# What do you call your grandmother? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 10, 2013, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607 "2013-11-10T23:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/81 "2013-11-11T20:50:33Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > My grandmother on my dad’s side was called Bubbe, which is a Jewish term for grandmother. Ah, but how did you pronounce it? I think that’s the conventional YIVO transliteration of the Yiddish word, but the pronunciation seems to be regional. In fact, the two of my great-grandmothers I knew when I was little were “Bubba” and “Bubbie”. I think the former was Litvak and the latter Galician, but I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/82 "2013-11-11T22:43:37Z")
> [@RickG](#): > > Ah, but how did you pronounce it? I think that’s the conventional YIVO transliteration of the Yiddish word, but the pronunciation seems to be regional. In fact, the two of my great-grandmothers I knew when I was little were “Bubba” and “Bubbie”. I think the former was Litvak and the latter Galician, but I’m not sure. I’ve never thought about spelling it phonetically. It’s not buh-bee but it’s not quite boo-bee either. I pronounced it somewhere in between those two. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/83 "2013-11-11T22:53:33Z")
They were Grandma and Grandpa. Or maybe Granma and Granpa. But not Gramma, I always pronounce the ‘n’. ---
**Author:** ![RickG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rickg/32/5174_2.png) [@RickG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickG)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/84 "2013-11-11T23:13:19Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I’ve never thought about spelling it phonetically. It’s not buh-bee but it’s not quite boo-bee either. I pronounced it somewhere in between those two. Like the ‘oo’ in wood? ---
**Author:** ![dada2fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ccd318/32.png) [@dada2fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dada2fish)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/85 "2013-11-11T23:48:16Z")
My maternal grandmother was “Gram” and paternal grandfather was “mom’s dad” since he lived out of state and we never had a relationship with him. My paternal grandmother was “Baka” since my brother as a baby couldn’t say “Bobcia” which is Polish for grandma. My paternal grandfather was "DziaDzia (pronounced Jahjuh) which is Polish for grandfather. My son’s grandfathers have passed on but he says Grandma for his dad’s mom and Geema (with a hard G) for my mom. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/86 "2013-11-12T02:29:25Z")
> [@RickG](#): > > Like the ‘oo’ in wood? Yeah, like that. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/87 "2013-11-12T04:17:00Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Mamaw, and Papaw American South Exactly the same for me, for my paternal grandparents. Weirdly, my maternal grandparents my sister and I always called by their first names (“Rose” and “Will”). All parties involved in Deep South. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/88 "2013-11-12T06:44:25Z")
Obaachan for both grandmas. Both Grampas dead before I was born. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/89 "2013-11-12T06:52:48Z")
Maternal grandmother was “Gram” Paternal grandmother was “Mema” (We’re from Ohio - Gram was born in Australia, Mema in Oklahoma) ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/90 "2013-11-12T06:57:38Z")
Nee-Nee was my father’s mother, Pop-Pop my father’s father. Grandma and Grandpa were (and are, respectively) my mother’s parents. Pop-Pop’s father was Pap-Pap. None of my other great-grandparents lived long enough to get nicknames from me. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/91 "2013-11-12T10:16:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Put this in subtle (or not so subtle) linguistic clues about your background. > > My grandmother, long since deceased, was always “Nana”. Never really thought about it until I was thinking about what other people call their grandmothers. Looked up “Nana”, and it apparently is indicative of being from “the Northeast [of the US]”. And I am from the Northeast (as was Nana). > > So, what do you call granny (there’s one, right there)? Does it say anything about your background? > > Speaking of “granny”, I thought it was quite interesting that in _Downton Abbey_, the very upper class girls call their grandmother “granny”, whereas that would be considered a hick term in the US (see: _Beverly Hillbillies_). In the UK “nana” (or “nan”) is working class and a bit Northern, “granny” is middle class (and up). They are two completely different languages that give away someone’s class in the first sentence they speak. I have/had: Granny Grandpa Oma Opa Inlaws: Oma H. (called Oma-oma by her great-grandchildren) Opa H. Great-grandparents: Old Oma Old Opa Gingo Grandy I added the great-grandparents because I think it’s quite interesting there that people tend to get creative with names. You can’t really call someone “oh great-grandmother!”, I suppose, so you need to invent something. Also, look at that list! I won the grandparent lottery! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2013, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/92 "2013-11-12T10:45:27Z")
New England grandmother was “Nana.” Deep South grandmother was “Grandma.” ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/93 "2013-11-13T05:29:50Z")
One was Memaw, and I don’t really know why. The other was Nana (pronounced Na-na) and that was because that was how I tried to say Grandma when I was young. What I find interesting is that even my older cousins adopted that name for her. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/94 "2013-11-13T05:53:21Z")
Like a few others in the thread, my family used Grandma \ and Grandpa \ for all of the grandparents. _Very_ occasionally, my father’s father would be Grandpa Mike. I didn’t have a close relationship with any grandparent, probably because of the size of my family. Over 100 first cousins if I count both sides. That’s a lot of grandkids! ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/95 "2013-11-13T06:15:04Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > Paternal: Grandma Beitz > [@John\_Mace](#): > > What, no snicker afterwards? 😃 What kind of shit do you think I had to put up with as a kid? My name is Peter-Paul King Beitz. Which makes me: Peter Bites or PP Bites or His royal highness, The King! Which would have been alright without the sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/96 "2013-11-13T16:59:18Z")
I am surprised so few exotic names. I am from Jewish families in Philadelphia. My maternal grandparents were Meemom and Peempop. My paternal grandparents were Bubba and Zadeh, traditional Yiddish names. My kids called my mother Gammy. My father and both of my wife’s parents were dead before even the oldest talked much. I think the oldest called my father PopPop. My six grandchildren all call my wife Nana and me PopPop. They have varied names for their other grandparents. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/97 "2013-11-13T17:17:26Z")
My maternal grandmother answered to _Gramma Kranzke._ An Irish lass, brought to the U.S. some time following the death of her mother, she married a Chicago-born postal worker (maybe he was a railroad worker. I forget), and raised five daughters and two sons in San Francisco. Nothing to see here, AFAIK. My paternal grandmother is a somewhat different story. Widowed in 1933 with two boys and a girl, this young lady from Fort Benton, MT had a career as a bureaucrat (FHA) and businesswoman in North Hollywood. When her first grandchild (there were about thirty or so of us) was a toddler, his parents once tried to coax him into greeting “Grandma Brown.” What came out was _Gamma Barn_. That name stuck, and she was ever after known as “Barn.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Dalliard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Mr\_Dalliard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Dalliard)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/98 "2013-11-13T21:17:46Z")
Mamaw and Papaw (pronounced meh-maw and peh-paw). Alabama. To differentiate between maternal, paternal, and step: Mamaw [lastname] and Papaw [lastname]. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/99 "2013-11-13T21:25:17Z")
Grandma. Unless we needed to be specific then it was Grandma LastName or Great-Grandma Lastname. Except for my father’s grandmother, we called her Granny. The differences were because Granny lived in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and it was mostly regional/cultural I suppose. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607/100 "2013-11-13T21:45:32Z")
I need to add: Except for the short time that we called my maternal grandmother Mom because everyone else did. And her mother was known as Gogi (or Gogie). I just put that in another thread and I can’t believe I immediately forgot it again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-your-grandmother/673607.md?page=6)