Here Are The Most Popular Grandparent Nicknames In America, According To A New Study
Some of these were a bit surprising!
When kids have multiple sets of grandparents, things can be a bit confusing differentiating between them, so sometimes parents and grandparents create different nicknames to keep things straight beyond just “Grandma” and “Grandpa.”
Also, this new generation of grandparents wants to branch out and be different with more recognizable and distinctive names for their grandchildren.
So what nicknames are the most popular throughout the U.S.? According to Preply’s research, there are certain popular nicknames kids and parents call their grandparents across all 50 states, and some of these were actually surprising.
Popular trendy nicknames for “grandmother”
- Gigi
- Nana
- Mimi
- Gran
- Bibi
- Momo
Popular trendy nicknames for “grandfather”
- Poppy
- Pops
- Papi
- G-Pa
- Grandude
- Papa
Yup, you read that right — Grandude! However, the big takeaway is that “Nana” and “Poppy” are the most popular nicknames for grandma and grandpa in the U.S.
A map provided by Preply shows the most popular nicknames for grandma by state. The popular and sweet “Nana” garnered the majority with a total of 12 states favoring the nickname with a big presence in New England and the Midwest.
“Grammy,” “Granny,” and Gran are all tied for second by count of states.
“Grandmother,” although kind of old school, is popular in states ranging from Hawaii to Vermont.
Spanish for “grandmother” and tied with “Grandmother” and “Mamaw” for third place, “abuela” is used across four states: Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas.
The state-specific map also showed the most popular nicknames for a parent’s father with “Papa” as the winner, with 13 states preferring the nickname.
“Granddad” was top in many Southern states, including Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina, and “Abuelo” was popular in California, Nevada, and New Mexico.
The cutesy “Pop-pop” was selected across seven states, while “Grandfather,” “Papaw,” and “Pawpaw,” all earned their spot as well.
While some of these names might be too cutesy or out there for some grandparents, there’s always some more simple alternatives.
Some grandparents may want to distinguish themselves from grandmas on the other side of the family and trying something out like tacking on a first or last name, or even an initial, to the end of the word “grandma” might be the simplest way.
For example, she might be called Grandma June, Grandma Wilson, or Grandma R.
