In The Walking Dead world, age really is just a number. It doesn’t matter because no one really celebrates birthdays, and most people don’t even know what day of the year it is at any given time, nor do they care. When it comes to kids, those who are older might already be starting to forget what it was like to live in the world before, while younger kids don’t even know what it was like.
But with more and more kids growing up in the apocalypse, it’s important to bring them some semblance of normalcy. And that includes celebrating various events and occasions, like birthdays. With time jumps, spin-offs, and the group constantly being in motion, however, it’s tough to keep track. How old is Judith Grimes, for example? Interestingly, while the actor who plays her is already 14, the character is much younger. And how old is Lydia from The Walking Dead? Is she technically still a kid? The ages of the characters might be surprising.
Updated on November 10th, 2022 by Christine Persaud: The kids from The Walking Dead have shown tremendous bravery, managing through the most difficult circumstances imaginable. They have to fight for their lives, literally, day in and day out. Many of them do it with grace, and knowing how young they are while accomplishing makes them all the more admirable.
Rick Grimes Jr. (“RJ”) In 7
Rick and Michonne’s biological son Rick Jr., referred to as R.J., is 7 years old. Born into the apocalypse, he, like his big sister Judith, does not know any world beyond this one. He has never been able to live the life of a normal child. However, he has received training from his mother, big sister, and other kids and mentors within the community.
With both Rick and Michonne now gone, Daryl has taken on the fatherly role for R.J. and Judith. While he is only seen sparingly on the show, it’s clear he is a kind soul. Sadly, he never got to meet his father Rick, who doesn’t know he exists. He was rescued by Jadis, presumed dead, before knowing that Michonne was pregnant.
Gracie Is 10
The daughter of a Savior, following the war between the two groups, she is adopted by Aaron who becomes the only parent and father she knows. He cares deeply for the young girl, seen many times going out of his way to save her and make sure she is happy and content.
She has grown close to Judith with the pair being close in age and having grown up together in Alexandria. Her most notable scene was being stuck in a basement that was flooding, walkers surrounding them before being saved by Lydia. She is sweet, kind, funny, and, like the other kids in the group, has a legion of people protecting her.
Judith Grimes Is 11
How old is Judith Grimes? While she started on the show in her mother Lori’s stomach and grew to three years old, the time jump in season 9 saw her reach nine years of age pretty quickly. By the current season, Judith is 10 years old, though she is wise beyond her years, as reflected in some of Judith Grimes’ best quotes on The Walking Dead.
Fierce, independent, strong, and confident, Judith grew up never knowing the world prior to the apocalypse. Yet she has a sense of wonder and hope that one might not expect from a child who never had the chance to enjoy childlike innocence. Interestingly, the actor who plays the current version of Judith, Cailey Fleming, is actually 14.
Beth Greene Was 18
Beth is often not considered to be one of the “children” since she was already a teenager by the time the group met her, Hershel, and Maggie in season 2. But she was actually only 16 years old when she was first seen, which is technically still a child.
When Beth died in season 5, arguably the saddest death from season 5 of The Walking Dead, she was 17 or 18 years of age, depending on how much time might have passed and when her birthday was. At such a pivotal age in a young woman’s life, Beth had to grow up quickly and never really had the type of coming-of-age experiences she should have. That left her struggling to cope with what was going on in a way that others might not have been able to relate to.
Hershel Rhee Is About 9
Named after his grandfather, the adorable Hershel Rhee is the spitting image of Glenn, with his sense of fashion, not to mention his same fun and outgoing personality as well. Technically, little Hershel was first seen at the age of one in season 9.
Maggie left the crew to join another because she was unable to cope with being close to Negan after the way he brutally murdered Glenn in season 7. She was likely only several weeks pregnant when he died. During that time, much of which occurred through the time jump, Hershel grew into a sweet, young boy who would have made his late father proud. It’s unclear how old actor Kien Michael Spiller, who plays the current version of Hershel, is in real life since he’s new to the acting scene, with this being his first big role. But by season 11, Hershel would be either 9 or 10, based on the time jump.
Henry Was 17
Before he was brutally murdered by the Whisperers in season 9 (episode 15), with his reanimated head posted on a stick with his other friends, Henry was a 17-year-old young boy, just on the brink of becoming a man. When Henry first appeared, he was just 10 years old.
An interesting fact is that in seasons 7-9, Henry was played by Macsen Lintz, the brother of Madison Lintz who played Carol’s daughter Sophia. From the latter part of season 9 and in season 10, the character was played by Matt Lintz, yet another Lintz child from the same family of talented actors. Sadly, Henry is among one of many major characters on The Walking Dead who have died so far.
Carl Grimes Was About 16
Carl Grimes died in season 8, episode 9 “Honor,” though it’s unclear exactly how old he was at the time. Interestingly, he’s the one child character that fans got to see grow up from a young boy of just 12 to a young man. He was confirmed to be 14 in season 4.
Doing some math based on that knowledge, and considering that Carl’s half-sister Judith was about three years old when he died, and she was born when he was 12 or 13, Carl would have been about 15, possibly 16 when he died. His death was a surprising one on the show since the character had such a huge role in the comics on which the show is based.
Lydia Is 18
Lydia was 16 when she first appeared on the series in season 9, which was after the time jump. How old is Lydia from The Walking Dead now? This would make her about 18 in current times.
The only main teenage character from the series who is still alive, Lydia has big shoes to fill. She forged a strong bond with Henry though she never got to meet Carl. Like the other children, she was also naturally drawn to Carol, though their relationship became fractured following the death of Alpha. While she’s no longer technically a child, even in a relationship now with Elijah, she is still considered a youth on the show.
Enid Was 23
Another character from the series whose life was cut short by Alpha, Enid’s decapitated and reanimated head was placed atop a post to mark the Whisperer territory. Enid first appeared before the time jump, so because of this, by the time of her death in season 9, episode 15, she had already reached her 20s. Doing some math, fans can deduce she was 23, to be exact.
But when Enid first met the group, a scared and orphaned teen, she was just 16 years old. That would make her the same age as, or potentially a year older, than Carl, with whom she grew close. Following her tragic death, she ranks among characters from The Walking Dead that fans believe deserved more.
Sophia Peletier Was 12
One of the first child characters in the series, and the one who experienced one of the most heartbreaking deaths, Sophia was Carol’s biological daughter. She was just 12 at the time of her death, which would have taken place long before when the group found her reanimated body hidden in Hershel’s barn with other walkers in the second season.
While Sophia’s life was cut short, it was her death, in part, that drove Carol to become the fighter she became, once she had nothing left to lose. For fans of the show, the image of Sophia’s undead body ambling out of the barn remains one of the most heart-wrenching ever on the show.
Lizzie Samuels Was 12
It’s difficult to imagine that Lizzie was the same age Sophia was when she died because the two girls seemed so different. Lizzie, who Carol had taken under her wing as if she were her own daughter, began to show signs of serious mental illness. Whether she had it before or something triggered her behavior in the apocalypse, Lizzie was a clear danger and threat to everyone around her, as proven when she killed her own sister.
Lizzie was executed by Carol in one of the most emotional scenes ever on the show. Knowing that she was just 12 years old makes the scene even more disturbing. Lizzie was one of the best characters on The Walking Dead who had the least screen time.
Mika Samuels Was 10
Innocent and sweet, but totally not made for this world, Mika looked up to her big sister, completely unaware of how deeply troubled Lizzie was. In the end, this led to her death as Lizzie sacrificed Mika, believing that she was helping her instead of harming her.
At just 10, Mika was one of the youngest kids to die on the show, if not the youngest main character. She was also one of many children who died under Carol’s watch. It was Lizzie killing Mika that led Carol to do the unthinkable and kill Lizzie before she would inevitably hurt more people, including baby Judith.