Grandma Names: 120+ Names for Grandma, Cute to Southern

Grandma names at a glance

• Most popular: Grandma, Nana, Mimi, Grammy, Gigi
• Cute: Mimi, Gigi, Coco, Kiki, Lulu
• Modern: Gigi, Coco, Sunny, Birdie, Nana Kate
• Southern: Mamaw, Meemaw, Maw-Maw, Mema, Big Mama
• Vintage: Grandmother, Granny, Grandmom, Gram, Nanny
• Sassy: Glamma, Grambo, Gams, Gaga, Mumsy
• By culture: Nonna, Oma, Bubbe, Abuela, Yiayia

What are the top 10 grandma names?

1. 1GrandmaThe default. Most toddlers say Gamma first.
2. 2NanaTwo easy syllables. Common in the US, UK and Australia.
3. 3MimiThe usual pick when Grandma feels too old.
4. 4GrammyWarmer than Grandma. Strong in New England.
5. 5GigiBright and short. Sometimes from a first initial.
6. 6GrannyThe classic, and the everyday word in Ireland.
7. 7NonnaItalian. Pairs with Nonno.
8. 8OmaGerman and Dutch. Pairs with Opa.
9. 9MamawKentucky, Tennessee, Appalachia. Pairs with Papaw.
10. 10GranShort and plain. British and Irish.

Cute grandma names

Cute nearly always means two repeated syllables made with the lips. That is also what a one-year-old can say first.

• MimiThe most durable of the chosen names
• GigiMimi's brighter cousin
• CocoSurvives the classroom test
• KikiSayable from about a year old
• LuluSoft, and no age attached
• NonnieA softer, toddler-friendly take on Nonna
• HoneyOld Southern precedent
• BirdieExpect Buddy until the r arrives
• BunnyFor the grandma who will lean into it
• BonBonSweet, literally
• LoveyWarm, and hard to say crossly
• NinaA toddler's Nana that stuck

Modern grandma names for a young grandmother

Young usually means one thing: not Granny. These read as a name, not a rank. The average American grandparent was 68 in 2024, per Pew Research Center, so a grandmother at 50 has a point.

• GigiReads young without trying
• CocoChic, and easy to say
• SunnyOrdinary enough to need no explaining
• BirdieSounds like a person, not a title
• AmmyChosen by a woman who felt too young for the rest
• LollyPlayful, two syllables
• Nana KateTitle plus first name: modern and clear
• Her first nameHonest. Works only if everyone commits
• Oma or NonnaA heritage word reads younger by being unfamiliar
• MimiStill the safest modern pick

Southern grandma names

Most Southern grandmother names come in matched pairs, so picking hers usually names his.

• MamawKentucky, Tennessee, Appalachia. With Papaw
• Maw-MawThe South and Texas. With Paw-Paw
• MeemawSouthern, now heard everywhere. With Peepaw
• MemawSame family, different spelling. With Pepaw
• MemaSouth and Midwest. With Pepa
• GrandmamaFormal Southern. With Granddaddy
• Big MamaWith Big Daddy
• GrannyOld, beloved, everywhere
• HoneyAn endearment that became a name
• GrannaScattered across the South

Classic and vintage grandma names

• GrandmotherFormal. Children rarely say it
• GrandmaThe American standard
• GrannyBack in favor
• GrandmomMid-Atlantic
• GramNew England, clipped
• NannyUK and the US Northeast
• NanEngland and Wales
• MaRural, older generation
• Mom-MomPhiladelphia and New Jersey. With Pop-Pop
• GrandmèreFrench formality, said in English

Funny and sassy grandma names

The funniest names are rarely chosen. A toddler makes them, and forty years later they're on the birthday card.

• GlammaSays it out loud, if that's the goal
• GramboA toddler's Grandma
• GraminatorA toddler's Grammy. Real, and permanent
• GamsGramma, two years later
• Bam-BamGrandma, lip sounds only
• RaraGrandma, missing a few letters
• MagaGamma with the syllables swapped
• GagaA toddler's Grandma. Expect pop-star jokes
• MumsyArch and British
• MopsWhat happens when he picks Pops

Grandma names by culture

Irish grandma names

• MamóEveryday Irish. Say MAH-mo
• SeanmháthairFormal Irish, “old mother”
• GrannyWhat most Irish families actually say
• NanaJust as common in Ireland

Mamó, Móraí, Nanny and the rest, each with its dictionary, are in Irish grandma names.

Scottish grandma names

• GrannyScotland's most common, at 30% in YouGov's 2025 survey
• GranA close second in Scotland, at 26%
• SeanmhairScottish Gaelic for grandmother

Jewish grandma names

• BubbeYiddish. Also Bubby, Bobe
• SavtaHebrew, modern Israeli. With Saba

German and Dutch grandma names

• OmaEveryday German and Dutch. With Opa
• OmiThe German diminutive

Scandinavian grandma names

• MormorMother's mother. Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
• FarmorFather's mother
• BestemorNorwegian, either side
• AmmaIcelandic, unchanged from Old Norse

Italian grandma names

• NonnaThe standard word. With Nonno
• NonnieA toddler-friendly take on Nonna

Venetian Nona, Sicilian Nanna and more are in Italian grandma names, with the regional spellings.

Spanish and Latina grandma names

• AbuelaThe standard word
• AbuelitaWhat most children actually say
• LitaAbuelita, shortened
• NanaMexico and the US Southwest. With Tata

Indian grandma names

• DadiFather's mother. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi
• NaniMother's mother
• PaatiTamil
• AajiMarathi

How to say grandma in different languages

Grandma names by first letter

How to choose a grandma name

1. 01

   Say it like a toddler

   Children get m, b, p, n and d early, and gr, r, l, s and th late. Mimi arrives years before Grandmother.

2. 02

   Check the other grandmother

   If she's Nana, pick something that sounds nothing like it. Mimi next to Mema confuses a two-year-old.

3. 03

   Think about his half

   Nonna makes him Nonno. Mamaw makes him Papaw. Nana and Mimi commit him to nothing.

4. 04

   Propose it, then let go

   The first grandchild edits it. Plenty of Grammys are now Gams, and nobody voted.

Choosing as a couple is its own puzzle, so the pairs have a page of their own: grandparent names that go together.

His side of the list, from Papaw to Zayde, is in grandpa names.

Choosing a name usually means a baby is on the way. Here are gifts for new grandparents, for the day it's announced.

Once the name is settled, use it. Put it at the top of a card and send her a photo postcard of the grandchild who named her.

Stuck on what to write under it? Borrow a line from our grandma quotes.

And for her birthday or the holidays, start with gifts for Grandma she'll actually use.

Every grandma name, sortable

The full reference: 120 names with pronunciation, origin and the usual grandfather pair. Filter by language, by how old a name sounds, or by what a toddler can say.