With all the baby excitement going on from the Virtual baby Shower for Katie from Sew Woodsey, I started thinking about when my daughter was pregnant and I was choosing my own grandparent name. I’d never thought about a grandparent name…at all, until then. I remember finding good lists of names but didn’t come across any advice or tips for choosing a grandparent name. Silly as it seems, choosing a grandparent name turns into a very big deal and it’s a lot of fun too!
When it was my turn to pick my grandparent name I was nearly 51. Once I reconciled within my own head and heart that a grandparent could still be “young, hip, wear jeans and be cool” I embraced the task of choosing my own grandmother name. Don’t get me wrong, I was thrilled I was going to be a grandparent…I just wasn’t ready to be called grandma.
I was lucky and wasn’t alone in this new stage of life. My good friend and neighbor’s daughter was pregnant too. We had many conversations over a glass of wine…or more 😉 while we were narrowing down our “new names”. She choose Mia. My sister had already become Gigi. Me? I was just plain stuck. Nothing fit and I did not want the family name of Nana.
Ya know what?
The more I read through lists of names, the more I realized that I had so many choices! Today the choices of grandparent names run the gamut from traditional, trendy, playful and even international. But where to start? Now that it’s common to pick your own name, the choices are overwhelming! There are traditional choices like Nana or Gamma. Fun names like Cookie, or trendy ones like Glammy. There are so many names to choose from! I’ve put together a few tips for choosing a grandparent name that I found helpful in my quest \for the perfect grandparent name for myself.
My tips for choosing a grandparent name:
- Keep a list of your favorite names as you find them.
- Do you have any nicknames?
- Are there any ties to sports or hobbies?
- Are there any family stories or special memories that come to mind?
- Are there any names that you just plain like because you just like them?
- Consider sharing your list with the new parents to be and make the choice a family process.
I also found these books helpful in choosing grandparent names.
The Big Book Of Grandparent Names
You Can Call Me Hoppa: The Grandparents Guide To Choosing A Name That Fits.
Ultimately, I shared my list of potential grandmother names with my daughters. We had a good time making the choice together.
What name did I finally choose?
Birdie.
My name, Wendi, came from the Peter Pan story. There was a scene when Wendy was flying and the lost boys called her Wendy Bird. My daughter used to call me Wendy Bird when she was little. To us, Birdie just kind of fit. I love the connection to my daughters childhood and this connection made my new grandparent name a perfect choice and the perfect fit for me.
Good luck to you and best wishes for new life as a grandparent. I hope my tips for choosing a grandparent name give you a few good ideas for choosing your own new name.
If your new grand baby is a boy, feel free to download my Baby Boy Subway Art HERE. It’s darling and looks great framed.
What’s YOUR favorite Grandmother name? Do share, we have a wonderful growing collection of reader stories below!
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Lisa Casey says
I think I am the world’s only Geen. We were going for Granny but we think he was confusing it with Green which came out Geen. Now so many people call me Geen. I love having something unique. Being named Lisa, it’s a new experience.
Wendi says
Lisa, Geen is a fantastic name! I absolutely love that it’s unique to your story:) I completely agree with you on how fun it is to have a “new” name:) Thank you for taking the time to share your story here!
Laura says
I’m chiming in with my story:
My mother is Swedish and Norwegian, so she became MorMor (mother’s mother). If my dad had been Scandinavian he would have been MorFar (mother’s father), but he is Irish and French & chose to be called Gramps.
My in-laws are Greek, so they are YiaYia and Papou. Every Greek family I’ve known has had these names, sometimes with a first or last name attached to differentiate between the two sets of Greek grandparents (e.g. YiaYia Pappas and YiaYia Petras).
I will be Granny and my hubby will be Papou. Eventually, God willing!
Wendi says
Laura, Thanks so much for sharing your family names! I LOVE the ethnic roots of them. Such a nice way to be connected with a family tradition too. Again, thank you for sharing your story!
Chris forbes says
Love my grandmother name of Mormor. My mother in law was Swedish and I felt the same way about “Grand mother” so MorMor it is to all 8 of my little/big darlings. And it also reminds me of my Swedish mother in law who is no longer here.
Wendi says
Chris that is a beautiful story and I love your special name:) Thanks so much for sharing it and your visit.
Gypsy says
A lovely article! When my first son was born, my mother was a bit disappointed as she always wanted to be “Nanny,” but as my mother-in-law was already a grandmother, and known as Nanny, it looked like things would get confusing! My boys came along and solved that problem however. My mum is a softie and always brought them lollies including “Fruit Tingles,” which she kept in her handbag when she’d visit. She became “Nanny Tingle” by default as this is what they’d run to her and ask for every time. It’s unusual, but custom-made! My mother-in-law became “Nanny Che” as this was her dog’s name! (Not so flattering!) They also called my husband’s grandmother, their great-grandmother, “Mrs Ladybird.” It took us the longest time to work out why they thought that was her name… we forgot she had an aviary full of little canaries at her house! A family full of unique and special names ☺
Wendi says
I love your story! Thank you so much for sharing it. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to read how special grandparent names originated. I love the way your children choose names that fit each person, they are all lovely!
Violet says
My rather unique grandmother name came about as a result of my first grandchild trying to say “Grammy” and instead it came out “Neenee”. It is so original that I am often called that by many other friends as well.
Wendi says
Violet, That’s a beautiful story! Neenee is unique and works so well for a nickname too. Thank you for taking the time to share your grandparent name story:)
Holly says
Another step family here. I’m “Stepmom” as I’ve been a second mother figure since he was young. But with two sets of existing Grands, we came up with a fun alternative name for my parents. They have always been “Bob and The B” to all of their friends, so now they are GrandBob and GrandB. Hugs, Holly
Wendi says
Hi Holly! Thanks for sharing your story. Being a “Step” myself, I know how delicate the right grandparent…or parent name for that matter can be tough. I love your family solution. Your story may help others who are trying to find the “perfect” step/grand name so again, thanks for sharing it!
Karen Dunbar says
With my stepchildren, I never wanted to be called “step-mother”, so I decided I would be a TPU – “the parental unit” (i.e., only in the absence of actual parents would I assume parental duties). I expected, with my first step-grandchild that I would become a “GPU”. I was pleased and flattered that my stepson and his wife have taught their toddler to call me “GrandKaren”. I think it was a clever compromise.
Wendi says
Awesome story Karen! I absolutely love how you took on the “step” role with humor. Love your grandparent name too! I love GPU, but clearly you are very loved to get the GrandKren name:) Thank you for sharing your story!
Renee says
I love this post. My name is Renee and as a little girl my friends called me NaaNaa (NeeNee) So I took that and love it. My MIL is MamaNell …One set of in-laws are called Boss and Honey. Who knows where that came from… but I think it’s cute. Another grandfather is Poppy. I love the creative names…it’s good to think about it because it will stick….for a long long time! My daddy is 85. He still calls his mother ‘Mommie’ when he speaks of her. So sweet. Thanks for this sweet post topic….
Wendi says
Renee, Thank YOU for your sweet note and sharing your family names. I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoy reading the stories behind the family names that my readers share. I smile as I read them… everytime:)
Vicky says
Our first granddaughter arrived 6 months ago…I was wanting to love the idea of loving on a grandchild…but the idea of being called Grandma, Nana, Mam Maw, Meme wasn’t sounding very appealing to me…one reason because
we already have those names in our family. For my husband we didn’t want .to call him Pap, Pappy, Pap Pap because we have so many now called all the above lol So we decided on Pops for him and still deciding on my grandparent name…Came up with Lolli ♡ Now we have Lolli and Pops aka Lolli-pop. Thanks for sharing your sweet story…I love Birdie♡
Wendi says
Oh my..I LOVE your story AND your names too! Lolli-Pop is just about the sweetest- and so creative! Thank YOU for sharing your story!
Candace says
We have lots of fun grandparent names in our family! As the eldest grandchild, I had the honor of naming my grandparents. My mom and her mom had been bickering back and forth between Grandma and Nana (don’t know why, they’re both boring lol) so I, in my confusion, called her Grandma Nana, and it just kind of stuck. She was Grandma Nana for everyone until she died. My mom’s dad was a rather large man, so what came to mind for him was Papa Yoyo (so not kidding)…he loved it and called me his little Candace Yoyo. I called him Papa Yoyo up until he died when I was 29. My dad’s dad used to always tell us we were full of bologna when we told him crazy stories, and he eventually earned the name Papa Bologna. My kids have fun names for their grandparents too! My husband’s mom is Gigi, his dad is Pat-Pat, and my stepdad is Grumpa (because he always pretends to be in a crabby mood). My mom chose her own name because she flat out refused to be called the “G word.” Her heritage is Norwegian, and the word for grandmother is bestemor…she shortened it up to Besta, which is what my kids call her. She also have very specific nicknames for each grandkid (she has 14!), based on their personalities, such as Jetman, Tonka, and Miss Thing. I also can’t wait to earn my special grandmother name one day!
Wendi says
Candace, Thank you so much for sharing your story! I love reading the special ways that names are picked for grandparents and your family has some creative ones! ..How cute that your Mom has nicknames for each grandchild too. Loved it, you stared my day off with a smile today, thank you!
Glenda says
My kids call my mama Darlin. It a southern thang! Ha ha
Wendi says
Glenda, That is the CUTEST name! It reminds me of New Orleans where my husdand and I grew up! Thanks so much for your visit & sharing your name:)
Spark*Amy says
My mom always wanted to be Nana, as that’s what we called her mom (who became GrandNana to my girls). My MIL was a different story, we called her Grandma until my oldest could talk and one day she was calling “Mimi! Mimi!!” and we all realized she was calling MIL….so she became Mimi!
Wendi says
What a darling story! It’s funny, no matter what we “think” we’ve picked out as our grandparent names…I think the grandkids have the last word in how it goes:) Thank so much for sharing your story!
Mary Renee says
My mother refused to be called grandmother and everyone in our family was called Mammaw, Memaw, or something similar. She didn’t like those either, so chose Nana.
That was the easy one.
My dad, though, needed something other than Grandpa or Papa (as this is what nephew calls his dad). One day, we were joking that as “old” as he is, he would need a scooter to keep up with the kids – and the name Scooter was born. It has morphed a few times just based on tiny mouths forming big words, but much to our amusement, “Scooter” has now become “KooKoo”. My dad would roughhouse with my nephew and say “I’m coo-coo for CocoaPuffs”. All my nephew remembered was “coo-coo” and it stuck. haha The adults still call him Scooter, but strangely enough, KooKoo fits him!
Wendi says
Mary, Thanks for sharing your wonderful story! Hearing the story behind how the names came to be has been the best part of this post! I love the name Scooter and Kookoo is too cute. Thanks again for sharing your beautiful family story.
Beth says
My son called my father Papa Nee Nee. Not got that name because his word for firetruck was “neenee” based on the sound it made. My father is a fireman and drove the truck, so to my son, he was “Papa Firetruck”.
Wendi says
Beth…What a wonderful story! I absolutely love all of the stories that people have shared on how they came to have their grandparent name. Thanks so much for sharing your son’s special name for his Grandpa!
Denise says
The G word never bothered me. It was the idea of being “Grandma L***” that bothered me. As my ex mother-in-law was called that. Even though I am now over 50, my close friends and family still call me “Nese” (pronounced knee-see) so Grandma Nese was my choice. LOVE being a grandma!!
Wendi says
Denise, Being a grandma is more special than I would have imagined. It sounds like you found the perfect name.. Don’t we deserve to choose a name we love? I cringed at our “family” name too..Glad you’ve picked one you love also!
Arlette says
I did not particularly like “Oma”, dutch for grandma, but having no good alternative I left it at that. When he was 2 my grandson
started calling me Maimai, nobody knows where he got it from! I love it! I live in Portugal and mother is mae (pronounced mai),
double mai makes a grandma. Tiny detail is that the real translation would be avo, but who cares.
Wendi says
Arlette, What a beautiful story! My Dad is German and he is Opa in our family. I think it’s even more special that your grandson chosse your name! Thank you for sharing your story:)
Amanda MacB says
When I was pregnant with my first baby, my entire family brainstormed grandma names for my mom. I had always called my maternal grandmother Mimi, not grandma, so we wanted something also endearing. My mom happens to be an ELL teacher, so we looked at a bunch of international names, too. We had thought my mom would be Memaw, but what started as sort of a joke as Babushka (“that’s so long.” and “We’re not even Russian” she protested) eventually stuck – but got shortened to Babu. I can’t imagine my mom being anything but Babu to my boys.
Wendi says
Thank you for sharing your story Amanda. Such a lovely story to share with your children as they grow up! I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve had hearing storie of grandparent names. The stories and person connections are what makes each name so endearing and very special. I love that your whole family brainstormed on your mom’s name too. Thank you again for sharing!
Laura says
My friend’s granddaughter called her Mimi (her baby version of Grandma) and it stuck throughout her life. “Mimi” was in the audience at a talk show and was asked her name by the host, I heard her say “Mimi” and got such a laugh at her a.k.a.
Wendi says
Laura, that’s hilarious! It’s funny how we bring our grandparent names in other parts of our lives. Love the name Mimi too. Thanks so much for sharing your story!
Gerri says
When the first grandbaby arrived in our household, we called my mom G-ma (short for grandma). She loved it and everyone thought it was so cute when my niece called her that 🙂
Wendi says
I love the name “G-ma”. To me, the stories behind each name is what makes them so special. I love that times have progressed to grandparents can have many choices and a voice for their own grandparent name. Thank you for sharing your story and please come back and visit again soon!
Frances says
I am a G-ma also! Now I am a great grandma….that presents a whole new issue! lol My daughter in law’s family uses gi gi- so my brain is working overtime to come up with a new name.
Katie says
Love this post. It’s something my mom has been struggling with! I’ll have to share it with her since she isn’t 100% on what she wants to be called!
Wendi says
Katie, I hope my post was helpful to her in choosing her name! Your baby shower was what started my idea for this post. I can’t begin to describe how special becoming a grandparent is and the emotions that follow the birth of your childs, child! I love that choosing your own grandparent name is becomming the norm. Take care and let us know when Baby Woodsey finally gets here!
Marie @ The Interior Frugalista says
Birdie – how adorable is that! I never thought of a grandparent name but I guess it’s something I should start thinking about as my kids enter the marriage phase of early adulthood.
Wendi says
Yes Marie! You should start thinking about your name. It’s such a hoot “shopping” for a new name. I know you aren’t “there” yet but…with a wedding in your future you might just want to start thinking about this too 🙂 *smile*
Viv says
I thought I was alone in my refusal to be called by the “G” word. It’s fun to see what other hip “moms whose kids have kids” are calling themselves.
Wendi says
Hi Viv! Yes! I am a member of that “club” too. It’s a new world and I know there are alot of us “non – G’s” out there:) Thank you so much for your note & please visit again soon!