What Name Will Your Grandchild Call You?
When you learn you are going to be a grandparent one of the first things you may wonder about (after you get over feeling old) is what name will your grandchild call you. Will you be Granny, Gigi, Mimi, or Nana? Or maybe even something really different like my friend Catherine, whose grandson named her “Baggy” and that’s who she’s been ever since!
A few days ago an about to be first time grandmother asked me if I would ask other grandmothers how they chose their name on my NanaHood’s Facebook page and I did. I received over 100 comments from grandmothers all over the world explaining their names and how those names came about.
Who Gets To Choose
There were two ways that names were chosen, the first and most popular was letting the grandchild choose.
Cyndi H. explains, “I didn’t receive the name NANA until my first Grandchild gave it to me he couldn’t say grandma it came out Nana and now I’m Nana to 6 little wonderful people.”
Another grandmother, Margaret O. says, “I didn’t choose anything. My first grandchild Ellie called me Nanny and the rest just copied. Ellie tried to say Nanny Margaret but couldn’t say it properly so I have ended up being Nanny Maggie and I just love it and love my 7 granddaughters!”
Another group of grandmothers chose their own name and said it to the child consistently enough that the name stuck.
Sherry R. said, “I just decided on Nana and when I cuddled him, I said Nana loves you, a lot!! I now have a 2 year old who thrills me to no end calling me Nana!”
And then there were those who chose a name and referred to themselves by that name only to have the child pick something different to call them.
Gayle W. said, “I was going to be called Nana and referred to myself as that. When my grandson could talk, I became Yaya…and I love it!”
Rebecca M. agreed, “It is true that they will pick it. In my case I called myself Grannyma, but they switched it Mawmaw.”
When There Are Multiple Grandmothers
It can be confusing for children when they are born into families with mulitple grandmothers. My friend Becky J. tells how they solved the problem,
“We let our first grandchild decide. Our family already had a Ma, Nana, Granny, and Grandma. We even bought a book of grandparent names but I think my granddaughter came up with the perfect name all on her own, Grammy. Now all three call me “Grammy” and I hope the two that are due this summer will do the same. I love it!”
This is a photo of Grammy Becky with some of her grandchildren and niece and nephew. Silas, Sauyer, Brayden (nephew), Hadleigh , Emi (niece).
Becky says, “I can’t tell you how it felt to have Sauyer call me Grammy when I arrived home. I had been in Italy and was very happy to get back to our house and farm. My daughter, Autumn, was at my house waiting for us with Sauyer. They came to the car and Autumn said Sauyer has a surprise for you. Sauyer looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes an and said, “Grammy” while reaching for me. I melted!
Unusual Grandparent Names
Occasionally grandchildren come up with some unique names for grandparents, like the little boy I mentioned earlier who called his grandmother “Baggy.”
Joan S. tells how she became Gramcracker, “I wanted to be called Grandma ..but the first one started calling me Gramcracker at age 4 and it stuck when the others came along!”
A Nana By Any Other Name
All the grandmothers seemed to have one thing in common, they agree that the name isn’t nearly as important as the child.
Donna G. had to say about names, “I waited until she decided what to call me. I referred to myself as grandma, but she is soon to be 12 and see called me Mima ( pronounced Mim-ma) and the younger ones followed her lead. AS long as they still want to spend time with me they can call me mud and I am okay with it.”
How about you?
Do you have an unusual grandparent name? Do you have any strong likes or dislikes when it comes to what your grandchildren call you? Leave a comment and let us know!
“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Here are a few more resources for you on the topic of grandparent names,
Here is another resource for grandparents’ names: http://nanasbuzz.com/2014/03/11/glamma-the-new-name-for-grandma/
Thanks for visiting me here Rena! Always so good to hear from you!
How sweet! Thanks for visiting me here Doreen!
My Mom is Gigi and I wanted to be Mom-Mom honestly because I wanted it to be one of the first things they could say. My nickname is Doe and some of my older grandkids call me Doey because my nieces and nephews called me aunt Doey. I just answer to whatever they call me.
My mom is Granma so I don’t know yet what mine will call me. Anything they want too as far as I’m concerned haha!
I am Mimi to three of my grandkids…but the fourth calls me Gaga. And she will not be swayed..so Gaga it is.
Thanks for sharing your story Sharon!
When I was born, my grandparents were 48 and 50, and all of my great grandparents were still alive, so I called them by their names – Amy and Paul. Yes, it was a little strange, but it also represented how close and how loving our relationships were. When my kids were born, we introduced my mother as Judy – at her request. However, my brother’s kids, who are much younger than mine, call her Grandma.
I hope to be a Grandma.