Today we are going to look at the “traditional” names for Grandmother, recognizing that many families have cherished and special words for their”grands”. Many of these come from the first grandchild’s initial attempt at speaking to his/her one true love (okay, that probably was over the top, but as a Nana—I’m entitled!).
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Nana
- We’ll start with my personal favorite—Nana—spoken first by our oldest granddaughter when she was the only grandchild and capable of wrapping not only her Nana and Papa around her fingers, but also her aunts and uncles. This form of address probably came from the Italian “Nonna”, being shortened here in the U.S. by Italian American descendants.
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Grandmother
- Is, of course, the actual designation of this person in the child’s lineage. Each human born in this world has two grandmothers, four great grandmothers, etc. This title is rarely used in person, rather used for a designation away from the presence of the grandmother.
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Grandma
- In person, many children call their grandmother “Grandma” (as I did), an affectionate shortening of the more formal grandmother. Even shorter versions are Granny, Grammy or Gram.
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Mimi
- Also Meme is what French Canadian children call their grandmothers.
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Gigi
- Here’s one that some grandmothers like but that actually is supposed to mean great-grandmother: Gigi. In researching this, I found a lot of animosity towards this name for grandmother among the grand babies moms…just a warning!
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Yaya
- Those of Greek ancestry may have called their grandmothers YaYa. Time will tell this continues on in the younger generations.
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Oma
- If your ancestors are German, you may know your grandmother as Oma!
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MawMaw
- Those in the southern part of our country often call their grandmother MawMaw, which I think is adorable.
So, our first grandchild set the stage and now all seven of our grand kids call me Nana, which I absolutely love! What do your grandchildren call you? Let us know in the comment section—I would love to hear more cuteness!