# Re: What to call the class of 2000? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 10, 2000, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068 "2000-05-10T02:19:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/1 "2000-05-10T02:19:24Z")
The class of 2K. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/2 "2000-05-10T02:38:51Z")
That’s good, but I really want to call them the “Double-Oughts”. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/3 "2000-05-10T03:17:56Z")
I’ve heard \* The Naughties \* suggested. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![skwyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ab097/32.png) [@skwyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skwyd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/4 "2000-05-10T03:21:51Z")
Not to be a spoil sport, but I think it will be called “the class of 2000” (pronounced “throat-warbler-mangoloid”) As far as the decade goes…lets called it “a waste of my time and yours” \>:) ---
**Author:** ![DaveoRad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@DaveoRad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveoRad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/5 "2000-05-10T05:48:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Not to be a spoil sport, but I think it will be called “the class of 2000” (pronounced “throat-warbler-mangoloid”) > > As far as the decade goes…lets called it “a waste of my time and yours” > \*\* I agree that it’ll be called the Class of 2000 (though I dispute the “throat-warbler-mongoloid” pronunciation). Remember, this is the first millennium-final year during which “classes”, as we now think of them, are being graduated. Therefore, graduation speakers wouldn’t cheapen it by calling it “aughty-aught”, “oh-oh”, or any similar abbreviation. As for the decade, I prefer “'00s”, pronounced “ohs”. One of my correspondents suggests “andies”, because the years will be called “two thousand AND one”, “two thousand AND two”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![lachesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lachesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lachesis)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/6 "2000-05-10T13:31:19Z")
eh, FWIW, since it’s already managed to garner **LOTS** of name recognition, an obvious solution for this year’s class would be “Class of Y2K”. 😃 been writing the year portion of the date on my checks that way for a couple months now, and no one’s complained. (heck, probably no one’s even _noticed_). the world is full of Lerts, i guess. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mikerizer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Mikerizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mikerizer)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/7 "2000-05-10T13:39:47Z")
I like the “double-oughts” as a name for the decade. How about this? Fifties…Forties…Thirties…Twenties…Teens…Ones? But definitely not “Ones-ies” I think the “Class of Y2K” is fitting. ---
**Author:** ![Gazoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ce73a5/32.png) [@Gazoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazoo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/8 "2000-05-10T13:44:49Z")
This is the classic article up on the home page right now: [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_160.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_160.html) ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/9 "2000-05-10T14:02:31Z")
The old yearbook (circa 1899) that **I** consulted called the class of 1900 “the naughty-naughts” (followed by, of course, the “naughty-ones” and the “naughty-twos”). Which is similar to, but, I think, more fun than the “aughty-aught” phrase used in the yearbook Cecil quoted. So I vote for “the naughty decade,” since, in my opinion, any excuse to say “naughty” should be immediately adopted. Naughty, naughty, naughty. Alas, everyone else I’ve talked to in firmly entrenched in the “Class of two-thousand” camp. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/10 "2000-05-10T16:00:35Z")
“Naughty Zut, bad zut, naughty, naughty zut. Of course she must be punished. First, you must spank her…” ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2000, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/11 "2000-05-10T17:05:50Z")
Good one Saltire! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/12 "2000-05-11T01:56:43Z")
I think it’s gonna be “Class of Two Thousand” or “Class of 'Thousand.” You see, A.D. 1999 was actually “The Year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety-Nine,” but we would say “Nineteen Hundred Ninety-Nine,” or just “Nineteen Ninety-Nine”–_because it was shorter._ But saying “Twenty-Ought-Ought,” “Twenty-Ought-One,” et cetera, would be unnecessarily goofy when one can easily say “Two Thousand,” “Two Thousand One,” etc. I’ve always heard “2001: A Space Odyssey” called “Two Thousand and One…”, not “Twenty-oh-One…”. The whole century may go this way: It’s not much harder to say “Two Thousand Ten,” “Two Thousand Seventy-Seven,” etc., than to say “Twenty-Ten,” “Twenty-Seventy-Seven,” etc. It was significantly longer to say “One Thousand Nine Hundred…”, than to say “Nineteen …”, so we just said “Nineteen…”–but that won’t be necessary in the new century. While people called the old century both “The Twentienth Century” and “The 1900’s,” the new century will just be the “Twenty-First Century.” The decade nicknames have historically derived from the typical terms for individual years, so there is no obvious nickname for the first decade of the Twenty-First Century. The whole century is in “the two thousands,” as is the rest of the millenium, so this will eventually ring false: first for the decade, then for the century. But 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, & 2009 are unusual in that they are nine consecutive years with “double-oh’s” in them. If there weren’t such a strong anti-gun culture in culturally influential parts of this country, “double-oughts” would catch on. Actually, 2000 is the “triple-ought” year. My cousin graduates High School this month. I got the invitation to commencement today, and it has the year number printed with a big 2 and three little 0’s zigzagged down its right side. Hmmm–“triple-Oh’s”?. But they are, natch, the “Class of Two Thousand”. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/13 "2000-05-11T03:17:49Z")
I remember that when the class of 2000 came in as freshmen, all of us upperclassmen called them “The Class of Zero”. Now, as to what they called themselves, I’m not sure. (You think I actually pay attention to froshes?) ---
**Author:** ![mianne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mianne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mianne)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/14 "2000-05-11T11:47:52Z")
Cecil replies: Wake me in 2010. Then what are we going to do? Call it “The Teens”? ---
**Author:** ![brickface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8edcca/32.png) [@brickface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickface)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/15 "2000-05-11T15:01:56Z")
Without seeming like too much of a geek here, the suggestion by “Mikey” in Cecil’s column presents a slight problem. When, for example, electrical engineers, say “2K7” the “K” is taken to be an exponent and to be in the decimal point’s position (2.7 \* 1K) and so that would refer to 2700, not 2007. I like the Patrick O’Brian method : zero, one, two, three, etc. -j ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2000, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/16 "2000-05-11T23:36:08Z")
OK, here’s the Straight Dope, straight from the high school horse’s mouth (so to speak): My teenage daughter says that at HER high school (medium-sized Midwestern town), this year’s graduating seniors are calling themselves the “Class of Two Thousand,” and everybody else is calling themselves the “Class of Zero One, Zero Two, Zero Three”, or just “Zero Ones, Zero Twos,” etc. Aren’t we glad the Mayas invented the concept of “zero”? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2000, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/17 "2000-05-12T00:28:29Z")
If my two cousins are any indication, it’s the Class of Losers. Your mileage, however, may vary. your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Beakeroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@Beakeroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beakeroni)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2000, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/18 "2000-05-15T06:24:08Z")
I’ve been calling it Twenty-Hundred since New Year’s Day. The only problem so far, is that it can be confused with military time for 8:00 pm. ---
**Author:** ![MrDeath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/22d042/32.png) [@MrDeath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDeath)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2000, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/19 "2000-05-16T09:30:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > The class of 2K. > \*\* Why 2K? 😃 On a more serious note, it’s a bit difficult to call this decade, or even this century, the ‘two-thousands’, as it is more likely to mean the entire millenium rather than the humble decade. ‘The zeroes’ is better but somehow hollow-sounding. But since people have already, albeit erroneously, been calling this ‘the 21st century’, then it should be appropriate enough to call this the 201st decade. I know, it’s not all that catchy, or at least it won’t be until some hip-hop group decides to call themself Decade 201 Featuring DJ D.J. So who’s with me here? (Hey, I made it through my first post without mentio…damn! I _knew_ I’d screw up!) – Trevor Be a Stute. There’s been a distressing population explosion of Lerts. ---
**Author:** ![HappyGrad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@HappyGrad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HappyGrad)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2000, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068/20 "2000-05-20T21:04:25Z")
Can’t help but butt in… Being the happy grad that I am, I accept any term (except the class of losers; that was low) as being correct; I don’t care, I’m going to graduate. But in the hallways, when we meet a fellow senior, we shout “OH, DOUBLE O!!!” and we know who we’re talking about. The valedictorian of our class is just going to say the class of two-thousand; though I know she’s going to throw in an “OH, DOUBLE O!!!” in there for good measure. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-to-call-the-class-of-2000/19068.md?page=2)