whatsmygeneration

Born in 1947: Baby Boomer

A Baby Boomer (1946 to 1964), early Baby Boomer, turning 79 in 2026. You’re on the cusp. 1947 is in the first 2 years of Boomers, so some sources would file you under Silent. Both are defensible; Pew’s line puts you here.

You’re a

Baby Boomer

1946 to 1964born 1947

early Baby Boomer Silent cusp

Born into the postwar boom, raised on television.

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Born 1947: you’re a Baby Boomer (1946 to 1964), early Baby Boomer. You’re on the cusp. 1947 is in the first 2 years of Boomers, so some sources would file you under Silent. Both are defensible; Pew’s line puts you here.

Read about Boomers Compare with the Silent Generation

Where 1947 sits

1947 is early Baby Boomer: the early third of Boomers runs 1946 to 1952. Pew Research Center range, and the one generation with an official definition: the US Census Bureau uses the same 1946 to 1964 birth-rate boom.

Sources that draw the Boomers line differently would file 1947 under The Silent Generation. Both readings are defensible; this site uses Pew’s.

Baby Boomers are the cohort born from 1946 to 1964, the years of the postwar surge in births. It is the only generation with an official definition: the US Census Bureau uses the same range, because it is measurable. Births jumped from about 2.9 million in 1945 to 3.4 million in 1946, passed 4 million in 1954, peaked at about 4.3 million in 1957, and stayed above 4 million until 1964. Roughly 76 million Americans were born in those nineteen years, and their size has shaped every institution they passed through, from overcrowded elementary schools in the 1950s to the strain on Social Security today. Read the full Baby Boomers page.

How old you were when…

Shared reference points, dated, so the generation label has something concrete behind it.

  1. age 3 the Korean War begins (1950)
  2. age 22 the moon landing (1969)
  3. age 39 the Challenger disaster (1986)
  4. age 48 Windows 95 and the dial-up boom (1995)
  5. age 54 the 2001-09-11 attacks (2001)
  6. age 61 the financial crisis, and Barack Obama is elected (2008)
  7. age 69 the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election (2016)
  8. age 77 the hottest year on record (2024)

Milestone birthdays

Someone born in 1947 turned 18 in 1965, 21 in 1968, 30 in 1977, 40 in 1987, 50 in 1997 and 65 in 2012. Next up: 80 in 2027.

Near 1947

Born in 1947: quick answers

What generation is someone born in 1947?
Baby Boomers (1946 to 1964) by the Pew Research Center definition. 1947 is early Baby Boomer.
Is 1947 a cusp year?
Yes. You’re on the cusp. 1947 is in the first 2 years of Boomers, so some sources would file you under Silent. Both are defensible; Pew’s line puts you here.
How old is someone born in 1947?
78 or 79 in 2026, depending on whether the birthday has passed. Type the full date into the calculator for the exact age in years, months and days.