Arlo’s G-Man and Nana on their first trip to meet him, their 7th grandchild!
I remember when my first niece was born — I was 13 at the time, and now she’s a teenager. Time flies, and suddenly those early family conversations feel nostalgic. One memorable discussion centered on what to call the six grandparents involved. Growing up, my own grandparents were simply Grandma and Grandpa, so I hadn’t given it much thought until that moment.
After a lot of back-and-forth, my parents chose Nana and, believe it or not, G-Man. My dad avoided the usual grandpa nicknames and wanted something a little cooler, so he invented G-Man. As a teen I found it mortifying — I swore my kids would never call him that — but it ended up fitting him perfectly. Now I can’t imagine any other name for him, and little Arlo calls him G-Man with total affection.
Family naming traditions vary wildly. My mom used to call her grandfather “Daddy Dad.” My nieces and nephews use Gram for one grandmother. When I met Jeff, I learned his maternal grandmother went by Idee (short for Ida), and his maternal grandfather was called Poppy.
Since Arlo is Jeff’s parents’ first grandchild, the subject came up when we were trying to grow our family. They took their time deciding and finally settled on Lolo and Poppy. Lolo was Jeff’s mom’s childhood nickname, and Poppy honors his grandfather Mitchell — the same Mitchell Arlo is named after.
I find these choices endlessly fascinating. Grandparent names often carry personal history, family inside jokes, or simply a desire to be distinct. Whether a name is a cherished family relic, a childhood nickname, or a creative invention, it becomes meaningful the moment a grandchild uses it for the first time.
So I’m curious — what do you call your grandparents? What do your children call their parental figures? Are there funny or sentimental stories behind those names? Share your experiences in the comments; I’d love to hear them.
p.s. If you noticed a pattern, it’s true — I’m obsessed with names and their stories.