In Danish, "grandma" has specific terms: mormor (mother's mother), farmor (father's mother), and the general term bedstemor (best mother/grandmother). For great-grandmother, it's oldemor (old mother).
For cool grandma names, try modern options like Gigi, Glamma, Coco, or Mimi, cultural choices like Nonna (Italian), Lola (Filipino), or Oma (German), or unique nicknames such as G-Ma, Glamma, Lolly, or Meemaw, all offering a fresh, fun alternative to traditional titles. The best name often reflects the grandma's personality or family heritage and is easy for kids to say.
Scandinavian Words for Grandmother
In Swedish, mormor means, “mother's mother,” and farmor means, “father's mother.” It's the same in Danish, but they have another word for just “grandmother,” which is bedstemor.
Hygge (/ˈh(j)uːɡə/, H(Y)OO-gə; Danish: [ˈhykə]; Norwegian: [ˈhŷɡːə]) is a word in Danish and Norwegian that describes a cozy, contented mood evoked by comfort and conviviality.
Fika is a Swedish word used to mean a pause in the day for coffee and something sweet, while Hygge is the ubiquitous Danish word for feeling good within oneself whatever the world is like outside.
We have Gran, Grams, Grandma, Mimi, Gigi , Gaga, Mamaw, MomMom, and Nana in our extended family. When I became a grandmother, I chose to go by the name we called the grandmother I was closest to, as kind of a way to honor her as well.
I'm born in the 80's, and still use "mommo" (mormor, maternal grandmother), "fammo" (farmor, paternal grandmother), "moffa" (morfar, maternal grandfather) and "faffa" (farfar, paternal grandfather). So does my family and my relatives.
A list of Hippie Grandma Names included Cookie, Mimzy, Gram Cracker and Tootsie.
Grandma Quotes: Celebrating the Heart of the Family
“Grandmothers always have time to talk and make you feel special.” “A grandmother is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend.” “Grandma's hugs are made of love and magic.” “A garden of love grows in a grandmother's heart.”
Grandmother would directly be translated to mormor or farmor depending on which side of the family she's from. People often end up having different names for either one or two of them, being bestemor (best mother), besta (short for bestemor), or words you used to call her when you were little.
In Old Norse, the country was called Danmǫrk, referring to the Danish March, viz. the marches of the Danes. According to medieval origin legend, the name Denmark refers to the mythological King Dan.
The main Swedish names for a grandmother are “Mormor” for a maternal grandmother and “Farmor” for a paternal grandmother. “Mommo” and “Fammo” are used as nicknames. My daughter has called my mother 'Marmar' since she was little; she couldn't quite pronounce 'grandma' and it stuck—at 12 she still calls her that!
BUT, I feel like you're talking about early-mid-century names ... Millicent; Vera; Lenora/Lenore; Isadora; Irene; Olive; Etta; Virginia; Dorothy; Beatrice; Lydia.
Mamaw Comes from Lowland Scots, where "ma" is used to address one's own mother and "maw" is used to address others' mothers. Meemaw Comes from the Cajun French word memere (may-MARE), which means "granny" or "grandma". It's typically used by Southern US families. I had a mamaw and papaw.
But lykke (pronounced “luuh-kah”) does have a direct translation: it's the Danish word for happiness.
The word hygge dates back to around 1800, at least in the meaning it has today. However, various definitions of hygge can be traced back to the Middle Ages, where a similar Old Norse word meant "protected from the outside world." Hygge is often about informal time together with family or close friends.
Fika is a typical Swedish tradition where you take time out of your day to pause and enjoy a hot drink and a snack. But it's not just about savouring a good cup of kaffi (the Swedish word for coffee). Fika is a ritual that's important in Swedish culture, giving yourself a moment to have a break and socialise.