In his 2008 book '' The Lucky Few : Between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boom '' , author Elwood Carlson used the term " New Boomers " to describe this cohort . He identified the birth years of 1983 – 2001 , based on the upswing in births after 1983 and finishing with the " political and social challenges " that occurred after the September 11th terrorist acts . Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe define millennials as born between 1982 – 2004 . However , Howe described the dividing line between millennials and the following Generation Z as " tentative " , saying " you ca n’t be sure where history will someday draw a cohort dividing line until a generation fully comes of age "
September 11th terrorist acts
September 11 attacks
Millennials