Microgeneration · 1954–1965
Generation Jones
Generation Jones is the late Baby Boom and the cusp with Gen X: 1954–1965 for Jonathan Pontell, who named it, and 1955–1964 at Beresford Research.
Generation Jones is the cohort born from 1954 to 1965, in the definition of Jonathan Pontell, who coined the name. Beresford Research calls 1955–1964 "Boomers II (a/k/a Generation Jones)", and Collins says the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.
The birth years, source by source
No authority settles these boundaries, so here is every range we could read on the source itself, with the age that range gives in 2026.
| Source | Birth years | Age in 2026 | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Pontell, who coined the name (reported by the Akron Beacon Journal) | 1954–1965 | 61–72 | 26 February 2014 |
| Beresford Research, "Boomers II (a/k/a Generation Jones)" | 1955–1964 | 62–71 | 7 January 2026 |
| Collins English Dictionary, on Dictionary.com | Mid-1950s to mid-1960s | — | read 2 November 2026 |
What the sources claim
- "Jonesing" — a craving shaped by expectations that went unmet — is, in Pontell's account, the cohort's core trait. — Jonathan Pontell, 2014
- Shaped by the 1960s as witnesses rather than participants, and facing harder finances than the earlier Boomers. — Jonathan Pontell, 2014
- In the US, just young enough to have missed being drafted into war. — Beresford Research, 2026
Read this before quoting it
Collins traces the name to the US slang "jones", a strong desire for something. Many sources simply count these years as Baby Boomers (to 1964) and Generation X (1965), as this site does.
Generational labels describe averages across many people. They are useful shorthand and useless for judging any one person.
Birth years covered by any source
Highlighted: 1954–1965, the range used here.
Frequently asked
What years are Generation Jones?
Jonathan Pontell, who named it, uses 1954 to 1965. Beresford Research uses 1955 to 1964, and Collins says the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s.
Is Generation Jones Boomer or Gen X?
On this site's boundaries, 1954–1964 is Baby Boomer and 1965 is Generation X. Generation Jones is a name for the later Boomers and that cusp.
Why is it called Generation Jones?
Collins traces it to the US slang "jones", a strong desire for something; Pontell ties it to expectations the cohort grew up with that went unmet.