# What do/did you call your grandparents? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 16, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323 "2010-04-16T08:59:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323/61 "2010-04-19T21:34:39Z")
On my Dad’s side I had Mémère and Pépère (I hope I spelled that right); they were French Canadian. I don’t remember calling my maternal grandparents anything in particular, other than “your mom” and “your dad” when taking to my mother, but she called both sets of her grandparents Grammy and Pappy [Lastname]. Her family is Pennsylvania Dutch. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323/62 "2010-04-21T17:24:26Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Not going to attempt a poll on this, because there are just too many variants. But what did or do you call your grandparents? I ask because we’re working this out with a new baby. My husband uses funny names for grandparents - his grandmother was “Memaw,” his grandfather is “Pepaw,” and so forth. > > Personally, I called my paternal grandparents “Grandma” and “Grandpa,” my maternal grandparents are/were “Grandmother” and “Granddaddy.” My great-grandmother was “Granny.” My own kids refer to my parents as “Grandma” and “Papa.” My grandmother remains “Grandmother.” My husband’s parents are “Mimi” and “Papa” and “Grandfather C\_\_\_” (last name.) Pepaw remains Pepaw - which I find odd, but I have certainly heard it before. > > For reference, I am a white female, age 40, from SE Georgia, USA. Both Grandmothers were Gramma. Both Grandfathers were dead before I was born. I think my mothers father would have been Gramp. That is what my father is called by his grandkids. Growing up the northeast, I never heard anything close to “Memaw” or “Papaw”. Most every grandparent derivative I knew was started with “Gra-” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323/63 "2010-04-21T17:48:20Z")
Both of my grandfathers died before I was born. My mother’s mother was Gramma Jane. My father’s mother was γιαγιά (pronounced “yia-ya”, with emphasis on the second syllable) which is Greek for grandmother. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323/64 "2010-04-21T18:00:23Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Paternal side: Abuelito and Abuelita. Abuelo/a is just Spanish for “grandfather/mother”, the “ito” is a diminutive but it can also, as in this case, indicate familiarity/love. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![rayman5321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@rayman5321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayman5321)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323/65 "2010-04-21T18:04:57Z")
Maternal Grandmother: Grandma Maternal Grandfather: Died before I was born. Paternal Grandmother: Tata Paternal Grandfather: Died before I was born. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/536323.md?page=3)