In Britain, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand and, particularly prevalent in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nan, Nana, Nanna, Nanny, Gran and Granny and other variations are often used for grandmother in both writing and speech.
Many southerners in seven states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia, opt to call their grandmothers familiar names that you might expect. The most popular southern grandmother names are Mamaw, Mawmaw, Memaw, Nana, and Mimi.
Another popular subset of unique names are those that are derived from the (most often) grandmother's first name. So Gabby McCree is Gigi. “It's an abbreviation for 'Grandma Gabby' and also my initials growing up,” she says.
Traditional Grandparent Names
A few alternatives for Grandma include Grammy, Gamma, G-Ma, Granny, and Nanna. Grandfather may be shortened to Grampa, Gramps, G-Pa, Poppy or Pops.
Turns out, 'Mimi' is actually a common French name for grandma (derived from the word mémé) and used in southern and Midwest states in America including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. It's also used a lot in French Canadia in places like Quebec.
Gigi: Like Gaga, this cute grandma nickname is fun and easy to pronounce for the littles. Glammy: The glamorous grandma will love this idea! Glamma is another option. Grandma: Can't beat the classics! For a softer take, you can go with Gramma.
More Unique Names for Grandma
BeBe. Burbur. Nonnie. Nini.
And if you live in the south, there's a good chance you call your grandmother Mamaw or Mawmaw—the most popular nickname in 7 states mostly in the south and along the Appalachians. Texas is the lone holdout for Mimi while folks in the Northeast prefer Grammie or Nana.
Lolly. What's more adorable than a grandma who goes by "Lolly?" A grandfather who goes by "Pop!" Put the two named together for a play on a favorite childhood candy: the lollipop.
You may use lovely nicknames for grandma to express how special she is. You can call her by cute names such as Big mom, Peaches, Lolly, or go for hippie names Hopie or Mumssy.
My children called their maternal grandmother, Nanna and paternal, Granny. My grandchildren call me Grandma and my son's children call their maternal grandmother Babaa. My S.I.L called her grandmother Gra Gra. Her children called their paternal grandmother Nanna and their maternal grandmother Grammy.
Grandfather: tipuna matua/tupuna matua, koroua, kauheke, koroheke, koro, koko, karanipā, koeke, korokoroua, pōua. Grandmother: tipuna wahine/tupuna wahine, kuia, karanimā/karanimāmā, perekōu, tāua, ruruhi, ruahine, kui, kuikuia, ngoingoi.
Nan – Another classic name for grandma is Nan. Used in both Scotland and Ireland, it comes from the Gaelic “Nain”. Nana – This nickname is short and sweet; especially if your grandma loves bananas!
As previously mentioned, in French the word is grandmère, but in Italian, it's nonna. In Spanish, the term is abuela, or if you want to be cozy and cute about it, you'd call her your abuelita, which means “little grandma.” In Portuguese, the word is avó. These last two most resemble the Latin word for grandmother, via.
National Gorgeous Grandma Day is celebrated annually on July 23. As the name of the holiday suggests, our dearest, cuddliest grandmothers are celebrated. Grandmothers endlessly love and treasure their families, and typically have an infectious love for life.
English, Greek. Short form of Georgina, a feminine form of George, which originally comes from the Greek name Georgios, from georgos, meaning "farmer, earthworker", which is from ge, meaning "earth" and ergon, meaning "work".
For British grandmothers the top five names in order of popularity at a national level are Nan (33%), Grandma (32%), Nana (24%), Nanny (22%) and Granny (14%). Only one-in-ten use the term Gran. The name Nan is by far the most popular for a grandmother in the English seaside cities of Liverpool (65%) and Brighton (51%).
Grandmas are lovingly known as “gogo” or “ugogo” in the Zulu dialect. Gogo groups, dedicated to helping children, can be found all over the country. Grandpas of the Zulu tribe are called “umkhulu.”