The Walking Dead kids were an important part of the show's story. While the main storyline showed survivors of a zombie apocalypse attempting to survive the walker attacks while dealing with the evil living humans remaining, there was more to it than that. The Walking Dead was, at its heart, about people fighting for the future and trying to find a better world after the one they lived in was burned to the ground. That means that the kids on the show were the future, and it was those kids who would one day create a better world than the one they were born in.
When the show started, there were two kids on the show — Carl Grimes and Sophia Peletier — although there was also a young teen named Beth. Sadly, none of these kids born before the zombie apocalypse destroyed the world lived to make it to a brand-new world. While that was different from the comics on which the show was based, where Carl was the child to grow into a leader, the TV show had a different idea. In this case, it was the children born into the apocalypse, the ones who never knew what came before, who ended up becoming the leaders of the future when The Walking Dead aired its final episode.
Judith Grimes: 12 Years Old
How old is Judith Grimes? She was the first baby born on the show, and her mother Lori died while giving birth. She grew to three years old, but the time jump in season 9 saw her reach nine years of age. By the end of the show, Judith was 12 years old, wise beyond her years, and capable of defending her people. Fierce, independent, strong, and confident, Judith grew up never knowing the world prior to the apocalypse. Yet she has a sense of wonder 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 was only 15 at the end.
Hershel Rhee: 10 Years Old
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. 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 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. Hershel will next appear in The Walking Dead: Dead City.
Rick Grimes Jr. ("RJ"): 8 Years Old
Rick and Michonne's biological son Rick Jr., referred to as R.J., was one of the youngest of the main The Walking Dead kids, at 8 years old when the show ended. 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 received training from his mother, big sister, and other kids and mentors within the community. With both Rick and Michonne gone, Daryl helped raise R.J. and Judith before leaving himself. Sadly, he never got to meet his father Rick, who doesn't know he exists.
Gracie: 11 Years Old
Gracie is the daughter of a Savior. Following the war between the two groups, Aaron adopts her and is the only parent 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 was five months old when she first appeared on the show and was 11 by the time it ended. Gracie grew close to Judith, growing up together in Alexandria as The Walking Dead kids. Her most notable scene was being stuck in a basem*nt that was flooding, with walkers surrounding them before being saved by Lydia. She is sweet, kind, funny, and has a legion of people protecting her.
Lydia: 19 Years Old
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? She was no longer one of The Walking Dead kids at the end, as she was 19 when the finale aired. The only main teenage character from the series who lived, Lydia had 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 young on the show.
Rachel Ward: 22 Years Old
Rachel was about 22 when the show ended, meaning she was no longer one of The Walking Dead kids. However, her first appearance on the show was when she was a pre-teen. Rachel was a member of the Oceanside community. Despite her young age, she took over as the representative for the district when the community's leader was absent. She was who signed the allied pact between the communities to form the Coalition. She was also one of the co-leaders of the community after the Whisperer War.
Rosie Porter: 3 Months Old
Rosie Porter was not born when the final battle in the season finale ended. However, this also made her the last of The Walking Dead kids to be born before the final credits rolled. The last episode had a flash forward to show how the community had grown since the end of the war. This scene included Eugene Porter with his new wife Maxxine. They also had a baby they pushed in a stroller. This was their baby, named Rosie after Rosita, and she was 3 months old.
Erza, Aliyah, and Mariam: 3, 6, and 7 Years Old
Erza, Aliyah, and Mariam are the three children of Jerry and his wife Nabila as part of the next generation of The Walking Dead kids. They all lived and are ready to carry on the next generation of the new world.
Adam Sutton: 3 Years Old
Adam Sutton was a child born to a member of the Whisperers. However, his mother abandoned him, and the survivors at the Hilltop Colony saved and adopted him. However, when Earl and Tammy Rose Sutton died, he was orphaned again. This time Alden became his new adoptive father, but then he died as well. By the finale, Adam lived with Maggie and Hershel, who raised him. He was the most notable of the other kids who have been born into the community.
Mika Samuels Was 10 When She Died
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, believing she could return as a nice zombie. At just 10, Mika was the youngest of The Walking Dead kids to die on the show. 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.
Duane Jones Was 10 When He Died
The first child to ever appear on The Walking Dead was Duane Jones. He was Morgan Jones' son, and he captured Rick when he saw him. However, soon Morgan and Duane realized Rick was not a danger to them. Rick ended up leaving to find his wife and son while Morgan and Duane stayed behind. Morgan's wife had died, and he was keeping her locked away, hoping for a cure. Sadly, shortly after Rick left, Morgan's wife got free and killed Duane, leaving Morgan alone, something it took him a long time to recover from.
Sam Anderson Was Between 10 And 12 When He Died
Sam Anderson's age was never revealed, but he was one of the most hated of The Walking Dead kids. However, it wasn't his fault because he was just a normal kid until Carol got her hands on him. When Sam saw that Carol had weapons that she was hiding, she threatened to kill him if he told anyone. She wasn't serious, but Sam didn't know that and began to grow paranoid and scared as time went on. Finally, when Rick was trying to get Sam and his family to safety, he lost control and led walkers to him and his mother, costing both their lives. His brother also shot out Carl's eye in revenge, even though Sam was to blame.
Sophia Peletier Was 12 When She Died
One of the first child characters in the series along with Carl, Sophia experienced one of the most heartbreaking deaths, Sophia was Carol's biological daughter and 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 When She Died
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 issues. 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. Lizzie was one of the best characters on The Walking Dead who had the least screen time.
Carl Grimes Was 15 When He Died
Carl Grimes died in season 8, episode 9 "Honor." He was the first of The Walking Dead kids to appear on the show, at 12 years old. He was the first character fans got to see grow up from a young boy to a young man, both as a character and actor. He was confirmed to be 14 in season 4, and this means Carl was almost 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. His role in the comics went to his sister Judith in the AMC series.
Henry Sutton Was 17 When He Died
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 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.
Beth Greene Was 18 When She Died
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 only 18. 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.
Enid Was 23 When She Died
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. But when Enid first met the group, a scared and orphaned teen, at just 16 years of age. That would make her close to the same age as Carl, with whom she grew close before his death. Following her tragic death, she ranks among characters from The Walking Dead that fans believe deserved more.
