by the latter half of the '90s.

Also, I think there are some names that seem driven by Southern popularity (Amber, Brittany, Brandon, Madison, etc.)


Would you Emily is more a Gen Z name, or a late (like 1988-1995) Y name?

And you're right about the Southern names ... I think names like Brittany, Amber, Tiffany etc. are the "hot chick" names of Gen Y.

Would you Emily is more a Gen Z name, or a late (like 1988-1995) Y name?

And you're right about the Southern names ... I think names like Brittany, Amber, Tiffany etc. are the "hot chick" names of Gen Y.


I think it's sort of a 1985-2000 name. It's both later Y and earlier Z, like your average Emily is probably born around 1993 or 1994, though the earliest you'll find somebody named Emily is like 1985 or 1986. There're a few Gen Y name categories:

"Ethnic revival names": Names from Irish or Hebrew (for Jewish people) cultures, or names ending in -a for Italians. Or various African-American names.
"Yuppie names": Emily, Julia, etc. Names for children of yuppie professionals like 1986-1995.
"Southern names": Brittany, Amber, Tiffany.
"Classic names": Names like Jennifer and David that have sort of an '80s evening soap opera connotation.

I think it's sort of a 1985-2000 name. It's both later Y and earlier Z, like your average Emily is probably born around 1993 or 1994, though the earliest you'll find somebody named Emily is like 1985 or 1986. There're a few Gen Y name categories:

Or various African-American names.



Latisha and Rasheed come to mind.  ;D

Latisha and Rasheed come to mind.  ;D


What do you think of my name categories?

Or Dayshawn, Delon, Jamal, Lamine... ;)

What do you think of my name categories?

Or Dayshawn, Delon, Jamal, Lamine... ;)


I think they're pretty accurate. Gen Y has very diverse names.