Today, I’m thinking about Grandparent Names. How did you/do you address your grandparents? If you’re a parent, how do your kids address their grandparents? If you are a grandparent, or picture being one someday, how do you want your grandkids to address you?
My grandpas were Poppy (my maternal grandfather) and Pappy (my paternal grandfather- my oldest cousin mistook Poppy for Pappy and my grandpa, a pilot, loved it since one of the famous war pilots was Pappy, so it stuck). My maternal grandma was/is Nanny. My paternal grandma died before I was born, but we referred to her as Grandma Nea. My grandpa’s second wife was Grandma Jeri. My great grandmas were Grandma Iris, Grandma Liz/Mimi, and Grandma Ogden and one of my great grandpas was Bompy (not sure where that one came from??).
That's interesting that your grandma is Nanny too! Can I ask how old she is? My Nanny died in 2003 at the age of 92. My mom's family is originally from Canada but Nanny was living in New Jersey when she was a grandmother.
When I was young, my dad's parents were Grandma and Grandpa Woods. My mom's mom was Nanny (all of her grandkids and great-grandkids called her Nanny, even though her name was Edna), and my mom's dad was just Grandpa (they were divorced long before I was born).
When my husband's parents and step-parents were alive, our kids called his mom Nana (that was a name she picked herself for her grandkids to call her), and her husband at the time was Grampy, (he picked that name). His dad was called Papa, (not sure how he came to be Papa, but it fit him), and his step-mom was called Mema, (I'm not sure if she picked that or if her oldest daughter did when she had the first grandchild).
I don't have grandkids yet, but I think I would like to be called Gigi or Mimi. My sister-in-law is Gigi, and I really like that. My older sister is Nonnie to her grandchildren and my younger sister was Grammy, but now it is just Grandma.
My siblings and I called my mother's mom Bubie - which is the Yiddish word for grandmother. She was beloved by her grandchildren. Very few grandmothers of my mom's generation choose to be called Bubie as is was thought of as old fashioned and out-of-date. As soon as I learned I was going to become a grandmother I knew I wanted to be called Bubie. It felt like such an honor to be associated with my own grandmother in this way. The first time my grandmother called me Bubie my heart melted. And as my friends become grandmothers some are also choosing to be called Bubie. Our grandchildren call my husband Zayde which is yiddish for grandfather.
I have no idea about what my husband will be called, but I’m definitely going to be called Cookie. Conjures up a sweet and warm feeling when a family member says, “Let’s go to Cookie’s house.” I certainly love cookies and plan on having plenty around for my grandkids.
My grandma's nickname was Boots and when my nephew (the first great-grandchild) was born, he called his paternal great-grandparents Mama Boots and Papa Boots. :)
We called our grandmother Grandmommie, which turned into Grumummy when said quickly. We called our grandfather, Granka, which I’m not sure about. Perhaps I invented it when a child. Later I thought it was a Swedish word for Grandfather, but it isn’t, so guess not.
I called my maternal grandparents Nagymama and Nagypapa which is Hungarian, since they immigrated from Hungary in their 20's (Nagy is pronounced "nudge"). Nagy means "big" or "large" or "great" in Hungarian. My kids call their dad's parents Yaya and GongGong (hard to write how to pronounce that!) as they are from Thailand. I think I want us to be called something fun like MomMom and PopPop when we eventually have grandkids!
I called my grandparents grandma and grandpa. When we needed to differentiate, we used their surnames, Grandma Haines vs Grandma Stubbs. My parents (born in 1950) called their grandparents grandpa and grandma as well. One of my cousins on my dad’s side used first names, Grandma Kay and Grandpa Ev.
My parents are now grandparents and my nieces and nephews call them Bebé and Papi. The name Bebé originated when one of my cousins couldn’t quite say Aunt Beth and instead said “bey bey.” The name stuck and his sister called my mom the same thing. That cousin was visiting my parents many years later and when my sister-in-law, pregnant with the first grandchild, heard her call my mom Bebé, she fell in love with it. Papi, on the other hand, came about not because my dad is Hispanic (he is a white Midwesterner), but because Papa was taken by my sister-in-law’s dad, who already had a couple grandkids. My dad went through a period of casually taking Spanish classes when I was in high school, so we sort of teased him that this was his chance to be a Spanish grandpa. I was also living in Boston at the time, and Big Papi was in his prime with the Red Sox. So it just came together.
They would, of course, answer to any name their grandchildren decided to call them. :)
My grandparents were Mama Bess and Daddy Mont on my mom's side, and Nana and Papa on my dad's side. Our kids called my mom Grandma (my dad died before they were born), and my husband's parents Gammie and Papa. My husband's grandmother, who lived to be 111, was Mere (accent on first e). I want to be Granny.
Besides the typical grandmother/grandfather for the others, we fondly called one of my grandmother's Mimi. I had a longtime plan for mine to call me Granny Wendy, (from Peter Pan) because my name is Wendy. My grandchildren (ages 2 and 3) had other ideas and call me NeNe! Maybe that's how they pronounced Granny Wendy? Not sure but I absolutely LOVE it, especially since they call their other grandma by only her first name!
If you're a soon-to-be grandparent and want or don't want to be called by a particular nickname, let your intentions, desires, wishes, etc. be known now! I never wanted to be called "Grandma" and naively assumed I would be asked what I'd like our grandchildren to call me. I asked my parents and in-laws what they preferred our children to call them. Well, you know what they say about assuming? Assume nothing! Our daughter and her husband referred to me as Grandma the instant I walked into the hospital room to see our newborn grandson. I tried to offer up another nickname and was summarily dismissed. Our son and his wife tagged me with Gammie weeks before their first baby was born. His wife called her paternal grandmother, Gammie and her children would do the same. When our grandchildren are old enough, I'm going to insist they all call me Gypsy!
I'm a mix - my dad is Swedish, my mum is from East Africa but of South Asian descent. I grew up mostly in Vancouver, Canada, but now live in Stockholm, Sweden. When my first child (and my parents' first grandchild) was born, we decided that he would call my dad "Morfar" which literally means "mother's father" and is the word Swedish kids use for their maternal grandfather. But my mom did not feel like "Mormor" was her. She wanted to be Grandma. When my son started talking, he couldn't say Grandma, so he called her "Tanna" instead. Of course it stuck, and now all of the five grandkids (my three and my sister's two) call my parents Morfar and Tanna.
My mother decided she wanted to be called Yaya. She had a Greek-American client that told her that was the Greek name for grandmother. Now that my own daughter is engaged, I’m thinking about what I’ll be called. I like Gigi but I’m also happy to be called Grandma, the name I called my dad’s mother. We were very close, I’m the oldest granddaughter, so I’d be honored to carry on the tradition.
I refuse to be called anything but my name. There's just too much ageism...and I'm not old & grey! Have you seen what the media and artist think people whose kids have had kids are portrayed as? I still can't stand that my husband goes by Pops because it isn't him! I'm called a version of my name, the way she says it and I love it.
I called both grandmothers Grandma…no grandfathers around. My children called my parents Grandma and Grandpa and my husband’s parents Pop Pop and Grandma Zee (her name was Zelda.). My grandchildren call me Bubbie and my husband Zayde, which is Yiddish. I think they call my ex-husband Grandpa Marc…but my husband is closer to them than their actual grandfather. Unfortunately, both of my daughter-in-law’s parents passed away.
My daughters called my mom and dad grandma and grandpa; because their paternal grandparents are French, they called my husband’s mom «mamie»; my husband’s dad is «papy» and my step mother-in-law is «Gigi» ~ I liked the easy division of English and French options ~
My grandpas were Poppy (my maternal grandfather) and Pappy (my paternal grandfather- my oldest cousin mistook Poppy for Pappy and my grandpa, a pilot, loved it since one of the famous war pilots was Pappy, so it stuck). My maternal grandma was/is Nanny. My paternal grandma died before I was born, but we referred to her as Grandma Nea. My grandpa’s second wife was Grandma Jeri. My great grandmas were Grandma Iris, Grandma Liz/Mimi, and Grandma Ogden and one of my great grandpas was Bompy (not sure where that one came from??).
That's interesting that your grandma is Nanny too! Can I ask how old she is? My Nanny died in 2003 at the age of 92. My mom's family is originally from Canada but Nanny was living in New Jersey when she was a grandmother.
She’s 88
When I was young, my dad's parents were Grandma and Grandpa Woods. My mom's mom was Nanny (all of her grandkids and great-grandkids called her Nanny, even though her name was Edna), and my mom's dad was just Grandpa (they were divorced long before I was born).
When my husband's parents and step-parents were alive, our kids called his mom Nana (that was a name she picked herself for her grandkids to call her), and her husband at the time was Grampy, (he picked that name). His dad was called Papa, (not sure how he came to be Papa, but it fit him), and his step-mom was called Mema, (I'm not sure if she picked that or if her oldest daughter did when she had the first grandchild).
I don't have grandkids yet, but I think I would like to be called Gigi or Mimi. My sister-in-law is Gigi, and I really like that. My older sister is Nonnie to her grandchildren and my younger sister was Grammy, but now it is just Grandma.
My siblings and I called my mother's mom Bubie - which is the Yiddish word for grandmother. She was beloved by her grandchildren. Very few grandmothers of my mom's generation choose to be called Bubie as is was thought of as old fashioned and out-of-date. As soon as I learned I was going to become a grandmother I knew I wanted to be called Bubie. It felt like such an honor to be associated with my own grandmother in this way. The first time my grandmother called me Bubie my heart melted. And as my friends become grandmothers some are also choosing to be called Bubie. Our grandchildren call my husband Zayde which is yiddish for grandfather.
Me too Ruth…I wanted to be called Bubbie! My husband is Zayde. My daughter-in-law’s parents were Nana and Pop Pop…they are both gone.
I have no idea about what my husband will be called, but I’m definitely going to be called Cookie. Conjures up a sweet and warm feeling when a family member says, “Let’s go to Cookie’s house.” I certainly love cookies and plan on having plenty around for my grandkids.
Oh. That's some good naming strategy.
My grandma's nickname was Boots and when my nephew (the first great-grandchild) was born, he called his paternal great-grandparents Mama Boots and Papa Boots. :)
We called our grandmother Grandmommie, which turned into Grumummy when said quickly. We called our grandfather, Granka, which I’m not sure about. Perhaps I invented it when a child. Later I thought it was a Swedish word for Grandfather, but it isn’t, so guess not.
My sister’s granddaughter named her Omommie.
My grands call me Grammie.
I called my maternal grandparents Nagymama and Nagypapa which is Hungarian, since they immigrated from Hungary in their 20's (Nagy is pronounced "nudge"). Nagy means "big" or "large" or "great" in Hungarian. My kids call their dad's parents Yaya and GongGong (hard to write how to pronounce that!) as they are from Thailand. I think I want us to be called something fun like MomMom and PopPop when we eventually have grandkids!
I called my grandparents grandma and grandpa. When we needed to differentiate, we used their surnames, Grandma Haines vs Grandma Stubbs. My parents (born in 1950) called their grandparents grandpa and grandma as well. One of my cousins on my dad’s side used first names, Grandma Kay and Grandpa Ev.
My parents are now grandparents and my nieces and nephews call them Bebé and Papi. The name Bebé originated when one of my cousins couldn’t quite say Aunt Beth and instead said “bey bey.” The name stuck and his sister called my mom the same thing. That cousin was visiting my parents many years later and when my sister-in-law, pregnant with the first grandchild, heard her call my mom Bebé, she fell in love with it. Papi, on the other hand, came about not because my dad is Hispanic (he is a white Midwesterner), but because Papa was taken by my sister-in-law’s dad, who already had a couple grandkids. My dad went through a period of casually taking Spanish classes when I was in high school, so we sort of teased him that this was his chance to be a Spanish grandpa. I was also living in Boston at the time, and Big Papi was in his prime with the Red Sox. So it just came together.
They would, of course, answer to any name their grandchildren decided to call them. :)
My grandparents were Mama Bess and Daddy Mont on my mom's side, and Nana and Papa on my dad's side. Our kids called my mom Grandma (my dad died before they were born), and my husband's parents Gammie and Papa. My husband's grandmother, who lived to be 111, was Mere (accent on first e). I want to be Granny.
Besides the typical grandmother/grandfather for the others, we fondly called one of my grandmother's Mimi. I had a longtime plan for mine to call me Granny Wendy, (from Peter Pan) because my name is Wendy. My grandchildren (ages 2 and 3) had other ideas and call me NeNe! Maybe that's how they pronounced Granny Wendy? Not sure but I absolutely LOVE it, especially since they call their other grandma by only her first name!
If you're a soon-to-be grandparent and want or don't want to be called by a particular nickname, let your intentions, desires, wishes, etc. be known now! I never wanted to be called "Grandma" and naively assumed I would be asked what I'd like our grandchildren to call me. I asked my parents and in-laws what they preferred our children to call them. Well, you know what they say about assuming? Assume nothing! Our daughter and her husband referred to me as Grandma the instant I walked into the hospital room to see our newborn grandson. I tried to offer up another nickname and was summarily dismissed. Our son and his wife tagged me with Gammie weeks before their first baby was born. His wife called her paternal grandmother, Gammie and her children would do the same. When our grandchildren are old enough, I'm going to insist they all call me Gypsy!
I'm a mix - my dad is Swedish, my mum is from East Africa but of South Asian descent. I grew up mostly in Vancouver, Canada, but now live in Stockholm, Sweden. When my first child (and my parents' first grandchild) was born, we decided that he would call my dad "Morfar" which literally means "mother's father" and is the word Swedish kids use for their maternal grandfather. But my mom did not feel like "Mormor" was her. She wanted to be Grandma. When my son started talking, he couldn't say Grandma, so he called her "Tanna" instead. Of course it stuck, and now all of the five grandkids (my three and my sister's two) call my parents Morfar and Tanna.
My mother decided she wanted to be called Yaya. She had a Greek-American client that told her that was the Greek name for grandmother. Now that my own daughter is engaged, I’m thinking about what I’ll be called. I like Gigi but I’m also happy to be called Grandma, the name I called my dad’s mother. We were very close, I’m the oldest granddaughter, so I’d be honored to carry on the tradition.
I refuse to be called anything but my name. There's just too much ageism...and I'm not old & grey! Have you seen what the media and artist think people whose kids have had kids are portrayed as? I still can't stand that my husband goes by Pops because it isn't him! I'm called a version of my name, the way she says it and I love it.
I called both grandmothers Grandma…no grandfathers around. My children called my parents Grandma and Grandpa and my husband’s parents Pop Pop and Grandma Zee (her name was Zelda.). My grandchildren call me Bubbie and my husband Zayde, which is Yiddish. I think they call my ex-husband Grandpa Marc…but my husband is closer to them than their actual grandfather. Unfortunately, both of my daughter-in-law’s parents passed away.
My daughters called my mom and dad grandma and grandpa; because their paternal grandparents are French, they called my husband’s mom «mamie»; my husband’s dad is «papy» and my step mother-in-law is «Gigi» ~ I liked the easy division of English and French options ~