Growing up, my siblings and I had no contact with our grandparents. We never had the chance to give our grandmother an endearing name such as the Polish Babcia, Busha or Babka, which to me simply translated to “old lady with a babushka”.
When I moved to Kentucky, I first heard the term “Memaw”. I like it. It’s southern, unpretentious and humble just like my friend, Shelley.
Sometimes nicknames are born from the child’s inability to pronounce a name. Our friend, Regina, is “Neena” because her granddaughters couldn’t pronounce “Regina”.
Then there’s my friend, Shirley, who’s called “Gamma” by her almost 6 foot tall, 15-year-old grandson who doesn’t think it’s uncool. Not. One. Bit.
Statistically, “Grandma” and “Nana” are the most often chosen names for Grandmother. “Other” names come in 41% of the time. Marriage spans are now shorter, so many kids have more than two grandmothers. You can’t use the same name, can you? No? Well, that’s some kind of pressure! Although, my boys had two “grandmas”. One was “Grandma with the Glasses” and one was “Grandma without the Glasses”.
An interesting option is “Ammamamma” (India). It’s kind of cool, but a toddler probably won’t be able to pronounce it before they’re 21. There’s Choo-Choo (jinx)—well that has a ring to it; Or Gee-Ma—for the lazy grandchild.
Try following the lead of the rich and famous with these suggestions:
Laura Bush—Mimi Maxwell
Blythe Danner—Lalo
Goldie Hawn—Glam-ma
Kris Jenner—Lovey
Sharon Osbourne—Shazza
Nancy Pelosi—Grandma Mimi
Pricilla Presley—Nonna
Debbie Reynolds—Aba Daba
Joan Rivers—Nana New Face
Susan Sarandon—Honey
Martha Stewart—Martha
Some grandmothers prefer a more formal nickname. My (yes, younger), sister married before I did and became a grandmother before me, (sigh). She opted to be called “Your Highness” which received a big “Nope-and-Nope” from her son. Even little Prince George doesn’t call Queen Elizabeth “Your Highness”. He calls his great-grandmother, “Gan Gan.”
So, Sandy became “Ma’am” because it sounds like “Mom”, with the bonus that her grandson sounds polite in public.
If you’re having trouble deciding what you’d like to be called by your grandchildren, try either of these two websites.
At quizdoo, Granny was recommended! Wait. Back up. Isn’t that a bit “mainstream-ish”?
Moving on, I then tried to generate a name here:
I got “Nanny Irnedee”. Yeah, no. I can’t even pronounce that.
It may be a bit premature to think about what Grandma name I would like since my son isn’t getting married until next year. If I follow Donald Trump’s lead, who’s called “Mr. Trump” by his grandkids (Monster!), the poor kid would need to pronounce five syllables.
Like Goldie, Glam-ma might work. But I think “Grand” would be wonderful. Then, again, I sometimes feel that Grandmas shouldn’t get to pick their names. Grandchildren can do that for them.
Grandmas should embrace with joy whatever name comes from the lips of grandchildren–like my friend Jen, who is now called “Bob”.
What are you called? Or what do you call your grandmother?
You are simply the best Irene!
Hey- that’s it- your Grandma name shout be Bestie!
I like it! Although with my luck, I’ll be called “Pesty” or “Messie” lol
My mother wanted to be called Grandma, simple. My first born started calling her MA (because I did). so that is what stuck. I wanted to be called Granny. One set of granddaughters other grandmother was also Granny, so I became Kissing Granny, because I always love their kisses.
Oh Ruth! (AKA Kissing Granny)
That’s so sweet. (I should have contacted you before writing this post).
This is just the best! I feel the baby boomer generation gives it much more thought as to what we want our grandchildren to call us than our parents generation. I love my grandchildren call me Neena. It seemed easy. I loved your blog and the honor of being in this one. You and Sandy have so many gifts and writing is just one ❤️
Regina,
Yes. The image of “grandma” certainly is changing. Your sweet words and support are so appreciated!
Thank you!
I always called my grandma (on my Mom’s side) Baba (which I was always told meant little old lady in Slovak). Now my Mom goes by that with my brothers’ kids. Great post!! I enjoyed reading it.