# What do/did you call your grandparents? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186 "2018-10-19T02:30:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/21 "2018-10-19T07:54:55Z")
The only two grandparents I ever knew (my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandmother, who were married to each other) were Grandpa and Grandma. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/22 "2018-10-19T07:55:22Z")
I only knew my paternal grandparents, both born in the 1890s. They went by the names Nana and Pop, which are traditional names used by working class families in Suffolk (in east England). My parents have followed the tradition, and are also Nana and Pop to their grandchildren. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/23 "2018-10-19T09:45:50Z")
Granny and Grandpa for the English ones, Ouma and Pa for the Afrikaans ones. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/24 "2018-10-19T10:13:59Z")
My grandparents were Bubby \ and Puppy \. My kids call my parents Bubby and Papa, my wife’s parents are Zadie and Safta. No first names needed since they are different. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/25 "2018-10-19T11:24:47Z")
My father’s parents were Pop and Grandmom, my mother’s parents were Granddad and Nana. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/26 "2018-10-19T11:33:35Z")
My paternal grandparents were from Poland, and Mom’s parents were first generation Polish-Americans. Grandmothers were called Busi (pornounced bushy) and grandfathers were Dziadzi (pronounced JA-gee) My daughter wants me to be Busi to my granddaughter - but she’s just 6 months old, so we’ll see what evolves. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/27 "2018-10-19T12:29:23Z")
Mam-ma and Pap-paw. My daughters continue the tradition with my parents ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/28 "2018-10-19T12:31:03Z")
My father’s mom had an MS relapse after giving birth to him and died when he was 6. My father’s dad died before I could speak. My mother’s father died young, and her mother gave her to her parents (my mother’s grandparents) to raise. I barely remember them. They were Jewish and he was Zadie, she was Bubbes (guessing at the spelling). They (my great grandparents) died within weeks of each other when I was 4. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/29 "2018-10-19T12:42:46Z")
Another “gramma/grampa” family. With last name attached to distinguish them. (I managed to have 4 such pairs as a kid.) On one side, my cousins refer to our late grandparents by first name, which doesn’t feel right to me. Esp. for one where the diminutive form of the name is used. I once used “gramma” in Scrabble, was challenged on it and lost. It wasn’t in the dictionary. Big “Huh?” there. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/30 "2018-10-19T12:43:08Z")
I just became a grandmother last month, and spent a while beforehand trying to figure out what I wanted to be called. I finally polled my kids, including the youngest, since they may all ultimately be the ones referring to me by a grandmother name. They came up with “GG.” My grandparents were all Grandma/Grandpa Lastname. My great grandparents were Nanny/Gramp Last name, and there was also a Meme Lastname. My parents could never decide on their own grandparent names, so they ended up being called different things by different grandkids. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/31 "2018-10-19T13:12:03Z")
I never knew my paternal grandfather, so he had no name. My paternal grandmother was Grandma Surname. We saw her maybe three times a year, she lived in another city, and while friendly we weren’t that close. My maternal grandparents lived in our city, we saw them all the time, they were Grandpa and Grandma. My maternal grandmother lived to see great grandchildren, the them she was Old Ma. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/32 "2018-10-19T13:45:48Z")
Gramma, Grampa, and Nana. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/33 "2018-10-19T13:55:40Z")
My dad died years ago and my mom died recently. Neither of them had siblings. At some point I realized that I was the oldest surviving person in my family. That was a freaky realization. I told my brother, sister, and nephews about this and asked (jokingly) that they call me “Pappy”. They have complied for some reason. My son got married a few weeks ago and he has adopted her little boy, making me a first-time grandfather. He texted me the other day asking what I want his son to call me and I suggested, “Sir”. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/34 "2018-10-19T14:42:04Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > My maternal grandmother lived to see great grandchildren, the them she was Old Ma. Ha! We called our great-grandma Old Ma too! I don’t think she even realized it. She came from Italy and never really learned to speak English. I was the first grandchild on both sides. So I set the stage for grandparent names. I called my paternal grandma “Ma” and for some reason when I tried to pronounce grampa it came out “Bup”. So that’s what I called both of my grampas. My maternal gramma’s name was Delores and her nickname was Dode, which she hated it, so she had us call her Gramma Doe. My kids called their grammas - Gramma First Name and Gramma Last Name. Not sure why one only got the last name - and she’s the more favorite gramma too. They called my dad Papa. Our grandkids call us either just Gramma and Grampa or that with our first names. I wish I had taught them to call me the Italian version of grandma - Nona, but it’s too late now. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/35 "2018-10-19T14:56:01Z")
I only knew my paternal grandmother, the rest had already passed when I was born or shortly after, and she was “Grandma.” . ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/36 "2018-10-19T15:19:36Z")
My paternal grandparents were dead before I was born, so nothing there. My maternal grandparents were abuela and abuelo. My daughters kids call me grandma and just add my first name if they are talking about me to someone. My daughter in law insisted her kids call me nana, so that’s who I am to them. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/37 "2018-10-19T15:30:44Z")
My paternal grandparents were “Grandma” and “Grandpa.” My maternal grandmother was “Nannie.” My grandfather died before I was born; her second husband was called by his first name. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/38 "2018-10-19T15:31:33Z")
We called my mother’s mother Grossi, which was short for Grossmutti, which is German for gramma. I never met my mother’s father, but he would have been Grandpa Jack (his first name was Jesse but he hated it so everyone called him Jack). The other side were Grandma G., because her first name was Gladys, and just Grandpa for my dad’s dad. And Grandma Kay for his wife (my dad’s parents were divorced). Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/39 "2018-10-19T16:13:26Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The only two grandparents I ever knew (my maternal grandfather and my paternal grandmother, who were married to each other) were Grandpa and Grandma. Wait. What? How did that happen? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2018, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186/40 "2018-10-19T16:32:06Z")
Only one was alive during my life and memory and she was Gramma — maternal side. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-did-you-call-your-grandparents/823186.md?page=3)