From Nan to Nonna to 'Granny Dee Dee': The names Aussie grandparents go by
By Deb Knight|
What's in a name??
New parents spend a lot of time considering names for their babies, with the most popular baby name lists always a popular read.?There's also a lot of to and fro from pet owners on what to name their fur babies.
But what about grandparents??
I'm always intrigued by the names grandparents choose to be called by their grandchildren จC or, in many cases, the names they are given.?
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The switchboard on my Afternoons radio show on 2GB in Sydney lit up with proud grandparents and their equally proud grandchildren, explaining the names they go by and the reasons the names stuck.?
The classic Nanny and Poppy or Gran and Grandad remain a popular choice. Cultural background plays a big part in deciding grandparents' names, so in a multicultural country like Australia, there are a lot of Nonnas and Nonnos, Abuelas and Abuelos, and Omas and Opas.?
Then there are the names grandparents are given by the children themselves.?
One listener named Denise is known as Granny Dee Dee, as the moniker Gran was already taken on the other side of the family, and Dee Dee, short for Denise, was easy for her grandkids to say.?
Another was called Nanny No, as she was the grandparent who always said no, no, no when her grandchildren were pushing the boundaries.
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Normally, of course, it's the domain of grandparents to always say yes จC especially to the requests for lollies and sugar จC and then hand the little darlings back to their parents when the sugar high hits.?
Bub is a surprise name one listener goes by to her grandkids, because that's the name her little grandson wanted to call her จC the bub delivering the name bubs usually go by จC and it stuck. Now she's known as Bub to everyone in the family, including her husband.?
One listener with 10 grandkids got first dibs on calling himself Pa when the grandchildren started to arrive, as it's one of the easiest names for children to say.
For several of his grandchildren, he beat the parents in having his name as the first word they said. Forget Mumma or Dadda, it was Pa! He claimed it!?
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One grandma is very sweetly known as raspberry Nan, as she and her grandson love giving each other raspberries.?
Another grandad is known as Pumba, as his grandkids thought จC in the most loving way จC that he resembled the smelly warthog Pumba from the movie The Lion King. It's a moniker he adores.
And one listener had a friend called OB by his grandkids, which they'd always assumed was from the Star Wars character Obiwan Kenobi. The children later confessed OB was short for Old Bastard จC again, a name delivered in the most loving way!?
One thing is guaranteed, whether it's Nan or Pa, or OB or Bub, all grandparents are bursting with love for their grandkids, and wear the names they choose or are given with enormous pride.
