# Nicknames for grandfather **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 27, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132 "2007-08-27T18:26:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/21 "2007-08-27T20:37:16Z")
My maternal grandparents were/are Grandma and Grandpa. My father insisted that we call his parents by the Italian names for grandparents, Nonno and Nonna. I’m pretty sure that wasn’t my grandparents’ choice, though. My older cousins called our grandparents Mama and Papa, which is what my sisters and I called our parents. My son calls my parents Grandma and Nonno. They chose what they’d be called, and I don’t care that they don’t “match,” though my mother did worry about that a bit. My son’s paternal grandparents are Grandmom and Pop-Pop. ---
**Author:** ![Frosted\_Glass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frosted_glass/32/3926_2.png) [@Frosted\_Glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frosted_Glass)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/22 "2007-08-27T20:38:11Z")
I called my maternal grandfather Grandy and my paternal Grandmother Mama (firstname). ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/23 "2007-08-27T21:05:23Z")
Both my grandmothers were “Bobby” (an accent variation of Beowulf’s “Bubbie”) and both my grandfathers were “Zaidy”. We appended their last names if there was the potential for confusion in a conversation. Both my father and my father-in-law are Zaidy to my children as well, and no one’s overly confused. Be Grandpa if you want. There’s no reason to fear the kids can’t deal with two similarly-“named” relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/24 "2007-08-27T21:23:03Z")
My maternal grandfather was Pop or Poppy. My maternal grandmother is Nan or Nanny. One of my cousins calls her Nanna. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/25 "2007-08-27T21:25:15Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] Any Scots or Germans in the thread? [/QUOTE] Well, the German forms are Opa and Oma. ---
**Author:** ![HillKat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/838e76/32.png) [@HillKat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HillKat)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/26 "2007-08-27T22:02:02Z")
Well, as recent (and very proud) Grandparents, we were so anxious to be called ANYTHING that we ended up with Nanna and Poppa, since PreciousGranddaughter could pronounce those sooner than Grandma and Grandpa. We love it! ---
**Author:** ![foxymoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@foxymoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foxymoron)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/27 "2007-08-27T22:11:33Z")
My son’s got six grandparents: Grandpa Ben & Grandma (my dad and his wife) Nani & Grandpa Alan (my mom and her husband) and Nana & Grandpop (my in-laws) ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/28 "2007-08-27T22:32:48Z")
On my mother’s side - Granny and Granddaddy On my father’s side - Papa and Mama ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/29 "2007-08-27T22:48:22Z")
My Grandparents were Grammie and Grampie, with last name initials following. Interestingly, my parents are now GG and Uncle Dad to my niece and nephew. I have no idea where Uncle Dad came from, but I kind of like it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/30 "2007-08-28T00:11:17Z")
The Small Girl refers to my father as Papa, and Mrs. RickJay’s father as Grandpa. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/31 "2007-08-28T00:27:24Z")
To my step daughter’s kids, my wife and I are Grandma and Grandpa. Their other grandparents are known as Grandma (first name) or Grandpa (first name), this applies even when we are with the other grandparents and it drives them crazy. To my son’s kids, I am Grandpa except to DeeDee, the middle child, I am Grandpapa. The only other grandfather type figure is my son’s step father and the grandkids have only met him a few times. They call both of their grandmothers Grandma. My wife is the step grandmother and they call her by her first name. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/32 "2007-08-28T00:40:32Z")
My siblings and I called our maternal grandfather Papa (we pronounced both a’s the same as the a in nap, and both syllables received equal stress). We called our paternal grandfather Puppa Lew (pronounced as I’ve spelled it, with a light stress on the first syllable). ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/33 "2007-08-28T00:41:26Z")
I called my Sicilian grandfather ‘Papo’, and my Italian grandmother ‘Noni’ Our daughter called them the same. She calls her paternal grandmother and grandfather ‘Nanny’ and ‘Poppy’. She calls my mom ‘Grandma Sharon’. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/34 "2007-08-28T02:50:35Z")
Baba (grandma) and Guido (grandpa). Ukrainian, but I don’t know the actual Romanized spelling so that’s just phonetic. When I needed to differentiate, they because Mom’s Baba/Guido and Dad’s Baba/Guido, which would technically be my great-grandparents, but they were all deceased before I was born. ---
**Author:** ![Caterpillar22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5a626/32.png) [@Caterpillar22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caterpillar22)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/35 "2007-08-28T02:58:33Z")
Mother’s side - Gramma and Grampa. Father’s side - Two Mama and Two Papa. My great grandfather was Two Daddy. I don’t know how the “two” thing got started. That part of the family is southern, if that means anything. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/36 "2007-08-28T03:17:45Z")
We called both sets of ours Grandma and Grandpa Last name, although I don’t know what we would have done if they both had the same last name. My older sister, 48, now has a step-granddaughter. My sister and her husband have two kids, 8 and 10, and the step-grandchild is the baby of her husband’s daughter from a previous marrage. That daugher was already 17 when my sister got married, so they didn’t really have a “mother-daughter” relationship. My sister is still trying to decide what she wants to be called. Her husband is a bit older and clearly a “grandfather” age, where as my sister doesn’t see herself in that role yet. ---
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/37 "2007-08-28T05:16:24Z")
Pepere (pronounced peh-PAY)for my grandfather, grampy (lastname) or pepere (lastname) for my great grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/38 "2007-08-28T08:48:46Z")
A more formal German version would be _Grospater_ (not sure of the spelling). I had one _Grosmutter_ we called Grosie (soft _s_). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/39 "2007-08-28T10:00:14Z")
The Spanish words are Abuelo and Abuela. My dad’s parents, Abuelito and Abuelita, to all their grandchildren. Mom’s parents, Avi and Yaya. Avi is Catalan, Yaya is Aragonese; the counterparts would be Avia and Yayo. Mom is now Yaya for her own grandson; his other grandparents are Abuelo and Abuela. I’ve also known Lalas and Nanas. ---
**Author:** ![Marienee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Marienee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marienee)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2007, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132/40 "2007-08-28T10:24:00Z")
I had a Grandpa and a Nanny on my mother’s side – we called my great aunt "vovo"for some reason. Vovo is usually grandmother but there you are. Now that I think of it, since I have not mastered the use of accents on this keyboard, Vovo is also grandfather. I had a Meme (pronounced “mimi”) on my father’s side. My paternal grandfather died when my father was a boy. My kids have a Grandmary (My mother’s name is Mary) and a Papa John on one side and an Opa and Oma on the other. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-grandfather/417132.md?page=3)