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Jeanne_S
Guest
My two older grandkids have always called us Grandma (first name) Grandpa(first name)
With our newest grandbaby my husband is PaPa.
With our newest grandbaby my husband is PaPa.
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Convert1
Guest
My husband and I are: Pappy and Gee Gee. I ended up Gee Gee from Grammy, because that’s the way my first grandchild pronounced it. Sometimes the children end up deciding!
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pensmama87
Guest
That’s what we did for our grandparents, too (and I too do Aunt/Uncle Firstname). Nobody on my side of the family is particularly “ethnic,” so it was always Grandma/Grandpa Lastname to differentiate. I was also very fortunate to know some of my great-grandparents, and in some cases it was easier to continue saying Grandma Lastname rather than Great-grandma Lastname (no overlap on last names, if so that might have been necessary.)
My parents are Grandma and Grandpa to our kids, and my husband’s parents are “Nona” (“non-na”) and “Pap,” from DH’s Italian heritage. DH’s grandma has always been “Grandma,” though she was 100% Italian. She was also DH’s only living grandparent, so that might have played a role in her name choice.
I do think it’s nice for grandparents to have different names for each “set” to make it easier for kids. Usually I could just say “Grandma” in conversation and it would be understood, but there were a few conversations where it had to be specified: “Grandma who?” Not a huge inconvenience, but IMO an avoidable one.
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Jeanne_S
Guest
That’s what happened with me and my now twelve year old granddaughter.I was Grandma Jeanne,she couldn’t pronounce my name so She called mecGiGi.Which I actually prefer and now refer to myself by that name with my newest grandbaby!
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Kelfa28
Guest
I really agree with this.
My MIL insisted that her first grandchild call her Nee-Na. It’s sounds like her first name and she said she wasn’t ready, as a 40 year old, to be called Grandma.
My girls call her Grandma…she felt “okay” with this because she is older and “ready” to be called Grandma.
The only reason we used Bunkie was because it was a term that meant just Grandfather on my dad’s side of the family.
From my understanding…and seeing the family tree his side constructed…it’s something that went back several generations.
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His_helpmeet
Guest
Some I’ve heard of:
Bebop (this is what my cousins called their grandfather, the one who was not also my grandfather)
Papa
Poppy
Granddad (this is what DSD calls FIL and SFIL; DH is British)
Da
Opa (German for “grandpa”; this is what we called my great-grandfather)
Grandda
Bebop (this is what my cousins called their grandfather, the one who was not also my grandfather)
Papa
Poppy
Granddad (this is what DSD calls FIL and SFIL; DH is British)
Da
Opa (German for “grandpa”; this is what we called my great-grandfather)
Grandda
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marbleartist
Guest
I called my grandparents “Mamaw” and Granddad and the other grandparents by their first names. My kids call their grandparents “Nana and Dadat” and “MeMaw and Pawpaw”. Although we’ve always lived in the south, I don’t think these are particularly southern names for grandparents. Now that I’m a grandmother, my husband and I are Baba and ShaSha. Whatever you are called, it ALWAYS sounds perfect when said by a grandchild. 
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Allegra
Guest
In my family, it’s always been grandma and grandpa. If clarification is needed, we say Grandma Lastname. Of course we don’t address her that way. My sister’s child calls her paternal grandparents Pawpaw and MawMaw, (At their insistance) but I find that a little obnoxious because it sounds pretty much the same as what she calls her parents and I don’t find that appropriate at all.
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Jeanne_S
Guest
My hairstylist some years back told me a cute story about her granddaughter.Instead of Granma she wanted to be called Sug,short for sugar.apparently this was a family tradition.Somwhen her granddaughter was abot four or five years old,she said"it’s ok if I call you Sug,because I know you are really my Grandma"
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Bruised_Reed
Guest
No one has or is a pop-pop?
OP, you might have an idea what you want to be called but your grandchildren may name you instead. Some of my cousins grew up calling our grandma “Babusha” but the youngest grandchild called her Sha-sha. And my friend called herself Grandma to her grandbaby but he started calling her Mimi which she adores.
OP, you might have an idea what you want to be called but your grandchildren may name you instead. Some of my cousins grew up calling our grandma “Babusha” but the youngest grandchild called her Sha-sha. And my friend called herself Grandma to her grandbaby but he started calling her Mimi which she adores.
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Larry1700
Guest
My mother said they used, to call one of her grandmothers “Granny [town she lived in].”
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Larry1700
Guest
My wife’s father is referred to as Poppy [given name].
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Larry1700
Guest
These are very valid points, and I admit having considered some of this myself. My wife, in fact, doesn’t want the old-person sounding names such as Granny, etc. She wants to be called “Mommy [first name]”, like her own mother is called.
But as far as “letting the natural name happen,” I would think that an adult would naturally start it off; like “Go to your Grandpa.”
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schaeffer
Guest
I think this varies widely with culture, ethnic group and which part of the country (in the USA at least) people live in. Where my kids grew up people didn’t have nannies as in paid babysitters, Nannies were grandmothers.
And Dad/Daddy was a father, and Paw Paw or PaPa, or Pop, are names for grandfathers, no vanity or attempts to disguise the relationships.
Is it complicating things to tell a child that we call this person by such and such a title or name? I think it’s fair for people to correct someone who uses a name they dislike, or suggest one they prefer rather than let a child make up any name or title that suits and accept it in the name of being “natural”.
Sometimes the child comes up with something endearing, but not always. I do wonder if my grandson will call his grandfather Bubum for the rest of his life or if at some point that will become Grandpa. He also has D-daddy, Nannie, Papa, and Colonel and even though they all have different names/titles, he knows exactly how they are related to him.
I know you will! I love being a grandmother, even if he doesn’t call me Grandma
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Ejperchenough
Guest
Totally agree! My sil’s kids call their grandmother " mama" and grandfather " papa". I don’t like this. So when we had our baby, mil insisted to be called " mama"
it was enough to reply " Let’s not confuse the baby" and now they’re called grandma and grandpa as it should be.
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retire_early
Guest
I am always amazed at the names people come up with for grandparents. Unless “Grandma” and “Grandpa” are used, it isn’t really clear to anyone new coming on the scene (friends, acquaintances, visitors) who the person is talking to or about. In my opinion, continuing to use baby-ish names for Grandma / Grandpa beyond a child’s second year is cloying. I think using the name “Papa” or “Mama” for grandparents is very confusing.
My two sets of grandparents were referred to by the title “Grandpa (last name)” and “Grandma (last name)” when talking about them and just “Grandpa” and “Grandma” when talking to them. That rule was slightly different for the aunts and uncles, though. They were all referred to as “Aunt (first name)” or “Uncle (first name)” both when talking about them and talking to them. All my cousins on both sides of the family used the same way of referring to the grandparents, aunts and uncles. It made for clarity and ease in conversation.
My two sets of grandparents were referred to by the title “Grandpa (last name)” and “Grandma (last name)” when talking about them and just “Grandpa” and “Grandma” when talking to them. That rule was slightly different for the aunts and uncles, though. They were all referred to as “Aunt (first name)” or “Uncle (first name)” both when talking about them and talking to them. All my cousins on both sides of the family used the same way of referring to the grandparents, aunts and uncles. It made for clarity and ease in conversation.
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Allegra
Guest
And that’s exactly why I put the kibosh on that. I think my step-mother actually takes my daughter out in public hoping that she can intentionally confuse people into thinking she is her baby. She loves it when strangers give her attention over the baby and ask if she is hers. I think she thinks that means she isn’t old yet.
Obviously, if she looked even remotely young enough to be the baby’s mother, complete strangers wouldn’t ask her if she was hers, they’d just assume she was hers! I go the store all the time with the baby and people come up and tell me how cute she is. Not one person has asked me if she was mine.Anywho. I told her from the beginning. I am Mama, you are Grandma. And that was that.
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KendraDZ1902
Guest
That was my grandmother. She had beautiful auburn hair and when I was born with coal black hair, she started dyeing her hair black. She truly wanted to make it seem like I was hers in public. I don’t remember, but story has it that this one time I corrected her after someone asked if I was hers by saying, “you are my Nana, not Mama.” Well, I got upset when she got on to me and ended up telling my mom. That didn’t go over too well.And that’s exactly why I put the kibosh on that. I think my step-mother actually takes my daughter out in public hoping that she can intentionally confuse people into thinking she is her baby. She loves it when strangers give her attention over the baby and ask if she is hers. I think she thinks that means she isn’t old yet.
Anywho. I told her from the beginning. I am Mama, you are Grandma. And that was that.
She did continue to dye her hair.
In her defense, she had all boys and always wanted a girl. I was the first grandchild and a girl.
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Memaw
Guest
When I had my youngest son, (No. 9) many times I was asked if he was my grandson. One time in the groc. line I told him he could have a candy bar and when he laid it up on the counter, the clerk asked, “Did your Grandma say you could have that?” and he responded, “NO but my Mom did !!” When he started kindergarten, lots thought I was his grandma. I was a bit older than most of the moms ! God Bless, MemawAnd that’s exactly why I put the kibosh on that. I think my step-mother actually takes my daughter out in public hoping that she can intentionally confuse people into thinking she is her baby. She loves it when strangers give her attention over the baby and ask if she is hers. I think she thinks that means she isn’t old yet.
Anywho. I told her from the beginning. I am Mama, you are Grandma. And that was that.
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jlc2k2
Guest
For my dad, we decided to call him Grandpapa (last name) since his dad who is called Grandaddy (last name) is still alive. When my oldest was starting to talk it came out Pepaw and that has stuck. My younger kids call him that too. So the answer of how it’s decided might be to wait and see what the child calls you.
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