Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

The Millennial Generation or Generation Y (1981 – 1996)

Authors who believe that writing fiction about the Millennial Generation means only telling tales of youth are going to be in for quite a surprise. As of the initial writing of this blog post, the oldest millennials had turned 33.

And now, let’s look at some pivotal moments, to help inform us when writing fiction about the Millenial Generation.

The Millennial Generation Turns 18 (1999 – 2014)

This time frame starts off with the euro being established as a currency, and Bill Clinton being acquitted of impeachment charges. IT professionals fret over the potential for a Y2K bug.

The events surrounding 9/11 dominate the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, Boko Harum militants kill approximately 300 people in Nigeria, and the British comedy group Monty Python calls it quits. Plus, the shooting of Michael Brown triggers riots in Ferguson, Missouri.

Millennials Turn 25 (2006 – 2021)

This time frame starts off with NASA launching the first interplanetary space probe to Pluto (New Horizons), and the Human Genome Project publishing its final chromosome sequence.  Plus, there’s the execution of Saddam Hussein.

The West African Ebola epidemic dominates the middle of this period.

By the time this period ends, Donald Trump’s supporters riot and violently attack the US Capitol building, and the container ship Ever Given runs aground in the Suez Canal and disrupts global trade for days. Derek Chauvin is convicted in the murder of George Floyd.

The Millennial Generation Turns 35 (2016 – 2031)

This time frame starts off with David Bowie dying of liver cancer. The gorilla Harambe is shot and killed due to an incident involving a child. Also, the Chicago Cubs win the World Series for the first time since 1908.

The two impeachments of President Donald Trump and the 2020 election with the subsequent coup attempt on January 6, 2021 dominate the middle of this period.

As of the initial writing of this blog post, this time period has not yet ended.

However, the period from 2021 to 2024 saw the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump, continuing issues with Covid-19 and its many variants, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Naming Your Characters When Writing Fiction About the

Millennial Generation

The US Social Security Administration keeps track of births and what parents name their kids.

This time frame shows more consistency for boy names than for girl names. In fact, in 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989, all of the top five boys’ names were identical. Whereas for girls, the only two years like that are 1986 and 1987.

Just like in the previous generation, Michael was the top name for every single one of this cohort’s sixteen years. Christopher was in second place for every year but the last two, when Matthew took the silver medal.

When Matthew wasn’t in second, that name was in third. In 1995, because Christopher wasn’t in second place, that name was in third. And in the final year, Jacob was the third-most popular name for boys.

The fourth slot shows more variances in terms of names, but the positioning is still fairly consistent. Jason takes this spot in 1981 and 1982. The only year David’s in fourth is 1983. Jacob is in fourth only in 1995, with Christopher in this spot only in 1996.

Otherwise, it’s Joshua all the way.

David fills the fifth spot more often than the other four names on the list for this period, in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1989. Joshua fills this spot in 1983, 1995, and 1996. Daniel comes in fifth in 1985 and 1990. Then Andrew in 1988, 1991, and 1992.

The other two years, 1993 and 1994, belong to Tyler.

Naming Your Girl Characters When Writing Fiction About the

Millennial Generation

This time frame is mainly the story of Jessica and Ashley and, to a lesser extent, Brittany and Jennifer.

Jennifer takes the top spot from 1981 – 1984, inclusive. Then Jessica takes over from 1985 – 1990 inclusive, and 1993 – 1995 inclusive. Ashley reigns in 1991 and 1992, while Emily squeaks into the top slot for just one year, 1996.

The silver medal has considerably fewer variants. Jessica holds this spot from 1981 – 1984 inclusive, and in 1991, 1992, and 1996. Otherwise, this spot belongs to Ashley.

For the third spot, Amanda rules from 1981 to 1983 inclusive, and 1986 to 1988 inclusive, plus 1992. Ashley holds this spot in 1984 and 1996. Jennifer is in third place only in 1985. Brittany holds this spot from 1989 to 1991 inclusive. Sarah only shows up here in 1993.

Then it’s Emily in 1994 and 1995.

For the fourth slot, it’s Sarah in 1981, 1982, 1988, and 1996. Ashley only shows up in 1983. Amanda holds this spot in 1984, 1985, and 1989 to 1991 inclusive. Jennifer holds down this part of the fort in 1986 and 1987. Brittany only shows up in 1992. Otherwise, it’s Samantha.

And for the fifth spot, Melissa holds it in 1981 and 1982. But she’s only keeping the seat warm for Sarah, who holds this position in 1983 to 1987 inclusive, 1989, 1992, 1994, and 1995. Jennifer only shows up in 1988; Emily only in 1993. Otherwise, it’s Samantha.

When I’m Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

Right now, I don’t seem to have any characters from the Millennial Generation. However, it’s possible that there are some from The Duck in the Seat Cushion but I don’t have the birthdates on file yet.

Takeaways for Writing Fiction About the Millennial Generation

With the youngest millennials already 28 years old, any present-day plans for writing fiction about the Millennial Generation should not be centered on high school life. Or even undergraduate life.

So, consider the young adult experience, as millennials navigate marriage, parenthood, and trying to purchase a home.

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

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