Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

Generation Alpha (2013 – 2028 or so)

As of the initial writing of this blog post, they haven’t hit any of major age-related touchstones such as turning 18 yet! So, we can’t really cover many pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about Generation Alpha.

However, we can cover the entire time frame, as far as we know it.

Considering the Entire Time Frame When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

This time frame starts off with the aftermaths of the Egyptian revolution of 2011, Arab Spring, and NASA ending the space shuttle program.

The Covid-19 pandemic, the first term of President Donald Trump, and the Russia-Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war dominate the middle of this period. Plus, there’s the rise of artificial intelligence.

The very end of this period hasn’t happened yet. All we can really do is speculate.

Given that President Trump is supposed to only be able to serve one more term, the 2028 presidential elections will be a major event. Will Kamala Harris return? Will JD Vance run for the country’s highest office? How about someone else? We shall see.

Naming Your Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

In America, the Social Security Administration keeps track of births and what people name their children. Given that this time frame is not yet over, some of these numbers may change. The SSA only has full records up to the end of 2024.

For this (so far) twelve-year time span, there are only ten unique boys’ names for all five slots. As you can imagine, there are several repetitions. Noah holds the top spot from 2013 to 2016 inclusive. Then he’s bumped by Liam, who keeps the gold medal for the rest of the time frame.

In second place, Jacob shows up in 2013 only. Then it’s Liam from 2014 to 2016 inclusive. Otherwise, this spot is taken by Noah. Essentially, except for Jacob in 2013, the #1 and #2 slots are the Noah and Liam Show.

For third place, the field is only slightly more open, with Liam taking the bronze medal in 2013 and then handing it off to Mason for 2014 and 2015. He then hands it to William for 2016 to 2018 inclusive. And Oliver takes it away for the rest of the time period.

When it comes to fourth place, there’s some more variety, with six unique names. William (2019) and Theodore (2024) only show up once. Mason holds this spot in 2013 and 2016, Jacob in 2014 and 2015.

James is in fourth for 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023. And Elijah holds fourth in 2020 and 2021.

For fifth place, Logan (2017) and Oliver (2018) only show up once. William holds this spot 2013 – 2015 inclusive and 2020. James is in fifth place in 2016, 2021, and 2024. Elijah holds this slot in 2019, 2022, and 2023.

Naming Your Girl Characters When Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

For this (so-far) twelve-year span, there are only eight unique girls’ names for the top five slots. Ava, Emma, Olivia, and Sophia account for almost 3/4 of the list.

For the top spot, Sophia shows up in 2013 only. Then it’s Emma from 2014 to 2018 inclusive, and then Olivia for the rest of the time frame.

In second place, it’s just Emma (2013 and 2019 – 2024 inclusive) and Olivia (2014 – 2018 inclusive).

There are five unique names for third place. Olivia (2013) and Amelia (2024) each only show up once. Sophia takes the bronze in 2014 and 2015, then Ava from 2016 to 2020 inclusive, and then Amelia from 2021 to 2023 inclusive.

There are also five unique names for fourth, although one is different from third place. Ava only shows up in 2015. Isabella is in fourth place in 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018. Then Sophia in 2016 and 2019, and Charlotte in 2020 and 2024.

Amelia is in fourth place in 2021 – 2023 inclusive.

For fifth place, there are only four unique names. Ava takes fifth place in 2013, 2014, and 2021. Then Isabella in 2015, 2016, and 2019. Sophia takes fifth in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2023. And finally, squeaking in just under the wire, Mia takes 2024.

What’s Next for Generation Alpha?

For the most part, writing fiction about Generation Alpha means writing science fiction. Certainly, you will have to speculate about the future. In general, extrapolating current events to their logical conclusions can be a good way of going about this.

When I’m Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

So, here are my characters from Generation Alpha.

There’s no one I specifically name. However, Glenn Storey from The Duck in the Seat Cushion is of the right age.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About Generation Alpha

As of the initial writing of this blog post, the oldest members of Generation Alpha are only thirteen years old.

Writing fiction about Generation Alpha should cover some of the tween milestones many kids go through, such as confirmation and bar/bat mitzvahs. Also, there are kids with older siblings and friends who may be attending quinceañeras.

And, unless your Generation Alpha characters are the youngest members of the British royal family, their issues, incidents, and problems are more likely to be compact and personal. As in, being affected by parental divorce versus saving the world.

Of course, you can write a ‘chosen one’ story with tweens. But that’s been done a lot lately. What would you like to write that’s different?

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Want more about writing fiction about current generations? Then be sure to check out my thoughts on multigenerational fiction writing and the other blog posts in this series:

• The Greatest Generation
† The Silent Generation
• Early Boomers
† Generation Jones
• Generation X
† Millennials AKA Generation Y
• Generation Z AKA Zoomers
† Generation Alpha