The Greatest Generation is the group of Americans born from 1901 to 1927, the years used by Pew Research Center. They grew up during the Great Depression and fought or worked through World War II. In 2026 the youngest members are 98 or 99. The name was made popular by the journalist Tom Brokaw's 1998 book "The Greatest Generation".
At a glance
Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
Born | 1901 to 1927 (Pew) |
Other range | 1901 to 1924 (Strauss and Howe) |
Age in 2026 | 98 and older |
Came before | Silent Generation |
Came after | Lost Generation |
Other names | G.I. Generation, World War II Generation, Swing Generation |
Who named the Greatest Generation?
Tom Brokaw, the NBC News anchor, gave the group its popular name with his 1998 book. It told the stories of Americans who grew up in the Depression, served in World War II and then built the post-war country.
The phrase is older than the book. In 1953 General James Van Fleet told Congress that the men of the Eighth Army in Korea were "the greatest generation of Americans we have ever produced". Brokaw's book is what made it the standard name.
Before that, the cohort was often called the G.I. Generation. Wikipedia traces that term to 1971, and the writers William Strauss and Neil Howe used it in their generational theory. "Swing Generation" also appears, after the big band music of their youth.
What shaped this generation
Two events defined their lives.
The Great Depression began with the stock market crash of 1929. Members were children, teenagers or young adults through the 1930s, when US unemployment reached about a quarter of the workforce.
World War II followed. The National WWII Museum counts 16.4 million Americans who served during the war. Most were born in these years. After the war, the G.I. Bill of 1944 paid for college and home loans for millions of returning veterans, which shaped their adult lives as much as the war itself.
How old they were during World War II
The US entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, and the war ended in 1945. This table shows the age each birth year reached in those two years.
Born | Age in 1941 | Age in 1945 |
|---|---|---|
1901 | 40 | 44 |
1910 | 31 | 35 |
1915 | 26 | 30 |
1920 | 21 | 25 |
1924 | 17 | 21 |
1927 | 14 | 18 |
The youngest members were still at school when the war began and turned 18 in its final year. The oldest were in their early forties.
How many are still alive?
Very few. In January 2025 the National WWII Museum reported the latest projection from the US Department of Veterans Affairs. About 66,000 US World War II veterans were still alive in 2024. That was fewer than 0.5% of those who served, and down from more than 119,000 the year before. The youngest veterans are now about 100.
The group as a whole is also small today, since anyone in it is at least 98 in 2026. To work out the exact age of a relative born in these years, use the Age Calculator.
US presidents from the Greatest Generation
Seven US presidents were born in these years, from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush.
President | Born | Term began |
|---|---|---|
Lyndon B. Johnson | 1908 | 1963 |
Ronald Reagan | 1911 | 1981 |
Richard Nixon | 1913 | 1969 |
Gerald Ford | 1913 | 1974 |
John F. Kennedy | 1917 | 1961 |
Jimmy Carter | 1924 | 1977 |
George H. W. Bush | 1924 | 1989 |
Jimmy Carter and George H. W. Bush were both born in 1924. The next president, Bill Clinton, was born in 1946, the first year of the Baby Boom, so the White House skipped the Silent Generation entirely until Joe Biden took office in 2021.
Compared with the generations around it
Generation | Born | Age in 2026 | Defining events |
|---|---|---|---|
Lost Generation | 1883-1900 | none living | World War I |
Greatest Generation | 1901-1927 | 98 and older | Depression, World War II |
Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 80-98 | Depression, war childhood, 1950s |
Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 61-80 | Post-war boom, 1960s |
For every generation since 1901 with ages, see Generations by Year.
Other famous members
Name | Born |
|---|---|
Katharine Hepburn | 1907 |
John Wayne | 1907 |
Jimmy Stewart | 1908 |
Frank Sinatra | 1915 |
What years are the Greatest Generation?
1901 to 1927, using Pew Research Center's definition. Strauss and Howe use 1901 to 1924.
Why is it called the Greatest Generation?
Tom Brokaw's 1998 book of that name made the term popular. It honours the people who lived through the Depression and served in World War II.
How old are its youngest members now?
At least 98 in 2026. The youngest were born in 1927.
How many World War II veterans are still alive?
About 66,000 in 2024, according to VA projections reported by the National WWII Museum.
What generation came before it?
The Lost Generation, who came of age during World War I.
What is the G.I. Generation?
Another name for the same group, used by Strauss and Howe.
Which presidents were born in these years?
Seven: Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
Who came after it?
The Silent Generation, born from 1928 to 1945.
Sources
Greatest Generation, Wikipedia (years, Brokaw, Van Fleet quote, other names)
Latest VA projection reveals rate of WWII's fade from living memory, The National WWII Museum, January 2025 (veteran numbers)
Where Millennials end and Generation Z begins, Pew Research Center, 2019 (Boomer years)
