Grandpa Names: 150+ Names for Grandpa, Cool to Southern

Grandpa names at a glance

• Most popular: Grandpa, Papa, Pop, Pop-Pop, Poppy
• Cool: Pop, Ace, Duke, Chief, Skip
• Modern: Poppy, G-Pa, Papa Jim, Pops, Opa
• Southern: Papaw, Paw-Paw, Peepaw, Granddaddy, Big Daddy
• Appalachian: Pap, Pappy, Papaw, Paw-Paw
• Vintage: Grandfather, Granddad, Grampa, Grandpop, Pa
• Funny: Bumpa, Gampy, Boppa, Grumps, Grandude
• By culture: Nonno, Opa, Zayde, Abuelo, Papou

What are the top 10 grandpa names?

1. 1GrandpaThe default. Often comes out as Gampa first.
2. 2PapaThe most-chosen alternative in the US.
3. 3PopOne syllable, no age attached.
4. 4Pop-PopPhiladelphia, New Jersey, Delaware.
5. 5PoppyWarm and very easy to say.
6. 6GrandadThe UK, Ireland and Australia.
7. 7GrampsCasual, a little wry.
8. 8PapawKentucky, Tennessee, Appalachia.
9. 9OpaGerman and Dutch. Pairs with Oma.
10. 10NonnoItalian. Pairs with Nonna.

Cool grandpa names

A cool grandpa name is about him, not his generation. Pick one that's already true.

• PopShort, sharp, timeless
• PopsSlightly wry, reads younger
• AceNo age in it at all
• DukeStrong, no generational signal
• ChiefA role, not a generation
• SkipBoats, warmth, no age
• CappySkip, softened
• CoachOnly if he coached something
• DocIf he is one, or was
• SargeIf he served
• BearOnly if it already fits him
• BossFunny for about ten years

Modern grandpa names for a young grandfather

He's 53, still working, and Grandpa sounds like his own grandfather. These dodge that.

• PoppyWarm, and reads young
• G-PaSplits the difference with Grandpa
• Papa JimPapa plus his first name
• Big TonyFirst name plus Big, for the right man
• His first nameHonest. Likely to be revisited
• Griff, Mac, SullyA short form of his surname
• Opa, Nonno, PapouA heritage name reads younger
• BuddyEasy for a toddler, but he may sound like a peer
• PopStill the cleanest modern pick

Southern grandpa names

Most Southern grandpa names have a grandma name built to match.

• PapawKentucky, Tennessee, Appalachia. With Mamaw
• Paw-PawThe South and Texas. With Maw-Maw
• PeepawSouthern, now heard everywhere. With Meemaw
• PepawWith Memaw
• PappyAppalachia and the Ozarks
• PapWestern Pennsylvania and Appalachia
• GranddaddyFormal Southern. With Grandmama
• Big DaddyWith Big Mama
• DandyA toddler's Granddaddy that stuck
• GrandyWarm, and easy to say

Appalachian grandpa names: Pap, Pappy, Papaw, Paw-Paw

Four grandpa names you'll mostly hear in Appalachia. Pap is western Pennsylvania and Appalachia, Pappy is Appalachia and the Ozarks, and Papaw is Kentucky and Tennessee. Paw-Paw leans further south.

Papaw or Pawpaw? How to spell it

Papaw and Pawpaw are both right, and Paw-Paw is the same name hyphenated. There's no official spelling: families pick whichever matches how they say it.

• Is Papaw dad or grandpa? Grandpa. It grew out of Papa and Pa.
• Pawpaw, also spelled papaw, is a fruit tree too. That's why some families hyphenate: Paw-Paw.
• Spell it the way he says it. PAP-aw is Papaw. PAW-paw is Pawpaw.

Classic and vintage grandpa names

• GrandfatherFormal. Children rarely say it
• GrandpaThe American standard
• GranddadThe US spelling of Grandad
• GrampaHow most Americans say Grandpa
• GrandpopMid-Atlantic
• GrampNew England
• GrampyNew England and Maritime Canada
• PaRural, older generation
• GrandaNorthern Ireland and Tyneside
• GrandpawScotland

Funny grandpa names

Most were invented by a toddler aiming at Grandpa and missing.

• BumpaA toddler's Grandpa
• GampySame, one sound over
• BoppaGrandpa or Poppa, mid-air
• DodaA toddler's Grandad
• GagaCan land on either grandparent
• GrumpsSelf-chosen, jokey
• GrandudeBritish, recent
• BossAges badly with a teenager
• PopsFine, until she becomes Mops

Grandpa names that pair with Grandma's

Grandpa names by culture

Irish grandpa names

• DaideoEveryday Irish. Often written Daideó
• SeanathairFormal Irish, “old father”
• GrandadWhat most Irish families actually say
• GrandaStrongest in the north

Daideo, deaid críonna, Granda and the rest, each with its dictionary, are in Irish grandpa names.

Jewish grandpa names

• ZaydeYiddish, Ashkenazi. With Bubbe
• SabaHebrew, modern Israeli. With Savta

German and Dutch grandpa names

• OpaEveryday German and Dutch
• GroßvaterThe formal German word

Scandinavian grandpa names

• MorfarMother's father. Swedish, Danish, Norwegian
• FarfarFather's father
• BestefarNorwegian, either side
• AfiIcelandic. With Amma

Italian grandpa names

• NonnoThe standard word
• NannuSicilian

Every regional form, with its source, is in Italian grandpa names: Nonno, Nono, Nannu.

Spanish and Latino grandpa names

• AbueloThe standard word
• AbuelitoWhat small children usually say
• Lito, LeloAbuelito, clipped by a toddler
• TataMexico, US Southwest. Means dad in some regions
• Papá GrandeMexico. “Big dad”

Indian grandpa names

• Dada, DadajiFather's father. Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi
• Nana, NanajiMother's father. Yes, Nana is a man here
• ThathaTamil
• AjobaMarathi

Greek grandpa names

• PapouThe everyday form. With Yiayia
• PappousThe standard word

Grandpa in different languages

How to choose a grandpa name

1. 01

   Say it like a toddler

   P, b, m and d come first; gr, r, l and th come last. Papa arrives years before Grandfather.

2. 02

   Two grandfathers? Add a first name

   Grandpa Steve and Papa Joe. Kids handle it from about two and a half, and nobody concedes anything.

3. 03

   Think about her half

   Papaw makes her Mamaw. Opa makes her Oma. Pop and Papa commit her to nothing.

4. 04

   Propose it, then let go

   The first grandchild edits it. That's how a Grandpa becomes Bumpa for forty years.

Deciding as a couple? See grandparent names that work as a pair.

Her side, from Mimi to Mamaw, is in our list of grandma names.

Once it's settled, put it on something. A personalized postcard with the grandkids on the front and “Dear Papaw” on the back makes the new name official.

The man choosing a name is usually about to be a new grandfather. Here are gifts for new grandparents, for him or from him.

If he lives far away, here are long-distance grandparent ideas that keep the name in use.

If Great-Grandpa now lives in a nursing home, these gifts for nursing home residents are ones he'll use.

And when his birthday comes around, start with gifts for Grandpa that don't end up in a drawer.

Every grandpa name, sortable

The full reference: 131 names with pronunciation, origin and the usual grandmother pair. Filter by language, by how old a name sounds, or by what a toddler can say.