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Grandparenting

Funny names for grandmas

(23 Posts)
northerngran Thu 31-Jan-13 11:24:13

This week a friend told me her little grandson now insists on calling her squidgy nan - for obvious reasons I'm afraid. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry (or lose a couple of stone)

I'm plain old gran to my DGC and most of my friends are nan or nanny or some variant on grandma. Love to know if anyone else has come across any strange ones? Might cheer my friend up a bit smile

Mey Thu 31-Jan-13 11:41:17

northemgran my cousins children call their Nan, Nanny Gin, and as you put it, for obvious reasons.

dorsetpennt Thu 31-Jan-13 11:49:39

There are two grannies in my DGD's life and we both wanted to be called Granny. Neither of us liked 'Nan or Nanny' or Grandma. My oldest grandaughter then decided to call me Gagi and has done so from a very young age - she calls her other grandmother Granny. So now everyone refers to me as Gagi. My own grandparents didn't want to be called granny and grandad - which was sad really - so we called my Grandmother Atty - her nickname as a child - and my grandfather Poppy - my mother's name for him

northerngran Thu 31-Jan-13 12:11:01

Mey I love that! Mind you on that basis I could easily be called Nanny Creamcake

ninathenana Thu 31-Jan-13 12:13:38

I started out as nana at my request. But now my big DGS (nearly 4 grin) has decided I'm nanny.
He couldn't pronounce grandad when first learning to talk so DH was and continues to be ranran.

Gorki Thu 31-Jan-13 12:24:10

I started off as Granny but my granddaughter started calling me Gorki as soon as she could speak.Her twin brother who started talking a lot later copied her and the name just stuck. It feels a bit strange when even his one-to-one helper at school says "say good-bye to Gorki"but I like it and it now sounds natural and familiar to me.

harrigran Thu 31-Jan-13 18:02:43

GC have never had a problem with Grandma and granda but for some reason other Grandfather has always been Pawpaw instead of Grandpa.

kittylester Thu 31-Jan-13 18:22:20

DD1, the first to give us DGCs, loved her Grandpa so much that she wanted her children to have one and that, almost be default, made me Grandma. Seb had other ideas and we are now Ma and Pa to all the DGCs, which we love!

My mother wanted to be Nana but our eldest could only manage Anna, which is really confusing as her name is Alice and her nickname Babs (no idea why - lost in the mists of time)

york46 Thu 31-Jan-13 20:38:54

My daughters used to call my mother Gaga (although she always protested she wasn't gaga yet!!).

nightowl Thu 31-Jan-13 20:56:21

york our grandson calls his grandad Gaga as well. It's quite spooky in our case because he has come up with the name entirely of his own volition, but OH's father was also called Gaga by our nieces. Our own children never knew him as he died before they were born, and DGS has never heard this from anyone else. I think my husband is quite touched by it for that reason. DGS makes a clear distinction with his other grandad who he calls 'Ganda'.

fatfairy Wed 06-Feb-13 10:22:14

I'm "Grandma", but tend to refer to myself at appropriate moments (eg after doing the garden or sorting out the loft for DD) as "grubby Grandma". My little sweetie isn't talking just yet, so don't know whether it will stick.

baubles Wed 06-Feb-13 14:15:01

I'm Grandma because I loved my Grandma so much that I aspire to be like her. My DGD, at the moment, pronounces it 'Gwanma' - sweet.

gillybob Wed 06-Feb-13 14:23:10

I am Grandma too Baubles and like you I adored (still do she is 97 this year) my own Grandma. In my eyes she is the "ideal" and it is a lot to live up to.

Oh I can just hear your little GD saying it . Adorable. smile

baubles Wed 06-Feb-13 14:30:37

You are so lucky to still have your Grandma Gillybob. Mine was that age & died 12 years ago. I still think of her every day.

I remember asking her if she loved me more than all the others, she told me a grandmother's love was like the sun, it shone on everyone equally.

I still think I was her special one though grin

gillybob Wed 06-Feb-13 14:38:14

I know that I am very lucky to still have her Baubles It is truly wonderful to be part of 5 generations ! My grandchildren (her great great grandchildren) visit her often and they call her Teeny Tiny Grandma. It is lovely to see them together and they are almost on the same wavelength with their view of the world. smile

I would never ask her if I was her favourite as knowing her she would say "no your sister is" as she has quite a wicked sense of humour. grin

Ariadne Wed 06-Feb-13 17:08:34

I started out wanting to be Granny; my mother had just died and she had been Nannie.but then I realised a) how much I had loved my Nannie and b) how much my children loved my mother - their Nannie. So I decided to follow on, happily. MiL thought it "rather common", which was probably another reason to choose it....

Newnanna Sun 31-Mar-13 22:06:00

Hi, Im Nanna to my little GD and my husband is Pop but as she gets older I am sure she will have her own names for us and we really don't mind......it's just such a joy to be a grandparent :0)

Grannylin Sun 31-Mar-13 22:15:55

Hi Newnanna. You are probably right. I thought I was Granny but from this weekend, DGS has decided I'm Aggie grin

Galen Sun 31-Mar-13 22:42:34

Amazing! I'm graggy!
Do they have problems with N's?

glassortwo Sun 31-Mar-13 22:46:02

I was Grandma to 4 of my 5 DGC but DGS2 insisted on calling me Grandpa, he is now 4 1/2 and its so sad he now calls me Grandma, felt a little sad when it changed sad

Gally Sun 31-Mar-13 22:56:12

Galen - my Mum was 'Gaggy' to my 3 girls for a long time until they could get their tongues around 'Granny'.
DD2's FIL insisted on being called 'Poppy' which infuriated DD as she wanted to call her daughter Poppy hmm
I'm 'Gally' to my GC - my choice, although I am sure I will eventually become Granny as they get older

Greatnan Mon 01-Apr-13 06:47:58

I started out at as just nana, as I was the only grandmother for a long time. When my daughter got a lovely MIL we became NanaX and NanaY (first names). They are old too old now, so I am just Nan. My first great-grand-daughter decided to call me Nanny-noo to differentiate me from my daughter, who is just Nanny, as is my other daughter to her grandchildren.
Given our family history of early childbirth and longevity, I can foresee a day when my daughter becomes a great grandmother and I become a great-great-grandmother, so I wonder what we will all be called then!

Greatnan Mon 01-Apr-13 06:49:32

I forgot to say that my grandchilden call their grandfather 'Pops' - nobody can remember why! They never refer to my ex-husband as most of them have never seen or heard from him. (By his choice - his second and third wives were a tad jealous).