Alternative names for grandparents have become increasingly trendy and kids are ditching the traditional Nan or Grandad in favour of something more unique - here's all the inspo you need to help decide what your new grandchild will call you when they start talking.
Becoming a grandparent is a huge milestone and can be so joy-inducing that many parents are left wondering if the new grandparents love their grandkids more than their own children. But it's also a huge responsibility. Being a grandparent often comes with childcare responsibilities as parents try to cut childcare costs and rely on the support their own parents offer, which is especially important as recent research has shown that mothers are less likely to struggle with mental health if their kids' grandparents live close by.
But the positives far outweigh the cons of the new responsibility. Grandparents say they learn more from their grandkids than their own children and research has even shown that grandparents live longer if their children have kids later in life. But there is one big decision all grandparents will have to make when they welcome a new grandchild - what are they going to call you?
Once, Grandma and Grandad were really your only options. But as unique baby names and cool baby names have risen in popularity, so have trendy and alternative names for grandparents. There are now so many names to choose from, it can feel impossible to narrow it down. So we've rounded up the best grandparent names that kids are using to help you land on the perfect choice.
Best grandparent names
Traditional grandmother names in the UK (according to a survey by emporia Telecom) tend to be nan (33% choosing this), grandma (32%), Nana (24%) and nanny (22%), with only one-in-ten using gran. Where as for grandfathers we are used to hearing grandad, and grandpa.
- Nana
- Gigi
- Mimi
- Coco
- Gaga
- Pops
- Papi
- Bibi
- Grampy
- Pop-pop
- Grumpsy
- Pappy
What my kids call their grandparents
1. ‘My son calls his paternal grandparents ‘sweey nanny and ‘beach grandad’ - pretty self explanatory, she always brings sweets and he lives near the beach. - Steph, Kent
2. ‘My son started ‘nanny geetah’ because my husband’s mum plays the guitar for them when they visit, it’s been 13 years and they still call her that.’ - Dionne, Telford
3. ‘My parents are called ‘mack mack’ and ‘pops’ - we have no idea where mack mack came from, she never lifts a finger to them, but six years on and it’s stuck.' - Rebecca, Bath
4. 'I'm Nonni. I’ve never cared for the name ‘grandma’ because it just sounds so... old. Visions of elderly grandmothers in rocking chairs come to mind — knitting blankets, baking bread and wearing orthopaedic shoes to shuffle around the house.' - Kester, London
5. 'My parents are Grammy and Pops and my husband's parents are Tita (short for Chickitita) and GrandDaddy.' - Esme, Edinburgh
6. 'My kids call their grandparents Saba and Safta, the Hebrew for grandma and grandpa. It's a nice, easy way to keep them connected to their heritage.' - Adam, Northampton
Keep up to date with more family news like the days of grandparent childcare are numbered as millennials feel 'frustrated' with parents too busy to look after grandkids and one set of grandparents is more likely to spoil their grandchildren than the other, as well as millennials beg parents to keep their anxieties to themselves and spare the grandkids (might be easier said than done, though).
