What are some alternatives to "Grandma and Grandpa"?
My friend and her husband are very youthful people in their mid 40s. Their daughter is expecting her first child and my friend literally turns pale when people congratulate her impending grandmotherhood.
She’s excited for the baby but not about being called “Grandma” which she associates with somebody who feels/looks older than she does.
Any cute or fun suggestions for what the child could call her?
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49 Answers
Gramp. Paw Paw
Gram Maw Maw
Nonnie & Big—- (whatever his name is).
Nan and Papa.
Gram and Gramp.
(we used to call ours Geema and Geempa, for fun)
My parents were assigned Nana and Gramps. But to avoid “age”, consider Noni and Pops, or Papa, or maybe big dad.
I like Tropical Willie’s answer.
Gigi for grandma. My dad is 42 and my mom is 45 and my 2 year old calls my dad Papa and my mom by her first name, Wendy. Grandma never really took. Kids will come up with their own names for them anyways. My mom also hated the idea of “Grandma” but she doesn’t really care anymore.
My kids call my wife’s dad “Papa”.
For me, one set of grandparents were “Grand-maw-maw” and “Grand-paw-paw”. My other grandmother is “Me-Maw”.
May and Day
If their names blend well with a “gran” prefix, that’s always cute: Grandy, GranPaul, Granda, etc.
G.G. seems to be the new hip name for grandmothers and I think its cute. I’m going to accolomate my new grand to that name. My older grand calls me granma-ma.
I never understand people not wanting to be called grandma or grandpa, unless maybe they are 32 years old (think about it, it’s very possible).
Back to the question though. I like using what fits your national background like Oma and Opa and Nonna and Busha and Popi. I have a girlfriend who’s children call her mom Gigi. When I was very little I said me-ma, because I could not say grandma.
All of the kids in our family include the name, which makes it feel a bit more youthful. Grandma Jenny. Grandpa Joe. For example.
Nanny, Nan, Nonni, Oma, Baba, Bupcha, Gran, Grams, Mama, Meme are all common things to call a grandmother.
‘Grandma’ has never been an issue in my family, but grandfathers ended up as Papa and Jumpy (the relevant cousin was too young to really manage ‘Grumpy;’ it’s just as well; he’s not grumpy in the least).
Perhaps you might go with whatever term is most culturally relevant; I’m friends with some Dutch-Americans who refer to their grandparents as Oma and Opa. Wikipedia provides a French equivalent, “Pépé” and “Mémé,” which appear to be vowel-shifted versions of “Papa and Mama,” which nicely reflects their status as grandparents without using the age-denoting ‘grand’ prefix.
It’s funny, when I was a kid I called my grandmother granny, but my grandfather I always called by his real name Tom. Don’t know why & he didn’t mind so it kind of stuck.
I read a book once where the grandmother was called Grammar, which I loved. Gigi is another I like. I called my grandmother mema. There’s always Grand, too.
@ucme Probably your grandma was calling his name all the time, Tom, which he might refer to as nagging, and so you just mimicked her. LOL.
My very young looking grandmother was called Mimi. The older looking grandparents were Gramma and Grandad. There are no rules. The grandparents get to say what they want to be called.
@JLeslie Nah, the only mimicking I ever did of dear old granny was singing bawdy songs whilst riding in her rocking chair….ahh, happy days.
My grandparents were all quite young when they became grandparents. Luckily they all appreciated their roles, and preferred Grandma & Grandpa. Why do people think being a grandparent is reflective on age? It’s a status. I can’t wait for the day
We have friends and family members that do not appreciate being “an elder”, and go by: Nanny & Poppy, first names or Big “first name” or Big Mom and Big Dad.
Mom’s parents were Grammy and Poppy. One sister is going by Mimi, which is what her children called her MIL.
I saw a license plate yesterday: “Grayma” Now that one I do not understand. Who wants to be called Gray-Maw? The visuals just don’t do it for me.
My kids call my grandmother NannyFaye. Love it :)
How about Mom squared (Mom’s mom) and Dad squared?
Thanks for all the great suggestions, guys! Keep ‘em coming!
I ran them by my friend and she was partial to gigi and poppa or nonny and pa until she got to @picante‘s response. Her name is Emily and she just fell in love with the idea of being called GranEmmy!
@Blueroses nice, or GranEm:-)
For some reason I keep seeing Gran Enemy if she goes with GranEmmy.:D
My older brother was the first grandchild in the family (there are over 20 now) and when he first started speaking he called my grandparents Ema and Epa (I believe a toddlers butchering of Oma and Opa)... It stuck and they are still called that by most of the family today.
My grandmother was in a similar situation when I was born, she would say she was to young to be a grandmother so she wanted to be Grammy. My grandfather goes by Pop.
So yea, Grammy and Pop. I have a friend who calls their grandmother Gigi, I like that one too.
LOL at Grenemy! It made me suggest “Gremlin and Troll”, which is now up for consideration as my friend and her husband both love horror films and were D & D nerds.
Nana and Papa
Nonnie and Pawpaw
Nanny and Papaw
Gigi and Papa
Mimi and Papa
My daughters call my parents Nana and Papa. They call my husband’s parents Nonnie and Pawpaw. My grandmother is Mimi.
My daughters have already dubbed me “Gigi” and bring their pretend newborns to me. =0)
Mesozoic mama and Paleolithic papa.
Not making the grandparents feel ancient is one consideration—maybe hard to avoid, though. Their status is a consequence of their own choices and they might just have to come to terms with it.
One possibility is to just tell the child “Grandmother” and “Grandfather” and let them make of it what they will. That’s apt to be cuter and funnier than anything you make up.
On the other hand, there’s the kid. Maybe think twice about teaching the child a name that their friends are going to laugh at. The first time they say “We’re going to see Foofi and Foofaw tomorrow” and the other kids all have a fit, they’re not going to thank you.
I have a Nanna and Pop-pop.
Depends on how old they are and how they can deal with just being called on their names by the grandkids. Some might feel a lot more younger while others can find this lack of respect.
My kids call my in-laws Nonni and Papa. They call my dad Grandpa Skip (his nickname has always been Skip). They call my mom Grandma.
G.G. is their name for their great grandma. It’s also what I called my great grandma!
You can encourage certain names, but sometimes the kids just make up their own or use whatever strange thing they can pronounce! My sister-in-law had a speech problem as a child, and she called her grandparents Ungoggy and Bobby. Sadly for Ungoggy and Bobby, the names stuck. :S
Gram, Gramps
Oma and Opa (it’s what I call my grandparents on my mother’s side – it’s German)
Abuela and Abuelo (it’s what I call my grandparents on my dad’s side – it’s Spanish)
Nana, Pops, Gigi
Whatever the grandparents feel is okay to call them.
I like @Jeruba‘s answer to tell the kids this is your grandmother and this is your grandfather, and they can work it out between themselves what to call each other.
Maybe grandpa and grandma have a preference? ( just not “Foofi and Foofaw” !)
When I was 5 years old my grandfather visited our house. No one told me who the old man was or his name. So when I wanted to get his attention I just said “Hey”.
Nana & Papa, Granny & Granddaddy.
I grew up with 1 set of grandparents I called Grandma and Grandpa. Got married so I have two more sets, who go by Nanna & Papa and Granny & Granddaddy. No last names necessary!
My grandchildren just call their grandmother and me “grammy” and “poppa.” I got the name “poppa” when grammy pointed at me and asked my three year old grandaughter who I was. : )
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