Whether it’s workplace discussions, social media memes, or marketing campaigns, terms like Millennials, Generation Z, and Generation Alpha are everywhere. But have you ever stopped to wonder why today’s youth are called Generation Z? And perhaps more interestingly, who decides on these names in the first place? The answer lies in a combination of sociology, popular culture, and a little publishing history.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no official international body that names generations. Instead, these labels gain popularity through researchers, authors, demographers, media organizations, and marketers. If a name resonates with the audience and is widely adopted, it eventually becomes the accepted label for that age group.

The alphabetical trend began with Generation X, a term popularized by Canadian author Douglas Coupland in his 1991 novel Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. Although the phrase has previously appeared in various contexts, Copeland’s book solidifies “Generation X” as a label for people born roughly between 1965 and 1980. The “X” symbolizes a generation that was difficult to define and uninterested in traditional labels.

The generation that followed was initially called Generation Y, simply because it came after Generation X in the alphabet. However, this label did not stick for long. In their influential 1991 book Generations, historians William Strauss and Neil Howe introduced the term “Millennials,” referring to those who would come of age around the year 2000. The name quickly gained widespread acceptance and has largely replaced “Gen Y” in everyday language.

Once Millennials had their own distinct name, the next group naturally became Generation Z. The naming reflects their position as the generation after Generation X and Millennials in the timeline. In general, Generation Z includes people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, although exact birth years vary slightly depending on the organization. They are widely viewed as the first true digital natives, having grown up with smartphones, high-speed internet and social media as a normal part of everyday life.

After Generation Z, the naming system moved away from the English alphabet. Since the letter “Z” represents the end, Australian social researcher Mark McCrindle proposed a reboot with the Greek alphabet, resulting in an alpha gene for children born from approximately 2010 to 2024.

The next generation, to be born from around 2025, is expected to be known as the beta gene, followed by the gamma gene and the delta gene, continuing the Greek naming convention.

Although these labels may seem formal, they are actually a convenient way to describe people who grew up during similar social, political, and technological events. Not everyone born in the same period shares identical experiences, but generational names help researchers study broad cultural trends. So, the next time someone calls themselves Gen Z or Gen Alpha, remember that it’s not a government-issued title. The name stuck because the community collectively agreed it made sense.