Grandma and grandpa names, sorted by the kind of grandparent you are

The best grandma and grandpa names match the person who carries them. You'll answer to this nickname for decades, long enough to read it on a Grandparents Day card from a grandchild who is a grown adult by then, so it's worth some thought. It's also the first word on years of birthday cards, like the ones in our happy birthday, Grandma wishes. You'll sign the same name on cards to a grown grandson too.

An example: Carol was 61 when her daughter Jess stood up at Sunday dinner and told the family that Carol and Dave were about to become grandparents. The hugging took two minutes. The argument about names took the rest of the evening. Carol turned down "Granny" on the spot, because it made her feel ninety. Jess's brother Owen suggested "Gigi," and Carol liked it more than she let on. Dave announced that he would be known as "Chief." Nobody agreed, and he hasn't given up.

How families settle on a grandparent name

In many families the grandparents choose their own name and then agree on it with their grown children. These questions make the choice easier:

• What did you call your own grandparents? Some people want to carry that name forward. Others want one that belongs only to them.
• Which names are already taken? If the other side of the family has a Nana, two of them at Thanksgiving gets confusing. Plenty of families add a first name, as in Nana Carol and Nana Rose.
• How does it sound shouted across a kitchen? Short names of one or two syllables tend to last.
• Does it feel like you? A name that makes you wince today won't grow on you later.
• Can you let it change? Names often drift over the years, and families keep whichever version sticks. Hold your first pick loosely.

Classic names for a warm, traditional grandparent

These are the names people picture around a crowded holiday table. They suit grandparents who love home cooking, family rituals and a full house.

Grandma: Grandma, Nana, Nanny, Granny, Grammy, Grandmother, Meemaw, Mamaw, Grandmama, Mommom.

Grandpa: Grandpa, Granddad, Papa, Pop, Grandpop, Grandfather, Pawpaw, Papaw, Pappy, Granddaddy (or Grandaddy).

Fun names for a young-at-heart grandparent

For the grandparent who still dances at weddings, books the trips and tells the best stories at dinner. A lot of people looking for young or cool grandma names end up here, because these names sound like a laugh.

Grandma: Gigi, Mimi, Lolli, Glamma, GoGo, Lulu, Bibi, Kiki, DeeDee, Nonie.

Grandpa: Pops, Pop-Pop, Ace, Buddy, Skipper, Coach, Chief, Poppy, Big Guy, Grumps (for the one who enjoys a joke at his own expense).

Stylish and unusual grandparent names

Some grandparents never liked doing what everyone else did, and they aren't going to start now. A hobby, an old job or a family joke often gives the best name of all: Captain for the sailor, Doc for the retired nurse, Coach for the one who never missed a game.

Grandma: Coco, Birdie, Bunny, Pearl, Sunny, Jojo, Duchess, Bella, Marmee, Gem.

Grandpa: Duke, Captain, Doc, Bear, Major, Pip, Boss, Sarge, Fox, Professor.

Gentle names for a calm, quiet grandparent

For grandparents who would rather walk, garden, read or sit on the porch with a cup of something warm. These names are soft and sweet, and easy to say.

Grandma: Gran, Nan, Gram, Grams, Nini, Honey, Dove, Mae, Ama, Granna.

Grandpa: Pa, Grampy, Grandy, Gramp, Papa Bear, Pappa, Gramps, or Grandpa with his own first name, like Grandpa Joe.

Grandparent names from other languages

Many families keep a name from their roots, and some borrow one they simply love the sound of.

• Italian: Nonna and Nonno
• German and Dutch: Oma and Opa
• Spanish: Abuela and Abuelo, often shortened to Lita and Lito
• Greek: Yiayia and Papou
• French: Mamie and Papi
• Portuguese: Avó and Avô, or Vovó and Vovô in Brazil
• Polish: Babcia and Dziadek
• Hebrew: Savta and Saba
• Yiddish: Bubbe and Zayde
• Filipino: Lola and Lolo
• Hawaiian: Tutu, used for both
• Korean: Halmeoni and Harabeoji
• Welsh: Nain and Taid
• Swedish: Mormor and Morfar on the mother's side, Farmor and Farfar on the father's side

Names for great-grandparents

When a fourth generation arrives, the older grandparents often need a new name so nobody mixes them up. Common great grandmother nicknames include Great-Grandma, GG, Big Nana, Grandma Great and Nana plus her first name. For him, try Great Pop, Big Papa, Papa Great or Grandpa plus his first name. Aunts and uncles face the same choice, and our list of aunt and uncle names runs from Auntie to Unc.

Which names fit which kind of grandparent

A name sticks when it matches the way a person shows love. Some grandparents show it through food and comfort, some through fun, some through steady advice or a garage full of tools. Personality type is part of it. Here is how eight Typeza types often lean, in the order the types page uses:

• Ideator: invents a name nobody else has and may change it twice before one sticks. Captain, Doc or any name with a story behind it suits them.
• Harmonizer: shows love through a warm home and a full table. Soft classics like Nana, Grammy, Papa or Grampy fit them well.
• Vitalizer: brings the party along. Gigi, Mimi and Pop-Pop sound the way a Vitalizer walks into a room.
• Inspector: often prefers the plain, proper word, Grandma or Grandfather, said the same way every time.
• Commander: likes something short and strong, such as Chief, Boss or Ace, usually said with a grin.
• Dreamer: drawn to gentle, slightly poetic names like Birdie, Honey, Dove or Grandy.
• Guardian: takes the choice seriously and picks a warm, steady name, like Nana or Grandpa, to keep for life. No joke names for them.
• Craftsman: goes for something down to earth, such as Gramps, Pappy or Pa, and would rather be in the garage than discuss it.

These are tendencies, and a Commander who wants to be called Honey is allowed. Still, if a name you love feels oddly wrong when your family says it, it may not match how you show care. A name closer to that will feel like yours. The same thinking helps when you name the family group chat, pick a nickname for your boyfriend or choose a nickname for mom or one for dad.

What changes between you and your grown children

The name talk is often the first conversation in which your son or daughter leads and you follow. That small switch says a lot about the years ahead. Your grown child now makes the decisions for their own household, and the grandparents who stay closest tend to offer help and wait to be asked before they give advice.

Some parents and grown children find the new roles easy. Others love each other and still clash over small things, like visits, holidays and whose way of doing something is right. Sometimes that has less to do with old history than with how each of you is built. A mother who plans every detail and a daughter who decides on the day will run into the same gap again, now over visits and holidays. Family dynamics looks at the parts each person plays at home, and like mother, like daughter explains why a mother and her grown daughter can be so alike in some ways and so different in others.

See how you and your grown children fit

Carol settled on Gigi in the end, and Dave is still campaigning for Chief. If your family can argue for a whole evening about a nickname, it may help to know how each of you is wired. Start with yourself. The free family compatibility test shows you two statements at a time, so you keep choosing the closer fit. Your result shows your type and four bars for where you sit on the base traits, and your type's profile opens with a click at no cost.

From the result page you can invite your son or daughter, which needs a free account. Everyone taking part has to be 16 or older. When your grown child has finished as well, each of you can open your relationship type, with the part of family life that flows easily between you and the part that needs more patience. It makes a good talk for the next Sunday dinner.

Questions people ask

What are the most popular grandma names?

Grandma, Nana, Grammy and Granny are the long-standing classics. Gigi and Mimi are popular newer picks.

What can I call my grandma other than grandma?

Nana, Gran, Mimi, Gigi or a name from your family's language, such as Nonna, Oma, Abuela or Yiayia. Some families add her first name, as in Nana Rose.

What are cool grandpa names?

Pops, Ace, Chief, Captain, Duke and Coach are popular with grandfathers who want something lively. A name from his hobby or old job often works best.

Who picks the grandparent name?

Usually the grandparents pick it themselves and agree on it with their grown children. Names often shift over the years, and the family keeps the version that sticks.

What do you call a great-grandmother?

Great-Grandma, GG, Big Nana, Grandma Great or Nana plus her first name are all common choices.

What do you call a step grandparent?

Many families use the same names as for any grandparent, like Nana, Grandpa or Gigi, often with a first name added so everyone knows who is who. Some say Bonus Grandma or Bonus Grandpa. A step grandparent gets to help choose the name too, just like the others did.

What grandparent names go together?

Names that sound like a set work best, such as Nana and Papa, Mimi and Pop-Pop, Grammy and Grampy, Meemaw and Pawpaw, or Gran and Gramps. For a laugh, some couples go with Glamma and Grumps. A matching pair also reads well signed together at the bottom of a card.

Written by Virko Kask, founder of Typeza
Written with the help of AI tools.