New Grandma Needs a Name

Updated on June 22, 2010
M.A. asks from Pasadena, TX
93 answers

I'm going to be a grandma for the first time and have no idea what my "grandma name" should be. The other grandma is already Nana, and two great-grandmas are Granny and Meme. I also have a 7 year old son so I don't want an "old" sounding name-lol Any suggestions? This may seem like a silly request but I will have to answer to this name for the rest of my life. I'll let you know what I decide.

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the many, many suggestions. The baby has been born and this decision has been made. The winner is: "Granny Annie"- whatever Baby Abby calls me when first trying to say this will actually be the name that sticks.

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K.A.

answers from Austin on

I have two ..... My sister's grandson calls her "Jiggy"! I was teaching and when I asked one of the boys what he did over the weekend, he said that he got to see his "honey" when I asked who honey was, he told me that it was his grandmother. I love the idea of being called honey! Both are so much better than Granny or Nana!

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W.W.

answers from Houston on

Hi M. A,

I found a great website for you. It has some really nice nick-names for grand parents.
I hope you find a nice one.
www.thenewparentsguide.com/grandparents-nicknames.htm

W.

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T.S.

answers from Houston on

My husband and I had a daughter 1 year ago so it feels like we just went through this as well. One set of grandparents decided on "Lolli" and "Pops"...(lollipops)...and the other is Mimsy and Opa...(Opa is German and Mimsy is a cutsie, made-up name). Hope this helps. Good luck!

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B.E.

answers from Washington DC on

My daughter named her grandma G-ma

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C.D.

answers from Houston on

How about MayMay - I have a friend who goes by this name because when the grandkids come to her house & ask "May we...?" MayMay can ALWAYS say "YES, you may!" because grandmothers are allowed to say yes!

I thought it was a cute name & not one you hear everyday.

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S.S.

answers from Odessa on

I just recently became a first time young grandmother with a teenager still at home so I am also trying out names. I was fortunate to have wonderful grandmothers, my great grandmother was Mamo, my grandmothers were Memi (my cousins called her Paso Grandma because she lived in El Paso)and Grandmother Miller, my M. became MooMoo and I am MiMi or MeMe, haven't figured out the spelling yet. I have two wonderful granddaughters 10 months and 4 months old and I agree with the other posters that whatever they call me will be wonderfully sweet in their little voices. Congratulations, you will truly enjoy this next journey.

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L.J.

answers from Houston on

Sugar! It's my husbands gmas name, I love it!

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J.V.

answers from Austin on

Congratulations!

Why not just Grandmom? That is what we call BOTH of our grandmom. Grandmom Jones and Grandmom Sullivan, etc.

The first grandchild will probably name you anyway, and that will be the name all the rest call you.

If look into your cultural heritage, you can find a cool name from your ancestor's language?

Grandmother in Other Languages

* Chinese: NaiNai
* Filipino: Lola
* Flemish: Bomma
* French: Grandmere
* French Canadian: Meme
* German: Oma
* Greek: YaYa
* Hawaiian: Tutu
* Hebrew: Savta
* Italian: Nonna
* Japanese: Oba-chan
* Korean: Halmoni
* Polish: Busia
* Portuguese: VoVo
* Russian: Babushka
* Spanish: Abuela
* Yiddish: Bube

Good luck!

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D.F.

answers from Austin on

How about Nana _____ (insert your name here). Then the other Nana would be Nana _____ (insert her name). I have 2 friends whose grandchildren call them Lolly. I'm sure being called Grandma, Granny, Grammy or any of the others would make you feel old especially since your son is keeping you young! Would DIVA NANA suit you? :~) Congratulations!!

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N.S.

answers from Houston on

Look into your family heritage and find a name that means Grandma or Granny and use that vs the "old" sounding name.

I have an aunt who uses the name Minki with her grandchildren.

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J.T.

answers from College Station on

My SIL uses the name Gran because she became a grandma at 35 and still had young ones at home like you. It is easy for them to say and not "old".

Congrats!

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S.M.

answers from El Paso on

We have a "gram" and a "grammy". My niece and nephew has a "Gran Gran"....Maybe you can google "unique Grandmother names" :)

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M.W.

answers from Austin on

When we were expecting our first grandchild, I asked the parents to have her call me "G". My son had a childhood friend who lived with his Grandma, and that's what they called her. I like it because it is simple. Since the "G" sound is not one they make early, don't be disappointed if your grandbaby doesn't say your name for a while. When they do, it is very cute. Congrats on your upcoming grandbaby. It's the best thing in the world to be a grandparent!

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L.D.

answers from Houston on

I like Shoogie, or you could have them call you Mamere, which is French for Grandmother.

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A.C.

answers from Austin on

I know a little girl that calls her grandma Gigi. Pronouced "jeejee." I think it is cute and sounds pretty hip. It it also pretty easy to say at 1 1/2 when they start talking.

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S.H.

answers from San Antonio on

In my experience, they will call you what they will be able to say. Congrats on the grandchild.

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K.M.

answers from Houston on

My girls call my mother "Baba" which is short for the Russian word for grandmother, "Babushka" (emphasis on the first syllable, if you do it on the second you're calling her a kerchief).
I called my closest grandmother "Toogie" which was actually a child's pronunciation of "Sugar."
Congratulations on your new little angel, who will love you no matter what you're named.

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D.S.

answers from Killeen on

Hello,
I was amazed how big of deal it was in my family when my daughter was born as to what the grandparents would be called. I just figured when my child was old enough, she would call them "whatever". Well, I had my M., mother-in-law and a grandmother that thought that was crazy. They all started calling me with their names. I will say my M. wanted to be called nanny. When my daughter started talking, she called her nana. So, my M. is nana. My in-laws are grammy and grampy. My grandmother is GG. My M. and dad are nana and pappaw. My daughter came up with Pappaw. My dad was the only one that let her decide on the name. We had a family friend that her granddaughter called her Dollie. She had other grandkids. Only one grandchild called her Dollie. She came up with it one day and it stuck. My daughter is now almost 7 and everyone wears their name proudly. I'm still mama in her book. Enjoy your new role as grandma.

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T.S.

answers from Houston on

My MIL goes by Grammy, which the family chose agreed on, something like that. The cool thing is that sometimes they choose for you... When our oldest was just starting to talk and give names to things and people, he would call my newphew Lo, (his name is Jordan), however, he quit this as his language skills improved. But at the same time he started calling my step-M. Lala, which was neat, because she's Filipino and in her language grandma is Lola; and he picked her name out all by himself, naturally bilingual...lol...so, maybe what i'm saying is just go with the flow, cuz even though the other grandkids call my step-M. grandma, he's 5 and still calls her Lala.

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H.S.

answers from San Antonio on

I go by the name YaYa. I think it might be the Greek version of Grandma? And yes, you will also go with whatever the little one decides to name you. I know another person who goes by "pinchy" because everytime she saw the baby she would pinch the little cheeks :o)

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J.S.

answers from San Antonio on

Abuelita means little grandma in Spanish. My nieghbor is from El Salvador and we have taken her on as our "grandma" while we live away from our parents so we call her "lita". I love it. All the kids can say it too.

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T.F.

answers from Houston on

My M. is Nannie to my son, his paternal grandmother is Nana; my stepmom is Madea... I've heard MawMaw, MeeMaw, Granny, etc. Hope this helps!

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L.G.

answers from Houston on

My M. is Lola and her husband, my step dad is Lolo... it's of Philopino decent but she felt to young to be called 'grandma'... even though I just had her first grand baby at 24 :)

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J.E.

answers from Killeen on

I have heard it all, but here are a couple in addition to the ones you listed. These all come from people I actually know. Noni (which is italian for grandmother), Zanny, Gamma, Gam-Maw, G.G., Big Gran, Gran, Maa, MeMaw, MamMaw, Grammy, and many other variations. Most of these uniques names that I have came across has been a childs translation of a name. Usually you will call yourself something, but the kids will put their own spin on it. If they do, do not correct them. It makes it so much more special when they have created a name for you. I have a friend whose daughter calls her grandmother Squishy!! She got it from the Nemo movie where Dory says "you are my squishy" My mother went by K.K. and Momma G, because my nickname is G and she was my mother. Which is definitely not common for a grandmother name. I think the uncommon ones with special meaning are the best... because they are all yours. As an Aunt, I have 3 names (Lula, Jewa, and Auntie G). The first 2 come from Angela (my first name). Best of luck and congratulations!

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L.D.

answers from Houston on

I didn't see this one yet but it could of evolved from something else. I called my grandmother Mam'al and my grandfather Pop'al. This has made me think about the name I would want to be called in the future. I'm so glad I can think on it for a while. I think I'd really feel the pressure if I had to decide right away. There's so many great choices that so many people have responded with. Good luck and congratulations.

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

How 'bout "Grandma"! I had two of them and I loved them both! "Grandma" puts the crown on your head as being "The One".
Congratulations and let us know what you decide.
D.

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D.M.

answers from Houston on

A lot of the names we picked for the grandparents all got changed when my son started talking, so keep that in mind- my hubby's name even changed from Daddy to Papa! They all have their special names now. LOL

Grandmama went to Ama & Grandma to Mamaw

We also have Nanny, Memaw, Grandmother, Granny, Memaw Firstname, Grandma Lastname

A friend of mine calls her grandma "anamama." There's a whole story behind it, which is really cute!

I've noticed it's very common now for grandmas to take on "mama" as Little Mama, Big Mama, Mama firstname, etc.

This one of the few big issues I've had with my MIL- I was really against anyone but me being called mama unless it was classified with "grand" in front of it. It's a very personal issue for me, which we worked through- the only other one we've had is me not calling them M. & Dad once we got married. Please be sure to run it by your kids & kids-in-law before setting your heart on a name that may be offensive to one of them. I don't mean to sound harsh at all; jsut sharing where we came from with our names... I understand it will be your special name for the rest of your life, but the parents of those wonderful little blessings have to deal with it too. =o)

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R.D.

answers from Austin on

This was something I was concerned about too. What was my daughter going to call her grandmas & thought it needed to be different so we knew who she was talking about.
Right now, she has chosen her own names (and I was told that is usually what happens). She is 22 months & calls my M. (and BOTH my husband's parents) "BaBa" (except it sounds more like 'dba-dba' Funny thing is, my M. said that is what she called her grandma & it turns out 'Ba Ba' is Russian for grandma (at least that's what her M. told her & she's 100% Ukraine).
Try not to worry about it for now. :)

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M.L.

answers from Dallas on

Do you have a nickname? "Grammy Nickname" would sound cute.

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F.P.

answers from Houston on

I let my twins give me their grandmother my name on their own. Granny is a common name that is used in our family. Since my mother was still living and we all called her Granny, I became Granny Franny. Sounds corny but when it comes out of their mouth it just sounds heavenly. Good luck and I hope that you get a name you like. My grandmother's name was Frances so we just called her Moma Frances.

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

Dear M. A--Congratulations!!! What an exciting time in your life! When my grandson was about to be born, I decided on Nana, but went through lots of other names before I settled on it.

I can let you know what our family has done. My son-in-law is from a divorced family, so his stepmother went with "BeBe", as her name is Becky. His M. went with "GiGi", although I don't know why. Usually the Great Grandmother is "GiGi". My sister-in-law is the stepmother to my niece and nephew, so she went with "Abby Jean" (her name is Jean, and "abuelita" is "little grandmother" in Spanish).

Other more tradiitonal choices could be "Grammy", "Gramma", "Nannie", or perhaps even "Mama _____ (whatever your first name is)". I love this one as we called my beloved grandmother Mama Tora. No one else had a name like that.

You might do some research and find out what grandmothers are called in the country from which your family comes (i.e., "Oma" is from Germany).

I hope these suggestions give you some original ideas. You're right--you'll be called this for the rest of your life and it should be a name that you love. (But TRUST me, you'll love it, no matter what it is, because your little grandchild will be calling you that.)

(Just a little aside: My daughter's sister-in-law has a little girl who has known me all of her life. Although I'm no relation to her, she still calls me "Nana". She answered the door at her house last night and called to my granddaughter, "Ella, Nana is here!" It thrilled my heart.)

Have fun in your new role in life!

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J.O.

answers from Austin on

I remember watching a sitcom where the Grandmother wanted to be called "Goddess". I always that that was funny.

You could use your ethnic background to come up with a name. Italian grandparents were "nonno" and "nonna". German would be "Opa" and "Oma". French "Grand-mère" and "grand-père"...

Just FYI.

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L.B.

answers from Houston on

My M. picked the name Nonnie, when my son was born. I think its really cute, and doesn't sound too "old" like you said. Plus, its really easy for little ones to say. Nonnie was the first name he said after Mommy and Daddy.

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M.H.

answers from Houston on

My M. is MeeMee...my MIL is Grandma and Step-MIL is NaNa....when we were younger, my nieces used to call my M. (I was in high school) Grandma Betty. So, I would have to take a side with the post who suggested including either your name or nickname. Either that or just bite the bullet and be called whatever that precious angel WANTS to call you. I have a sneaking suspicion that you, being grandma, wont care....as long as they call!!!!!

Good Luck,
Margaret :)

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S.E.

answers from Houston on

My M. was 48 when she became a grandmother. She chose to be called "Gammy".

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S.H.

answers from Houston on

My children call my M., Mia. We're not Italian. But, it does mean "my" and my M. liked the idea of "my grandma".

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D.S.

answers from Houston on

Hi there,
Congratulations! I was in the same situation..there was already a Nana, MiMi..so I made up a new grandma name....Nami. My little granddaughter says it perfectly and I like it! So you may have to come up with your own name. Another suggestion is to look at grandmother names in other languages....there are some good ones.
Blessings!

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D.C.

answers from College Station on

Wow! Congratulations!

I had my FIL be insistent on being called Grandad and _not_ Grandpa. It might have been something about one of his grandfathers or from some bad experience he associates "Grandpa" with. I don't know.

Growing up, I called my grandmothers both Grandma and the only time that would be a problem was the few times when both were with us, say when I graduated from college. At those few times, it was "Grandma Waylon" and "Grandma Smith" (names changed for anonymity).

When my mother became a grandmother, she was (and still is) Grandma to two grand-daughters (my nieces). But my oldest boy had a speech delay problem. He was four years old and there were, maybe, two words he could say that my grandparents could understand. Saying 'key' for cookie just had to be explained! LOL!

Well, when I had this idea when he could say mommie to suggest he try to say the name mema (pronounced meemaw). It sounds like the two syllables ma-me said backwards: me-ma.

You might just find that what your grandchild calls you will sound lovely no matter what it is!

And, yes, I get confused when I start saying something to one my nieces and refer to my M. as "Mema" when I should say "Grandma" with them, but they are very understanding! :)

Have fun!

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B.F.

answers from El Paso on

My sister, who is 30, has a step son who just had a baby. Being 30 ( and with small kids as well) she was definately not ready to be "grandma", so the baby calls her gigi (soft "g"). Good luck finding your new name!

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L.F.

answers from Houston on

I like the name "Honey" because you put it not an "old" sounding name...it's the one I plan on using someday. Good luck!

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L.P.

answers from Houston on

Maybe Gigi will work.

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D.C.

answers from San Antonio on

The only name that my kids have picked out for a family member is for my sister. My daughter called her Aunt Lola & my son calls her Aunt "Luh-luh" (u sound in up, not the sound in you). Her name is Lora, but they couldn't get the R sound. She liked Lola but loves Luh-Luh because it's *her* name.

My M.'s family prefers the "nicknames". My mother's parents were Meemaw & Peepaw Woicinski (whoa-sin-ski) - except I couldn't pronounce it properly and it came out as Meemaw Seen-key-woe. I said it like that until about middle school and my little sisters said it that way, too. All of my aunts and my M. are now Meemaw to all of their grandkids (one yell for "Meemaw" and everyone looks). Only some of my uncles, and my step-dad, are called Peepaw.

My dad's family prefers just Grandma and Grandpa. My dad's 2 sets of grandparents were each simply Grandma & Grandpa Floyd and Vogel (great-Grandpa Vogel was the only one left when I came along). My father's parents were Grandma and Grandpa Floyd to us. My dad's M. is still Grandma Floyd to me (I'm 39 now), my sisters and cousins, and we are now calling her Great-Grandma Floyd to OUR kids. My aunts and uncles on my dad's side each have there different names, but for my kids my dad and step-M. are Grandpa John and Grandma Pam since it was confusing to have Grandma Floyd and Great-Grandma Floyd. Once my daughter, at about age 4, asked "Which one is Grandpa married to and which one is his M.? I can't remember!"

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T.V.

answers from Houston on

Congratulations! I am Mimi to my beautiful grand daughter, but I also like Grand. There is also Mammaw, but that sounds old.. LOL I think Grand is a great one...Good luck!

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C.P.

answers from Houston on

Congratulations.
Noni is Italian for grandmother. Also GiGi is another cute name. I have a friend who is Gran-Nan, another that is Grancy (her name is Nancy).
On the other end, after names had picked out for in my family, I heard of G-Daddy, because the dad did not feel he was old enough to be a Grandpa.
Enjoy the new addition.

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C.T.

answers from San Antonio on

My kids only have 1 grandma, my M. passed away 8 years ago, my grandma passed away in the 1950s and hubbys grandma passed away 2 years ago. :( but my girls call my husbands M., Guwannie, MaMoose, Gram, and Grandma. They always use one of the 4 so just depending on the grandchild you may NOT "answer to this name" for the rest of your life. My youngest (8) is VERY silly she uses the first 2 names and grandma, my oldest (10) is super smart and outgoing she only uses the last 2 on the list. Hubby and I refer to his M. when addressing her to our girls we use Grandma.

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S.M.

answers from San Antonio on

I always called my grandmother "Gramma" I live in Texas now and here I have heard the term "Mam Maw" alot. Or whatever your first name i, they could call you "grandma (your name here)" My friend is from Loisianna, and calls hers grandma-maw.

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C.L.

answers from San Antonio on

My M. picked YaYa because it was one of the first sounds my daughter could make. So her first official word got to be YaYa!

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N.H.

answers from Houston on

What about MeMaw or MeMawMaw. That's what my nephew called my M. (his grandma). He just made it up & started calling her that, don't know if he heard it from someone else or what exactly. There's also Neenie. I know someone that calls her grandma, Neenie (pronounced "Knee Knee"). Also GrandMommie or just the traditional Grandma or Gradma___ (add your name like Grandma Neenie or Grandma Nellie, whatever your name is). Hope these suggestions help, good luck!

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J.R.

answers from Houston on

What the heck is wrong with Grandma?

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J.T.

answers from Victoria on

we called one of my grandma's Nanny and the other Grandmother. they are both still living and when i tell friends were going to see Nanny they think i mean we have a nanny that watches our son. my aunt claims she wants to be called honey ( although she is more vinegar ) which sounds really nice. if you have a cute sounding name we called our step great grand ma granny T for her last name.

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B.G.

answers from Austin on

my teenage grandsons call me "G-ma." they think it is cool and does not sound "old." The 4, 7 and 11 year old grandsons call me "gee-ma" (hard "G" like in "get")because the youngest can't say "grandma."

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B.J.

answers from College Station on

M. A,

Some time ago, I responded to a question just like this. I'm pasting my reply:

Really, it's a very personal choice, and you have to try some names on for size to see what you like.

I have personal experience with two situations. (Actually three because my (very wonderful) maw-in-law didn't want to be "Grandma" or Grandmother") So, whenever she visited, we'd try on names. I used to call my grandmother "gran" or "gram." Maw-in-law adapted the latter to "Grammy" and that's who she is to her two grandsons. Next, her husband is not my husbands father. My husband didn't want him to be called "grandpa" or any of the usual variations, because he felt that name belonged to his father who was then recently deceased. Maw-in-law tried on "Grandpa Jim" and my son could only say "Pa Jim" at the time. And so he was and remains Pa Jim.

The other situation is my best friend who was 40 when her step-grandchildren were born. She didn't like "Grandma" either, and started trying on names, and she's now Nanna.

So, anyway. These are just some ideas and the real answer is, you'll have to try some names on, and see what sits well. Best of luck and congratulations on the impending arrival!

B.

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

My M. said the same thing when my kiddos came along. We call her Gram or sometimes Grammy.

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S.G.

answers from Houston on

WOW you have recvd so many great responses. My M. liked Gram. The kids range from 5-21 yrs old and when they really want something from her they call her gram cracker. It's really cute. Congratulations on the new addition.

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M.P.

answers from Houston on

Congrats!!

My children called our mothers - Nene and Grandma.. Their cousins called their grandmothers- Tutu (Grandma in Hawaii name), Abuela (Grandma in Spanish name), and Mimi..

Good luck and enjoy your new grandchild!!:)

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A.H.

answers from Corpus Christi on

"Big Mamma" is what my sister gets called

"MeeMaw" was what we called our grandmother

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L.L.

answers from Beaumont on

My mother's grandmother name is what her brother called her when he was little and couldn't say her name yet. It's a perfect grandmother name and is unique to her. Is there something in your history, a nickname or something, that you could use? I also know of a couple of grandmothers who use their name plus "ie". For example, Grace would be Gracie, Jane would be Janie, etc. Congratulations!!!

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M.B.

answers from Houston on

We have lots of grandparents in our family, so we've had to find approaches to this -- there was Granny, which I guess does sound old, but also "Noni-Ellen," which I like a lot, and also "Grandpa Russ, Grandpa Ron, and Grandpa Tim," Good luck and congratulations!

M.

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D.J.

answers from Houston on

I have known some "young" grandparents that choose to be called "Grandma/grandpa(insert name)". This is also helpful when the child also has great-grandparents still living or step parents/grandparents and helps avoid confusion.

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L.S.

answers from Killeen on

My kids call my M. Grammy.

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T.J.

answers from Houston on

My M. requested to be called Grandi:) She did'nt want to sound old either, we think Grandi is so cute! Cograts to you:)

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C.S.

answers from Austin on

hi. First congrats! I do not have time to read all of these responses so no idea if it's been said but we called one grandmother 'M. M.' It was cute and went with 'pop pop' our grandpa and her husband. :)

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J.J.

answers from Austin on

You can always wait for the child to name you. My M. was Nana to my brother's kids and my oldest in attempting to call her "my nana" started calling her "myna" and the name stuck. I always called my grandmother "grandma" and my husband called one "grandma" and the other "mawmaw."

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Y.R.

answers from Austin on

What is wrong with 'Grandma'? I don't care for the cutsie, baby-talk names. And, I don't think it teaches children to speak with proper words. I think children benefit from postive reinforcement in speech. When the child can say it, they will and there is nothing wrong with teaching as long as they are not ridiculed or mocked.

I love my MIL but, she wanted to be called the translation of grandmother in her ethnic backgrounds' language. I gave her a choice: Grandma or Granny! She can call herself what she wants but I will only reinforce the two choices.

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J.M.

answers from Odessa on

What about Gigi? Sounds spunky and sweet all at the same time!

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J.H.

answers from Houston on

Is there a derivitave of your first name that can be used? My grandchildren call me Mama (and my last name). Gram is always a good one, or Grammy. My SIL is call G.G. (that's short for Georgeous Grandmother). One set of my grandchildren call their other GM by her initials, B.B.

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T.R.

answers from Houston on

My M. felt the same way.....about and old sounding "grandma" name. LOL! Anyway, my kids call her Granna, and she loves it!

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R.C.

answers from Houston on

You can choose whatever name you want but it always seems like the grandchild ends up picking the name for you! My MIL chose "MeeMaw" when my son was born. When he was old enough to start talking he called her "Nanny" for some reason. We never referred to her that way so we knew it was all him. Of course that actually meant more to her so for almost 22 years now she has been "Nanny". The same thing happened to a friend of mine with her grandchild. When the baby is born most Grandparents end up saying "He/She can call me whatever they want!". Congratulations by the way and God bless!

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C.G.

answers from Houston on

I have a friend that she is called Nonnie and it is so cute. I am Nana to her grandbabies also and we are great friends.

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J.K.

answers from Austin on

Hi, When my granddaughter was born,I decided to let her call me Grandma since my daughter -in -law's M. wanted to be called "Bebe" and my daughter-in-law's Dad was married to a woman who wanted to be called "MiMi." I would not have chosen either of those names anyway. My M. is Grandma Minnie and my husband's M. is Nana. I know Grandma is not original ,but I like it. Actually, for a long time it was Gamma since that is what Zoey, my granddaughter called me. It has evolved into Grandma. You could use "Bebe," or just go by GRandma. Find a name you are comfortable with. My kids are 31, almost 32 and 26. My grandkids are 4 and 8. J.

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M.L.

answers from Austin on

Hi!
I'm from Hawaii and there are two Hawaiian names for grandma..... my son calls my M. "Kupuna"...Puna for short. I use to call my grandma "Tutu" it also means grandma. Congratulations on being a grandma for the first time! I hope you find a name!!

M.

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M.M.

answers from Houston on

How about Grams? It's not as old sounding as Grandma, but it still has a classic feel.

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C.S.

answers from Houston on

Why not just "grandma"? Or if you don't like that "big mama".

C.

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M.G.

answers from Austin on

I would let the child pick your name. My son couldn't say anything with a "G". So he started calling my M. Mam-maw and my dad is Pap-Paw. My husband calls his grandmother "Nonnie". She wears it with pride and was hurt when he tried to call her something else.

Mel G

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S.R.

answers from Odessa on

I felt exactly the same when my grandchildren came along. My grandmother and my mother were both living with us at the time and so my grandmother was called "Granny"; my M. was called "Gram" and I knew I couldn't be either of those. My name is S. so they call me "S. Mommy". Sometimes they almost make a song of it and it melts my heart

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S.B.

answers from Houston on

Oh I remember when I was pregnant with our first child who would be the first grandchild for my parents. I asked my M. what she wanted to be called and she said Nonnie. I asked my dad and he said "sir". haha. Well, my kids are 21 and 17. My parents are Non and Ring. Dad decided, once he saw our daughter, that sir was too formal (ya think!?) and wanted to be granddaddy. It came out Ringdaddy. So, that is what my parents are called. Now, my in laws already had grandkids but my MIL did not like being called grandma. So our kids call them Meme and papa. So when our kids call them and say "hey meme" they know which grand kid is calling!! Congrats. I have already decided on my name when the time comes. Grams. I just love it!

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S.C.

answers from Austin on

My grandmother's first name is Joy and she chose Mama Joy. My M. followed suit with my boys and goes by Mama Donna. You might consider trying that. Good luck & congrats!

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L.W.

answers from Austin on

How about "Honey"? My neighbors grandchildren called her this and I always thought of her as very young :) My mother-in-law is Mimi...it was a nickname when she was a girl. Congratulations to you!

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K.A.

answers from Houston on

Hmmmm....fun question! All I can think of are "MawMaw", "MeMaw", "MaDear", "Grandma", "Grandmom" and "Gran". Some kids use a silly version of your real name (like if it's hard to pronounce for a little kid and comes out funny...my Aunt's name was Claudine and I couldn't say it, so it came out "DeeDee") or something they make up like my step-dad used to call my son his "little buddy", so the kids ended up calling HIM "Buddy". When I was little one grandmother lived in an upstairs apartment and the other lived in a house with just a few steps. So one was "Step-MawMaw" and the other was "Stair MawMaw"....go figure! LOL.

I'll be interested to see what you decide on! Have fun with it!

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Z.B.

answers from Austin on

i would say "GG" for gorgeous grandma!

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S.T.

answers from Houston on

Wow, there are a lot of replies! My MIL already had 3 grandchildren when mine were born and the established name was Granby. Her husband goes by Nerraw which is his name spelled backwards!

My cousins' grandparents chose their own names Grandmere (after the French) and Grandsir. I love those and they fit them wonderfully!

I won't be having grandchildren for at least a decade so I have a long time to think about it!!

S., second generational homeschooling M. to 4 girls ages 2-6!

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E.B.

answers from Houston on

Not a grandma myself but from the experience it seems the kids come up with whatever name they want. My niece could not differentiate names w/ my parents so she called them JeanRoy and RoyJean for the longest- because my sister in law called them by their first names :Jean and Roy. As the niece got older it became JeanMom (which EVERYONE calls her now- even her kids!) and Roy. My niece also called her M.'s M. "M." because that is what her M. did. Very confusing. My son kept with JeanMom for my mother but some how came up with Peepaw for my father.
That same brother and sister in law are now grandparents and they are "Franny" and "PopPop".
My grandmas were "Nanny" and "Grandy" - but I was the youngest grandkid on both sides so I'm sure I had no say in what I called them!
Good luck- you will have to update with what you decide on. (And then in a year or so- update again with what you are actually called!!)

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A.B.

answers from Odessa on

Nonnie or GiGi?

Good luck and congratulations!

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B.R.

answers from Austin on

I know what you mean about not wanting to sound "old". I became a first-time Grandma at the ripe young age of 45. I thought "Grammy" sounded kind of young and cute, so we all referenced me to our granddaughter that way. We also called my husband Granddaddy. Well, when little ones are learning to talk, they make up their own words. Grammy came out as Mimi, and we can't figure this one out, but Granddaddy became Papa.

We love our grandparent names, and wouldn't have it any other way. They're better because they came from our precious granddaughter. Now that our second one is beginning to talk, she's following her sister's lead, as will all the grandbabies that follow. You can influence what you want to be called, but chances are, your grandchild will come up with something unique, just for you. Enjoy it. Blessings and congratulations to your family. You are about to experience a joy and love beyond anything you've ever known.

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M.P.

answers from Houston on

In my house both grandmas are MEME followed by the name... Meme Josiane and Meme Margarita.

At my sister's they are Tita...Tita Margarita and Tita Lucero.

I used to call my grand mother Abu or Abue, which is a short for abuelita, there was no confussion since I did not see regularly and did not care much for the other one.

At my cousin's my aunt is called Nona.

There, some options, hope you like one!

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K.Z.

answers from Houston on

I have a Friend who became a Grandma awhile back and she felt like you. So she went with Gigi (Geegee). Just an idea: Grandma ---- or Gramie/Grammy.
Congratulations!!

D.K.

answers from Houston on

I have heard Grammy and MeeMaw. Congrats on becoming a new "Grandma".

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M.N.

answers from Longview on

My boys call my hubby's M. Grammy. Ms instead of Ns.

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H.C.

answers from Austin on

My family is Italian so Nona is grandma in Italian, and we also have a meme, nana and grandmother and my other grandma is GIGI and I love that! Congrats!

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C.J.

answers from Houston on

We called all our grandparents Mamaw and Papaw and we would add their last name if we were talking about a specific one. So we taught my neice to call my dad Papaw too. But when she was about 3, she all of a sudden started calling him Grandfather. That's a mouthful for a 3 year old, but she just started it on her own and has never stopped calling him that! My own grandkids call me "KK" which we started when my neice was born. I knew she wouldn't be able to say my name, so that is the nickname we came up with. Now my whole family calls me that - but my first grandson did call me grandma for about a year when he was about 3 and discovered that I was his "grandma". Since he called me "KK" and his other grandma "Nana", he didn't realize he had grandparents. And when he discovered it, he called me grandma and told EVERYONE we saw that I was his Grandma. He was just so proud to have one!! But eventually he resorted to KK because everyone else calls me that. So I definitely agree that sometimes they will make up their own name, but usually if you have everyone call you what you want it will stick. Congrats on your first grandchild. They are so much fun!! I'm about to have my 7th and our first girl this week!

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N.T.

answers from San Antonio on

Of course you can see my name for my grandchildren is N.. My mother was N. and when she was living she was N. 1 and I was N. 2. My friends name is Gene and they call her GeGe so you could take something with your name and make it your own. Or how about just Gran. Of course these names stick around for years, Grandma, N., Mimi, Mammaw, Mamu etc. Good Luck in making one your own. We need another one out there.

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K.B.

answers from San Antonio on

I always liked putting the word Mama in front of whatever your name is- so for instance- I would be Mama Kay, my friend would be Mama Jenn. I had a great grandma named Mama Glad- her name was Gladys which is a very old timey name but I loved the shortened version of it with the mama in front. If that doesn't work try doubling the first part of your name. My mil is Martha and we call her marmar- or I would be kaykay. Or you could come up with something completely different - I have some friend that are peeps and dough. Grandpa is dough because he loves kids and is just this little roundy cute man- like the dough boy. And peeps because she is cute, and proper with a beautiful smile and it just worked for them. Good luck!

K.C.

answers from San Antonio on

My sister's granddaughters call her "Grand M.." My M. is called "Granny" by the older grandsons. However, when the third one was born, his version came out as "Ninny." My M. is "Ninny" to this day. Congrats on the new addition!

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