Categories: Parenting

10 Best Nicknames for Grandparents

Finding out that you will become a grandparent is an exciting time in your life. Your head is probably spinning with thoughts of pink and blue. You’ll take the baby to the park! You will bake cookies together! And just think of all the darling outfits out there! But amidst all of your daydreaming about trips to the zoo and the ice cream shop with your new grandchild, you want to begin thinking about what the child will call you!

Beyond the traditional choices of Grandma and Grandpa, there are quite a few nicknames for grandparents. Over the years, many families have used the names Grandma and Grandpa followed by the last name of those grandparents to create nicknames for grandparents. In this case, a family would have Grandma and Grandma Baker on one side of the family and Grandma and Grandpa Lee on the other side of the family. This worked for families in the past and can still work today. However, you need to consider that these days many children have a lot more than just two sets of grandparents and grandparents are a wide variety of ages. By using some popular nicknames for grandparents, each grandparent can have their own special name!

As you think of nicknames for grandparents, take Grandma and think outside the box. The top five choices of nicknames for Grandma are Grammy, Granny, Nana, Mimi and Bubbe. Use Grandma’s first or last name along with one of these choices to make it one of a kind.

– Grammy is similar to Grandma and follows the trend of youngsters saying Mommy instead of Mom. Add Grandma’s name to make it Grammy Carol
– Granny is also similar to Grandma and may also be shortened to Gran
– Nana is easy for kids to say and might also be changed to Nanny
– Mimi is a cute nickname for young and old alike
– Bubbe is the Yiddish word for Grandmother and is a favorite of many families

And don’t forget Grandpa needs a nickname, too. The top five choices of nicknames for grandparents when it comes to giving Grandpa a nickname are Papa, Pop Pop, Gramps, Pops and Granddad. Any of these can be combined with part of Grandpa’s real first or last name to make it more unique.

– Papa can also be spelled and pronounced a little differently as PawPaw. Add Grandpa’s name to personalize it even more so the nickname becomes Papa Dan or PawPaw Joe.
– Pop Pop is a fun one for kids (and family of all ages) to say. This one may be pronounced Bop Bop by youngsters and that’s pretty cute, too
– Gramps is a spunky nickname for grandparents
– Pops works for any age and might also be combined with either Grandpa’s first or last name to make a more unique nickname
– Granddad might start as Granddaddy and transition to Granddad and makes a great nickname for grandparents

Another way to create more individualized nicknames for grandparents is to take a characteristic or trait of Grandma or Grandpa and combine it with one of the names above. Maybe Nana Cookie for a Grandma who loves to bake or Papa Blue for a Grandpa who lives in a blue house. Let your imagination run wild and see what kind of nicknames for grandparents pop into your head.

Grandparents are very important people in their grandchildren’s lives and having special nicknames for grandparents can make that relationship even stronger. As you choose what you want your new bundle of joy to call you, just remember that sometimes we try to choose nicknames for grandparents but children come up with their very own nicknames for grandparents just by the delightful ways they think and talk. And once your little tot gives you a name and it sticks, you will be beaming each time you hear it!