I was certainly surprised when I stumbled across this article. Being the valedictorian of my class and graduating in the aforementioned year, I can tell you this much: every one of my classmates refers to it as the (gasp!) CLASS OF TWO THOUSAND. Who would’ve guessed it? Maybe some people want to call it the “Class of aught-aught” or the “Class of zero-zero” or the “Class of the insane blue monkey”, but all I know is that when I make my speech, the graduating class will be the Class of two thousand.
What do we call them?
I imagine by now, or at least very shortly, it will be graduates.
You are correct irishman, we are now being called Graduates.
I must admit… I don’t really understand this debate. Haven’t we always been referred to as the class of two thousand? I know that’s how it’s always been here in Los Angeles, but I don’t know about other parts of the country. I’ve never heard Aughty-Aught or any such thing being considered for us. After all, “the class of two thousand” is no harder to say than “The class of '99”
Psycho Kitten, I think it will be more of an issue to labeling the decade.
You can refer to the “eighties” or the “sixties”. How do you refer to the “zero-zeros”? The “under-tens”? “Pre-tens”? That’s where having a defining term is useful.
In more formal settings, “Class of ____” will work pretty much the same, with “two-thousand” working this year, and “oh one” picking up next year.
How about we call the new decade the “decade nobody can name”, or DENOCANA for short? It’s got a slightly exotic touch to it and it rolls off the tongue. 
As for the new century and the new millennium, let’s worry about them when they get here in 2001. Then we can have this whole conversation all over again! isn’t that wonderful? (Or we can just call them the 21st century and the 3rd millennium. Either way suits me fine.)
What I’m wondering is if the real estate firm “Century 21” will change its name to “Century 22” next year. . .
Well, since Cecil brought up the “aughty-aughts” comment, I thought I might as well refer to an old “User Friendly” comic written in 1999. The writer, Illiad, suggested in his strip that considering the way things are going (i.e. sex, drugs, and rap music) that we call the decade “the naughties”.
Naughties has been suggested - and used, ISTR - by the Economist. I am less certain about the leading local paper
for London, the Evening Standard, using it, but I think it has.
It’s not the first decade of the 21st Century yet, and I’m disappointed that Cecil - who was meant to be answering someone’s question about the calendar, and has a reputation for accuracy and solid research to lose - fell for it.
As a previous poster rightly pointed out, it is not the 21st century yet. (There was no year zero, centuries run from year one to year zero-zero, the 20th century was celebrated 1/1/1901, when exactly do you think the first century started?) Decades, on the other hand, are a more recent invention and, AFAIK, run zero to nine.
Minor quibble: The twentieth century did, in fact start on 1/1/1901 (Cecil’s covered this, hasn’t he?), but I’m willing to wager that it was actually celebrated on 1/1/1900 by most folks, just like most folks now celebrated on 1/1/2000.
What do we call the years 2001 to 2009? I suggest the Annies because the double zeros look like Li’l Orphan Annie’s eyes in the comics. Next year will be Annie-1, then Annie-2, etc. Therefore, the class of 2000 would be called the class of Annie-Oh, or maybe Annie-Zip. Works for me (I graduated in 72, what do I care?)
I would like to point out this won’t happen again for another thousand years. At that time I doubt if the Li’l Orphan Annie comics will be remembered (heck, I bet most of the class of Annie-Oh haven’t even read one). This is our last chance.
We really do call ourselves graduates. 
Actually, my classmates and I called ourselves the zeros. My girlfriend’s class is called the ones.
At the collage I’m going to, I’m going to be known as a four.
By the numbers,
andygirl
As Chronos has already pointed out, Cecil Adams discussed the issue previously:
The millennium approacheth. Will it start Jan. 1, 2000, or Jan. 1, 2001? (08-Feb-1974)
When in the article Mr. Adams says «If Ms. Greenberg above has to say, “Greetings to the Class of Aughty-Aught,” and we have to stumble through the next nine and a half years calling this “the first decade of the twenty-first century,” don’t blame me.» I think he was referring to common terminology, and not what is technically accurate.
Well, at my school they are… were sniff called ‘double oh’, and other classes are ‘oh one’, ‘oh two’, etc. And slightly OT, but the year is 2G according to DJs where I live (as in, “ninety-nine to the two Gs”).