# What do/did you call your grandparents? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 10, 2007, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599 "2007-05-10T21:25:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/41 "2007-05-11T13:11:12Z")
**Mom’s parents** : Nana and Granddad (although Nana referred to herself and Granddad as “Nana and Pop-pop”) Nana’s mom: Great Nana Nana’s step-father: scum-sucking child molester Granddad’s parents: didn’t know them **Pop’s parents** : Grandma and Grandpa Grandma’s parents: Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Grandpa’s parents: didn’t know them ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/42 "2007-05-11T14:51:43Z")
Maternal: Nana/Nanny and Granddaddy Paternal: Grandma and Grandpa, Great Grandma Always fun when the cousins get together on the maternal side. Half of us call her Nana, the other half call her Grandma. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/43 "2007-05-11T15:21:45Z")
Mom’s: Mormor and Morfor (Swedish for Mother’s Mother and Mother’s Father) Dad’s: Nana and Papa ---
**Author:** ![frog\_princess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6bbea6/32.png) [@frog\_princess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frog_princess)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/44 "2007-05-11T15:22:14Z")
I was lucky and remember all of my grandparents, and 7 great-grandparents. Maternal- Mimi and Papa -Goggie -Demp and Louise Paternal- Gramy and Grampy -Gramma and Grampa Brown -Gramma Dot and Grampa Frank ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/45 "2007-05-11T15:31:31Z")
We called both sets of grandparents Grandmom and Grandpop. I’ve never met anyone else who used those names. I’ve also never thought to ask why we used them - my father was from New Jersey so I kind of assumed it was a New Jersey thing. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/46 "2007-05-11T15:35:14Z")
Heh, well mine won’t work for you. Nanima and Nanaji for maternal grandparents Dadima and Dadaji for paternal. ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/47 "2007-05-11T15:46:09Z")
Maternal side: Grandma and Grandpa Paternal side: Granny and Gido[sup]_[/sup] [sup]_[/sup]My family says Gido is a Ukrainian term for Grandfather, but I’m not getting very many hits on google. Maybe I’m spelling it wrong? ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/48 "2007-05-11T16:02:55Z")
Nana & Grampy (both sides) Grandpa when I got older… unless I wanted something. 😃 Mrs. Butler’s family was Memere & Pepere on both sides. Her parents are the same, but mine are Nana & Grampy now that they’ve become grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/49 "2007-05-11T16:30:16Z")
Paternal: met the grandfather once, can’t remember what I called him. Pretty sure the grandmother died before I was born Maternal: Afi and Amma (Icelandic for grandfather and grandmother); grandmother died when I was two, so it didn’t get much usage. I have a friend who calls his grandmother Meemaw (probably spelled Mema or something similar). ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/50 "2007-05-11T16:39:54Z")
Maternal: Grannie & Grandpa Paternal: Grandma & Grandad ---
**Author:** ![dinahmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8797f3/32.png) [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/51 "2007-05-11T16:58:44Z")
Maternal: Grammie and Pucka Paternal: Never met my gram, grandfather was referred to as “That ass.” (only met him twice. He was an ass.) ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/52 "2007-05-11T17:00:59Z")
On my mother’s side, we called them “Mammy & Pappy”. On my dad’s side, we called my grandmother “Nana”, but I never knew my paternal grandfather. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/53 "2007-05-11T19:15:33Z")
Both my grandfathers died before I was born, so Grandma V and Grandma S were called exactly that–to the point the occasionally called each other that. On my lovely wife’s side, we have Grandma Lastname, Grandpa Lastname (both without lastnames occasionally), and Nana and Pap. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/54 "2007-05-11T19:20:22Z")
My grandmother is **Mammy**. She tried to teach me ‘Grammy’ but I couldn’t pronounce that. My grandfather is **Beepa**. Again, Luna can’t pronounce ‘Grandpa’ Great-grandparents are \*\*Mémère \*\* and \*\*Pépère \*\* . ---
**Author:** ![rucciface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ba9def/32.png) [@rucciface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rucciface)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/55 "2007-05-11T19:29:09Z")
Maternal: Granny and Grandpa Paternal: Grandma and Papa Great Grands: Grandma Dance and Grandpa Dance (nicknames) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/56 "2007-05-11T19:43:34Z")
When I was a kid, both grandmothers were “Gramma”, together with last names if necessary. My maternal-squared great-grandmother died when I was very young, but to my sister, she was “Gramma Lastname”, too (of course, a different last name than the other two). Maternal grandfather was “Grandpap” (or “Pappy”, to the older generation, and occasionally my generation talking with them), and paternal was “Grandpa” (or “Pop” to the older generation). My sister’s kids, though, have more creative names. My maternal grandmother is still alive and going strong, plus the usual two non-greats, so they have three “grandmothers”. Their paternal grandmother is just “Gramma”, but my mom (their maternal grandmother) is “Gigga”, from the way the oldest of the kids said it when she was just starting to talk. And when my sister asked our grandmother, their maternal-squared great-grand, what she wanted to go by, she asked for “Mazzie”, which is apparently what Grandpap used to call her. My sister and my father aren’t in communication, though, and all of the great-grandfathers are dead, so there’s only one grandpa to worry about (and I think that’s what they call him). ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/57 "2007-05-11T21:04:27Z")
Maternal: Baba Grandpa Paternal: Grandma Guy who died 15 years before I was born. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/58 "2007-05-12T01:17:37Z")
The Swedish “Mor/Far” system some of you have mentioned is very elegant! Paternal: Grandma and Grandpa. Maternal: Grannie (she insisted on that spelling!) and Pa. For great-grandparents on my father’s side, we used Grandma/Grandpa (sometimes with Great appended) Firstname. On my mother’s side I only knew one great-grandparent, whom we called Grandmère. (I don’t know why; she wasn’t French.) Her husband was Grumpy, who died a few years before I was born, but I heard a lot about him growing up so I feel as if I know him by name. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/59 "2007-05-12T01:40:41Z")
[QUOTE=delphica] Maternal g-mother: Na-Na (which we pronounce as in “Sha-na-na” instead of the more tradiational “Nana.” I don’t know why.) Paternal g-mother: Grandma Ann, which got slurred into Gramman I had a friend who called her grandmother “Panda” which I always thought was cute. [/QUOTE] [Perhaps this was the start of it for some starnge reason.](http://www.shanana.com/) Sha Na Na was on TV for a while way back when. ---
**Author:** ![RedRosesForMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/91b2a8/32.png) [@RedRosesForMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedRosesForMe)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2007, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599/60 "2007-05-12T02:13:00Z")
Granny and Pop on my mom’s side, Grandma and Granddad on my dad’s. My niece calls her maternal grandmother Teta (sp?), pronounced Tay-tah. It’s Arabic for something, though apparently not grandmother because I just googled it trying to find the spelling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/403599.md?page=4)