Anyone else's Grandma....

[me4real]

I happened to see this mentioned somewhere presumably as a joke, but my nan insisted on being called Grandma, as she said nan was a goat etc etc.

I hadn't heard the above reason until my uncle mentioned it a while back. Also presumably she thought it common.

I always thought it was sooo formal - quasi-Victorian, although she will've been born in about 1915 or something. She died in the early 90s. I don't recall ever challenging the status quo.

She wasn't well off financially or anything.

Anyone else?

I had a Granny and still have a Grandma. Both lovely. Not at all unusual where I grew up (and I was in St Winifred's school choir! Although not the year they recorded that song).

I had a grandma, a nana and a granny.
Never Nan or Gran.

In my family it was always 'Grandma'. When we reached adulthood we called her Gran. The PP who said Nanny or nana is a paid child carer: that's what I once thought, especially after reading and watching Peter Pan.

What I do find hard to fathom is that maternal/paternal grandmothers must each have different monikers to differentiate. It's hardly necessary: children will easily know who is who.

My MiL prefers 'Nana'. I respect that, if it's her wish. It would be nice, though, if she'd do me the same courtesy and stop addressing me as Mrs Hisname!

Mine were called granny and grandmother.

I had never heard the use of ‘Nan’ or ‘nanny’ until I joined MN.

In fact, at first I was genuinely surprised at the number of posters still in touch with their old nannies. 😂

@Billandben444

I'm Granny and historically we've had Nana and Gran. I used to bristle when I picked up my grandson from nursery and they said 'Nanny's here!' as I hated that name as it did sound like a goat (and her kid!) or the paid help. Each to their own though.

My granny used to hate my cousins calling her nanny, she always said she was neither a goat nor a teenage girl being paid a pittance to look after other peoples children.

I'm granny and proud of it. Never wanted to be called anything else.

My grandfather was in his late fifties when my father was born. I was one of my father's later children.

My grandfather insisted on being addressed as Mr [Embarrassing Admissions]. (My grandmother had died before I was born so I don't know if that would have been the same. No, we were nowhere near middle class never mind impoverished aristocracy.)

My kids don’t use any of these, both sets of grandparents have their own nicknames.

Everyone I know / knew had a grandma.

Nan was unknown.

I only know it to be used a lot via MN.

@MarieIVanArkleStinks

In my family it was always 'Grandma'. When we reached adulthood we called her Gran. The PP who said Nanny or nana is a paid child carer: that's what I once thought, especially after reading and watching Peter Pan.

What I do find hard to fathom is that maternal/paternal grandmothers must each have different monikers to differentiate. It's hardly necessary: children will easily know who is who.

My MiL prefers 'Nana'. I respect that, if it's her wish. It would be nice, though, if she'd do me the same courtesy and stop addressing me as Mrs Hisname!

Forget and call her grandma/granny or whatever until she respects your wishes.

We had this with my MIL who insisted on using a shortening of my DD's name that she didn't like. If challenged we'd get the tinkly laugh and, "I keep forgetting." So we started calling her granny which she hated, did it 3 or 4 times one afternoon and you could see her hackles rising until she snapped and said, "I've told you I don't want to be called that." We did tinkly laughs and said, "We keep forgetting." Strangely she never forgot again and neither did we.

My PIL were grandpa and grandma to the grandchildren. They chose those to be called this and I would describe them as a bit stuffy and middle class. My working class parents were gran and grandad.

Always Nana in my family, for both of my grandmothers (used with surname), and by my kids as well as nephews, nieces and cousins. In DH's family, it's always been and still is Nanny. Like OP, I always thought Grandma sounded quite posh, and I never liked Gran or Granny although one of my brothers' kids call their mum's mum Granny.

I'm grandma, so was my mam and my daughter is too. I had a Nana so always associated the word with someone really old. I actually started out as Fanma because my oldest grandchild couldn't get to grips with the Gr sound

Always called my grandmother 'Nan'.

DS is 5 and calls his 'Nanny' - I think grandma etc. sounds very formal

Grandma and Granny here.

My grandma was grandma, and the other one chose her own special name.

My DS has a nain (Wales) and a grandma. Nain wanted to be called grandma, and grandma wanted to be called gran! But they have more or less accepted their names now.

I was at least 10 years old before I realised that what we called our grandmothers where I grew up (N Derbyshire/S Yorkshire) - "Grommar" - was actually 'grandma'.

I much prefer Grandma or Gran. Agree that Nan or Nanny is a goat, or a child minder. However, it is up to the individual in question as to which they prefer.

I had Granny surname and Granny first name growing up.

My mum is now Granny to my Kids but MIL is nanny or nan. I really dislike it what they have always used.

My Granny and mum hate me referencing the children as Kids because goats have kids. What's with the goat hate?!

Yes, my wonderful nan (born in the 20s), not at all wealthy either, didn't like Nanny because of the 'Nanny goat' connotations?! She did have lots of funny ideas about what was respectable (she was mortified that we aired our clean clothes & underwear on the bed to be put away later because the window cleaners would see 😂)

My gran was called Gran (Mum's mum). My grandma was called Grandma (Dad's mum).

My gran was quite common. My grandma was quite posh.

Sample size of two

MIL is Grandma.

This is very much because she's snobby and thinks Nan is common and Gran and Granny old.

Which is funny given her upbringing. My mum on the other hand, who has a much posher background, is Nana.

MIL gives Hyacinth a run for her money though.

So I don't think its class. I do think its snobbery.

Both called nanny here , I called my own nanny too

What I do find hard to fathom is that maternal/paternal grandmothers must each have different monikers to differentiate. It's hardly necessary: children will easily know who is who.

Growing up both my grandmothers were known as Nanny [their name].

But my kids call their parental grandmother Grandma, and maternal grandmother Nana. But then there's more of an age gap between the two, so different preferences and ideas of how the names come across. I know my mum felt Grandma made her sound older than she was, so wasn't comfortable with being called that.

I've always thought grandma was more posh and nan less so

I had a Gran, my DC's have Grans. My dad is Grandpa.

I think there are class differences in this?

Grandma sounds UC to me, Nan WC.