You’re
Gen Z
1997 to 2012born 1997
Position: early Gen Z Cusp: Zillennial cusp
Never knew a world without the internet in it.
Born in 1997: Gen Z
Gen Z (1997 to 2012), early Gen Z, turning 29 in 2026. You’re also a Zillennial right on the line: the Millennials and Gen Z micro-generation, commonly cited as 1993 to 1998. Old enough for MSN, young enough for TikTok.
Your year, or any other
Born 1997: you’re Gen Z (1997 to 2012), early Gen Z. You’re also a Zillennial right on the line: the Millennials and Gen Z micro-generation, commonly cited as 1993 to 1998. Old enough for MSN, young enough for TikTok.
Read about Gen Zers Read about Zillennials
Where 1997 sits
1997 is early Gen Z: the early third of Gen Z runs 1997 to 2002. Pew Research Center range. Pew set the 1997 start in 2018 and the 2012 end later; a few sources still say 1995 to 2010.
1997 is also inside the Zillennials micro-generation, commonly cited as 1993 to 1998: Old enough for MSN, young enough for TikTok. It is not an official label, which is why the calculator gives Gen Z first and Zillennial as the extra identity.
Generation Z is the cohort born from 1997 to 2012 by the Pew Research Center definition. Pew drew the 1997 line for two reasons it stated plainly: anyone born that year or later was too young to remember 2001-09-11, and the iPhone launched in 2007 when the oldest were 10, which made Gen Z the first generation to go through adolescence with a smartphone. It is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in US history so far, on track to be the best educated, and it was in school or early adulthood when the Covid-19 pandemic closed classrooms in 2020. Read the full Generation Z page.
How old you were when…
Shared reference points, dated, so the generation label has something concrete behind it.
- age 1 Google is founded (1998)
- age 4 the 2001-09-11 attacks (2001)
- age 10 the first iPhone goes on sale (2007)
- age 11 the financial crisis, and Barack Obama is elected (2008)
- age 15 the Sandy Hook shooting (2012)
- age 19 the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election (2016)
- age 25 ChatGPT is released (2022)
- age 27 the hottest year on record (2024)
Milestone birthdays
Someone born in 1997 turned 18 in 2015 and 21 in 2018. Next up: 30 in 2027.
Near 1997
Born in 1997: quick answers
What generation is someone born in 1997?
Generation Z (1997 to 2012) by the Pew Research Center definition. 1997 is early Gen Z. It also falls in the Zillennials micro-generation (1993 to 1998, commonly cited).
Is 1997 a cusp year?
Yes. You’re also a Zillennial right on the line: the Millennials and Gen Z micro-generation, commonly cited as 1993 to 1998. Old enough for MSN, young enough for TikTok.
How old is someone born in 1997?
28 or 29 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.