And how do you choose one??

You’re about to become a Grandparent and embark on the most wonderful new journey with your grandchildren. 

But… you now have a BIG decision to make – what is going to be your ‘Grandparent Name’??!!

You may think that it’s pretty straightforward – Grandma or Nanny/Nana and Grandad or Grandpa. However, it is clear from the huge variation of Grandparent Names that we see on our personalised books for 2, that it is a much more creative decision than you may initially think. 

And also one that you actually might not have much of a say in….

So with thanks to all of our grandparent customers, Twitter Followers and friends, here is a little guide to some of the most straightforward and less conventional Grandparent Names. 

The straightforward Grandparent Name

Although it’s not always as straightforward as you first might think…

“I’m a “nannie” I refuse to be called nanna or grandma 👀sorry but it’s not for me, nor do I bake cakes or knit hats, but I love her dearly 🤣🥰” – Lisa

So are you a Grandma, a Granny or a Grannie? A Grandad or Granddad (both spellings are acceptable in the Dictionary, much to the chagrin of some of our Facebook grandparents)?

Or are you a Nanna, Nanny or Nannie? A Grandpa or Gramps?

So many to start with and choose from!!

The straightforward…with a twist

You may start out thinking you’ve nailed the straightforward, but your grandchildren (and children) may like to clarify that a little bit more:-

“We have ‘far away Grandma and Grandad’ because they live in Newcastle and we live in Coventry. Then my girls also had ‘Kit Kat Grandma and Grandad’ – called this because they gave them Kit Kats.” – Holly

Other variations we have seen on this in our books are ‘Grandma Who Lives Up The Hill’ and ‘Grandad With The Moustache’. 

And abbreviations of the straightforward are an option and much loved too:-

“I am nan nan (I think my daughter calls me naughty nan nan, something to do with chocolate consumption at mine) 😆” – Kim

The little bit different Grandparent Name

For some grandparents, It’s important to choose something a little bit different:-

“I’m Mommar, my grandma was Mommar so I wanted it xx” – Sue

So we see a few slightly less conventional Grandparent names cropping up on our books. Pops, Papa and Poppy are very popular, especially in the US, alongside Mimi and Mama. 

“I called my grandmother Mini Mama. She’s from the south, and she really wanted her and her husband to be called Little Mama and Big Papa because she was tiny and he was very tall, but my oldest bro couldn’t say that. So they became Mini Mama and Big Papa, and I loved it.” – Kyro

As you can see the Grandparent name means a lot to the grandchildren too. 

Other popular different and delightful grandparent names that we see include Memaw and Pawpaw, Mommar, Lolly and LaLa. 

And finally – and I do feel slightly sorry for the Grandads who get lumbered with this, (although sometimes they may deserve it…) – Grumps!

The International Grandparent Name

Grandparent names aren’t of course unique to our English speaking country and I always find it a joy to learn a different nation’s term for this very important family member.

“I used to call my grandmother Oomie, or I think it is spelt Oumie and it’s Afrikaans for grandmother. I’ve no idea why we called her that but I always loved the name”- Rebecca

Here are few International Grandparent Names that we have seen on our books:-

Oma and Opa (German and Dutch) 

Yia Yia and Papou (Greek)

Abuela and Abuelo (Spanish)

Nani/Dadi and Nana/Dada (Hindi)

Maimeó and Daideó (Gaelic)

Bibi and Babu (Swahili)

Nonna and Nonno (Italian)

The Made Up or Misheard Grandparent Name

This is my favourite category of all, as these were created by the grandchildren themselves. Either they misheard or misunderstood their grandparents names, or decided in their own way, that their chosen name for them was far better:-

“My mom wanted “gramma” but my boys started calling her “Amo” and it stuck! She was upset until I told her “te amo” means “I love you” in Spanish”. – Megan

(Quick thinking there Megan..🤣) 

For some, choosing their own special name was almost a family tradition:-

“We have a whole raft of names for the male generations – I named my great grandad Depar, my grandad Nagar and my son named my dad Gagool.” – Katie

For others, it was simply easier for the child to create their own version:-

“I am Moo to my granddaughter. It was easier to say when she was little”

“My youngest when she was about 2-3 couldn’t say Grandad so just called him Bob-Bob.” Laura

“My little boy couldn’t say Grandma when he was 18 months so my mum is now known as Mamwar….” Sara

Sometimes it’s impossible to explain the grandchild’s name choice for their grandparent, and often it then gets adopted by the whole family with hilarious results, as Sara goes on to explain:-

“…And Dad is know as Alf – same child couldn’t say Grandfather (his name is Pete but known as Alf to all family now 🤣). Even my friend at my sons school said once, oh I know your dads name – Alf… I was like no his actual name is Pete 🤣”

A Final Thought

Hopefully this has given you some food for thought regarding your chosen Grandparent Name.

And also helped you accept that the decision may be completely out of your hands.

But let’s face it, they’re all wonderful names when they come out of the mouths of your grandchildren. Especially the unique ones that they choose for you:-

“’My love’ my grandchild calls me’ – Kim

And in the case of one customer, your grandchild may just decide to cut corners and plump you both together:-

“Gangananny, we’re a team!” – Glenda

Ultimately, the following Peachy Poem sums the whole Grandparent Name choice up:-

I hope that you’ve enjoyed discovering the BEST Grandparent Names. If you’d like to discover more, there are a list of over 500 here! And feel free to comment below if I’ve missed any of your favourites out.😊

Tickled Moon create unique personalised books that can be personalised for a child and an adult. So if you’d like to appear in a very special book alongside your grandchild, please check out our selection of beautiful books for 2 – “The Longest Cuddle in the World” or “The Joyful Adventures” – (and more!) here.

They are a way to celebrate your very special relationship together.❤️