Understanding family members is confusing for children. They struggle to understand whose Mum is whose or how their Uncle John can be their cousins Uncle John as well.

Having two sets of grandparents is great…but having the same names will confuse your child no end! Before having your parents and in-laws fight it out over who gets to be called Granny and Granddad, have a look at these alternative names.

• Tradition
• Adapting tradition
• Pet names
• Names around the world

Tradition

The name your child picks up for your parents and in-laws can be chosen from pregnancy. It can be easy for most to stick with the traditional, Grandmother or Grandfather for one set and Gran and Grandad for another.

Other variations of the traditional terms for Grandad include:

• Grampy
• Grampa
• Grandpa
• Grandaddy

and variations for Gran include:

• Grandma
• Granny
• Grandmama
• Grams

If your parents and in-laws both really want to be known as Granny and Grandad, include their surname, ie, Granny becomes Granny Smith or Granny Jones.

Adapting tradition

The typical names for Grandparents have changed over the years and variations of the words, Grandmother and Grandfather can be seen in the list above. As a general rule, most word with the prefix ‘grand or gram’ before it can work well.

Leaving the prefix behind, other names for Granddad include:

• Pappy
• Pappa
• Pops
• Pa

and alternative names for Gran include:

• Nan
• Nana
• Nanna
• Nanny

Pet names

Pet names for grandparents is not unusual and can come from anything at all! Perhaps your little one can’t quite pronounce ‘Granny’ and came out with something completely different that stuck. However you find a pet name for your parents, one thing to remember is the uniqueness and special bond that the name gives between Grandparent and Grandchild.

Names around the world

If you’re looking for something completely different from the norm, or have parents from another culture, this can be a great way to help them feel special whilst reminding your child of their heritage.

Some names from around the globe for Granddad include:

• Pépé in French
• Opa in German
• Nonno in Italian
• Bestepappa in Norwegian
• Abuelito in Spanish
• Babu in Swahili

and for Gran include:

• Mémé or Mamie in French
• Oma in German
• Nonna in Italian
• Bestamamma in Norwegian
• Abuelita in Spanish
• Bibi in Swahili

Photography: neilojwilliams @Flickr