"What are the cut off birth dates for the generations, baby boomers, gen X, Gen Y, and what are the generation before"

The generation before the the Baby Boomers was the "Silent Generation".  Some of the dates differ based on authors, but here's the general list.

Here is a list of the years and generations

1927-1945 - Silent Generation or Traditionalists

1946-1964 - Baby Boomers

1965-1983 - Gen X or the Busters

1984- 2002 - Gen Y or the Millennials

2003- Current Gen Z or the Digital Generation

Silent Generations - born around, or parented by, those of The Great Depression of 1929 & children of the WWII gen.; marriage is for life; labor union generation; Korean and Viet Nam War generation; in grade school, the gravest teacher complaints were about passing notes and chewing gum in class; readers; the Big-Band/Swing music generation; strong sense of trans-generational common values and near-absolute truths; dsiciplined, self-sacrificing, & cautious.

Baby Boomers - the "me" generation; "rock and roll" music gen.; ushered in the free love and societal "non-violent" protests which triggered violence; self righteous & self-centered; buy it now and use credit; too busy for much neighborly involvement yet strong desires to reset or change the common values for the good of all; the first TV generation; quite conversational & skilled vocal & writer advocates; poor on marital skills...the first divorce generation; begin "gay toleration"...AIDS begins and is first lethal infectious disease in the history of any culture on earth which was not subjected to any quarantine what-so-ever because of a beginning obsession of individual rights prevailing over the common good...especially if it is applicable to any type of minority group; optimistic, driven, team-oriented.

Generation X - raised by the career and money conscious Boomers amidst the societal disappointment over governmental authority and the Viet Nam war and the scoff-law attitudes coming out of the protest times; school problems about drugs; late to marry (after cohabitation) and quick to divorce...many single parents; are iconographic...clothes lables are large & shows of caring (turning out for a worthy-cause rally) are fully sufficient expressions (while government, charities, agencies will see to the work of it); want what they want and want it now but struggling to buy; conversationally shallow because relating consists of shared time watching video movies; short on loyalty & wary of commitment; all values are relative...must tolerate all peoples; self-absorbed and suspicious of all organization; computer generation; survivors as individuals; cautious; skeptical, unimpressed with authority, self-reliant.

Generation Y - Facebook, MySpace, SMS and other instant communication technologies may explain Generation Y's reputation for being peer oriented and for seeking instant gratification. Generation Y, like other generations, is shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time. Members of this generation are facing higher costs for higher education than previous generations.

I believe that I have remembered this right!!  : )

The Silent Generation:  people born before 1945.

Baby Boomers:  1945-1961

Generation X:  1962-1976

Generation Y:  1977-1989

I believe the Gen Y’s are also referred to as "millenials":  group that is now just entering the workplace.