In Britain, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand and, particularly prevalent in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nan, Nana, Nanna, Nanny, Gran and Granny and other variations are often used for grandmother in both writing and speech.
'Old Geezer' is Australian slang for an old man... and 'Old Geezers' are easy to spot.
Papa, the most common nickname in 36 states, took the top spot. Southerners are more likely to use Papaw or Pawpaw and those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware tend to go for Pop or Pop Pop. Other favorites include Abuelo or Abuelito, Gramps, Grampy, Poppy, and Grandad.
So what are the top ten nicknames for Grandpa in the country, you ask? It turns out that Papa, Pop/Pop-Pop, Pawpaw, Granddad, Papaw, Grampy, Poppy, Grandfather, Abeulo or Abuelito, and Gramps all made the list.
Some of the names cited for grandmothers include Boo, Mimi and Nanan. For grandfathers such terms of endearment include Pa, Papa and Captain. People living in Cardiff and Plymouth are more likely to use a unique name for their grandfather and those in Nottingham, London and Leicester likewise for their grandmother.
Some love being called Grandpa, but others want to try on G-Pa, Poppy, Peepaw or Boppa on for size.
tupuna. 1. (noun) ancestor, grandparent - western dialect variation of tipuna.
Ireland (Gaelic)
While maimeó anddaideó are the words used to address a grandmother or grandfather, there are a few different words for grandparents in Irish. For example, there are máthair chríona, which translates to “wise mother,” and athair críonna which translates to “wise father.”
-Irish: In Gaelic, grandfather is “Seanathair,” which means “old father,” but other popular Irish grandfather names are “Daideó” and “Athair Críonna.” Most English-speaking children call their grandfathers “Grandad” or “Granda.”
Oma is the informal German name for grandmother or grandma. Grossmutter is the more formal term. Since there are several forms of Standard German, as well as a number of dialects, spellings, and pronunciations for the more formal term may differ. Oma is pronounced as it looks: Oh-ma.
Why We Have Grandparent Nicknames. One of the first and most important reasons is that “grandma” and “grandpa” can be difficult for children to say when they first start speaking. In fact, that's where a lot of grandparent nicknames come from!
Other than that, the most common Australian slang term for dad is “ol' man”.
The Billy Lids (Australian slang for "kids")
In the Swedish language, the maternal grandparents are “mormor” for grandmother and “morfar” for grandfather. Paternal grandparents are “farmor” for grandmother, and “farfar,” for grandfather. If you want to get up close and personal with all things Swedish, no need to have a mormor of your own.
-Scottish: In Scottish Gaelic, the word for grandma is “Seanmhair,” which means good mother. But other commonly used Scottish grandmother names include “Nana,” “Nanna,” “Mhamó” and “Mamó.” -Spanish: In Spanish, grandmothers are known as “Abuela” or “Abuelita.”
Another popular subset of unique names are those that are derived from the (most often) grandmother's first name. So Gabby McCree is Gigi. “It's an abbreviation for 'Grandma Gabby' and also my initials growing up,” she says.
A paternal grandfather is called zufu (祖父) and a paternal grandmother is called zumu (祖母) in Mandarin, or a-gong (阿公) and a-ma (阿嬤) respectively in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese). Maternal grandparents are commonly referred to as wai zufu (外祖父) and wai zumu (外祖母) in Mandarin.
The general term for Māori elders is kaumātua, but there is a range of terminology, some tribal-specific, that denotes someone as an elder, grandfather or grandmother. Some examples are: Ancestor/grandparent: tipuna/tupuna, matua tupuna.
Africa. The African continent also gives us some of the sweetest names for our grandparents. Afrikaans call their grandmothers Ouma and their grandfathers Oupa. Moroccan Arabic uses Jiddah and Jadd respectively.
"Gram" and "Grams" are common nicknames for a grandmother. They're based off the traditional terms, but they're more casual and laid-back.
The male grandparent is called a grandfather. The female grandparent is a grandmother.