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Gran or Nan?

(169 Posts)
Cherrytree59 Sat 22-Aug-15 00:50:48

I am a Gran in a long line of Grans. At our local Grandparent/grandchild group I am the only Gran, the others are Nan, Nana or Nanny. Does what DGCs choose to call their grandmothers sometimes down to regional variations? ie I think Nanny is a Midland term .

absent Mon 24-Aug-15 06:15:54

My grandchildren called their paternal great grandmother "Old Grandma" and their grandmother "Grandma". The former died not long ago, but I do wonder, given increasing life expectancy and absentdaughter's example of early motherhood – 13 years earlier than I went in for it and 17 years earlier than my mother – how many grandmothers future generations of the family will have to name.

TwiceAsNice Mon 24-Aug-15 07:35:43

I'm Granny which I chose because it felt like the nearest to Mammy which my own children called me, it's always Mammy in Wales never Mummy. I hate Grandma as that was my MILs choice and I didn't like her and Nanny to me is someone whose paid to look after others people's children. My SILs mother wanted to be called Granny too which was fine. The grandchildren when they are talking about us to other people call other Granny Granny Daphne which is her name but have decided to call me not Granny name but Granny Wales. I wonder if that will change when I move to be near them next year?

feetlebaum Mon 24-Aug-15 07:42:47

I wish I had known my paternal grandfather. He was a Welsh musician, and a bit of a chancer. He had cards printed, with his name
"Thos. J Hughes FFPC". When my father, then a boy, asked him what that stood for, he said 'Fancy Feller, Plays Clarinet'!

No idea what happened to him - he disappeared one day...

Minder Mon 24-Aug-15 08:18:30

I'm Nanny. My parents were Grandma and Granddad but I moved from the North of England to the South and when my granddaughter was born I was Nanny because that was what my dil started referring to me as. Think I'd prefer Nanny actually but it's a bit late to change it now.

purplehairstreak Mon 24-Aug-15 09:52:59

I grew up in London and my Nan was always Nan or Nanny to me. I found a letter I'd had from her, signed Nana. I don't remember calling her that, but I liked it. When I became a grandma for the first time, I wanted to be called Nana. However, my daughter-in-law, who is French, quietly told me that this was the name of a brand of sanitary protection in France!! The name was swiftly revised to become Nanny and I love being called by this name. I also remember the first time that granddaughter called me Nanny, and that's a precious memory.

SusieB50 Mon 24-Aug-15 10:05:13

We are Granma and Granpa now but my twin grandchildren first called us Gumma and Guppa - loved that and my other granddaughter called us Mumma and Pappa also loved it and wished that had stayed . Other Grandparents are Granny Mags and Grangrad ( sadly short of grandparents in this family )

comperedna Mon 24-Aug-15 11:01:14

I'm a Gran too, just like my mother. She felt Gran sounded 'sparky' and fun, and was not Grannie which she considered suitable for those who were practically gaga. 'Old grannnie so and so'. The smallest granchildren call me Dan... inevitably.

themoll Mon 24-Aug-15 11:24:03

I'm Gran-gran to one lot of GC and Nanna to the others. When they all get together I am Nanna-Gran-gran.

Diny Mon 24-Aug-15 14:06:57

Are you Dutch, living in UK?

Diny Mon 24-Aug-15 14:10:19

Sorry posted that wrong, blame old age

Judthepud2 Mon 24-Aug-15 21:04:49

I am Gran to all my DGCs as that was what my mother was called. It is usually 'Gan' or 'Dan' until they can speak clearly. All the other grandparents are called a range of names: grandma, granny, granny +name, grandpa. DH is grandad to them all. And they all just love him smile

When ex-SILs mother started calling herself 'gran' out of the blue when before she had been granny+name, she was told off severely by our shared grandsons!

annodomini Mon 24-Aug-15 21:41:32

We've been over this ground before but for the record, I am proud to be Granny. My youngest DGS (7) is well able to pronounce his 'r' sounds but persists with 'Gwanny'!

granjura Mon 24-Aug-15 21:48:53

LOL couldn't be 'nanna' here as in French it means a 'bimbo' or 'tart' ;)

BlackeyedSusan Mon 24-Aug-15 22:31:49

<crosses nanna off the list>

The children's grandparents were Granny and Grandad, and Grandma and Grandpa. We gave them a choice of what they would like to be called.

Ds shortend granny to gran at the same time he switched from mummy to mum and daddy to dad.

It is a lot easier to buy cards for grandma, than for granny/grannie/gran

Brujabuena Mon 24-Aug-15 22:51:50

I called my Granny just that. My own mother never wanted to be known as Granny cos of association with 'goat'. My children called her Granny as that was English and their French grandmother was Mamie. All my mother's other grandchildren called her Nana. My own grandchildren call me Amama which is Basque for Granny, as I live in the Spanish Basque country. I really don't mind what they call me as long as it means something unique to them.

Ruthie150 Tue 25-Aug-15 07:26:00

I'm grandma, I think nanny, nanna, nan sounds a bit like a goat!

Sapphyr Tue 25-Aug-15 11:40:28

I'm 'Nana', as was my mum to my three daughters. My dad was born in the Midlands and we called his mum, my grand-mum, 'Nana'.

maddieb Tue 25-Aug-15 13:29:39

I am Granny Mad smile

helmacd Tue 25-Aug-15 13:35:55

As my grandsons have 2 grandmothers and 2 great grandmothers ( one has since sadly died) , we had to come up with 4 disinctive names. Mine is Nanamac -which the boys have now concertinaed into Namac! I quite like the fact that it's pretty unique. Oops - now there are going to be 100s of posts saying' that's my name too!!'

KatyK Tue 25-Aug-15 13:36:09

I'm Nan. I was 50 when my DGD was born and the thought of being called Gran made me feel about 102. It's personal preference of course.

mischief Tue 25-Aug-15 13:36:20

I had Grandmas with their surnames. My mother was Nana to my children and I am Granny. If it's good enough for the Queen, it's good enough for me ;)

acanthus Tue 25-Aug-15 13:48:14

I'm 'Gaga' and proud of it! It started with our first grandchild's attempt to say 'Grandma' and it has been continued by further additions to the brood.

Elsie10 Tue 25-Aug-15 14:01:13

I am Nanny - just because that is what I called my own grandmothers. It used to be Nanny at Oxford (paternal) and Nanny at Shiplake (maternal) when referring to them in conversation - Nanny to their face.

I am known as NannyLin to my step grandchildren. I think it also helps the children if the other Grandparent is known as something else - Granny in this instance. With divorce and separation so prevalent, children often end up with 2 or 3 or even 4 sets of step/grandparents - so some agreement on titles is helpful.

My grown up kids call my Mum Grandma - and their spouses call her by her christian name. Just think - when I was child we never called a grown up by their christian name - always Mrs or Mr...... My grandparents used to go on holiday with a neighbour and I never heard them referred to as anything else other than Mr and Mrs Potter - seems so weird now.

Mi60Mi Tue 25-Aug-15 14:14:23

I'm Mimi because when my granddaughter began to talk she called me 'Me' because that is how I referred to myself. She thought it was my name. I then became Mimi and I love it. She is now 4 and her friends and even some of their Mums call me Mimi.

paolabangladesh Tue 25-Aug-15 14:51:08

I am Italian, so I am Nonna, and I love it! The little ones master the name much more quickly than they do 'Grandpa', which is what they (eventually) call my husband!