question: What do you call your grandmother in Australia? I called both of my grandmothers' Nanna. My children called their maternal grandmother, Nanna and paternal, Granny. My grandchildren call me Grandma and my son's children call their maternal grandmother Babaa.
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.
Origins of the Word Grandmother in English
In Old English, the word was ealdemodor, which sounds a lot like “old mother,” and likely has roots in Old Norse. It was replaced by grandame, literally meaning “old lady,” due to the French influence over English.
Gram. "Gram" and "Grams" are common nicknames for a grandmother. They're based off the traditional terms, but they're more casual and laid-back.
Some of the names cited for grandmothers include Boo, Mimi and Nanan. For grandfathers such terms of endearment include Pa, Papa and Captain.
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.”
Most Common Grandma Nicknames
Nana is the most common nickname for a Grandma in thirty-two states. But if someone doesn't call their grandmother Nana, odds are they do call her Grammy or Gram, as these are relatively popular alternatives to Grandma, as well.
A few alternatives for Grandma include Grammy, Gamma, G-Ma, Granny, and Nanna. Grandfather may be shortened to Grampa, Gramps, G-Pa, Poppy or Pops.
-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.”
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.
Nonna means grandmother in Italian. So, Nonna (pronounced Non-nah) is my grandmother. I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with her when I lived in Brisbane, Australia. She would always graciously humour my requests to “PLEASE PLAY WITH ME NONNA!”.
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The Medal of the Order of Australia is awarded for service worthy of particular recognition.
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.
1. “Nonna” from Italian. “Nonna” is the popular name for grandmother in the Italian language. “Nonna” may be altered to “Nonnina,” which translates to “little grandmother.” Some people choose to shorten the name to “Nonni,” which is also the plural form of “grandparents.”
One of my best friends chose Mia as her grandparent name because it represented her Italian heritage. I took that idea and ran with it—as you all know, I am Gigi! I love that it is a reflection of my French heritage.
"My mother-in-law didn't want to be called Grandma, so I made up the name LaLa for her," says one mom. "It's a combination of the last syllable of her name (Darla) and the last syllable of the Spanish word for Grandma (abuela).
In Scotland, grandparents are often called "Granny" or "Grandpa" (sometimes spelled as "Grannie" or "Grandad" respectively), which are similar to the terms used in other English-speaking countries.
Fancy Grandmas, on the other hand, are eccentric. They have tchotchkes, stockpile snacks, and religiously watch a TV show they call "my show." They always smell really good because they love all kinds of scents, and they also can't resist shopping for a good deal.
Gorgeous Grandma Day embraces the age of the nana and encourages all women to flaunt their granny attitudes with purpose and style. You need to enable JavaScript to run this app. Celebrate Every Day. June 3, 2023 - National Repeat Day | National Chocolate Macaroon Day. 00:00:00 / 00:03:00.