GI Generation
People born between 1901 and 1927
Example
My grandpa was from the GI Generation and fought in Germany during the world war
Which one?
The second. He was too young for the first. I forgot that they experienced two world wars. Yikes
Related Slang
Radio baby | A person born between 1928 and 1945 |
Boomer | A person born between 1946 and 1964 |
Gen Xer | A person born between 1965 and 1980 |
Millennial | A person born between 1981 and 1996 |
Gen Zer | A person born between 1997 and 2012 |
Zoomer | A person born between 1997 and 2012 |
Alpha | A person born between 2013 and 2025 |
OK Boomer | Whatever, old person |
GI Generation is the name given to people born at the start of the 20th century (roughly 1901) to the late 1920s (approximately 1927). The generation got its name from "GI" (which stands for "government issue" or "ground infantry"), which refers to American soldiers in World War II (an event that broadly defined the generation).
The GI Generation primarily relates to Americans but may also stretch to other countries in the Western world, such as Canada and England. Significant conflicts, including World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, largely shaped the generation. Because of these hardships they experienced and emerged victorious over, people also sentimentally refer to the GI Generation as "The Greatest Generation" (popularized by Tom Brokaw's 1998 book of the same name).
In addition to these challenges, the generation also experienced new technologies (cars, telephones, radio), the rise of Hollywood, and music genres (jazz, gospel, folk, blues, etc.). They are parents to the Baby Boomer generation (boomers), moved to the suburbs, and are typically grandparents to Gen Xers and millennials.