Nan Instead Of Gran

[renegadefm]

When did we adopt Nan instead of Gran?

My partner is quite touchy about it, she prefers to be called Nan or Nanny instead of Gran or Granny, and if anyone calls her Gran she hates it, she said it makes her sound old. 

 

But I always thought a Nanny was someone rich people hired to clean their house, it seems odd to me using Nanny instead of Granny. 

 

Not sure what decade this started as it just seems to have crept up on us. 

[jno]

perhaps since it became more common for kids to have two grandmothers; in my day you were lucky if you had any surviving grandparents at all.

jno jnr had a Nan and a Gran, for this reason.

 

[Arrods]

My wife is Gran Gran to our grandchildren. So good, they named her twice. 
 

[Peter Pedant]

in my day you were lucky if you had any surviving grandparents at all.

yeah two of mine died on the same night 1927. ( probable pneuomococcal pneumonia) and another in 1936 

[davebro3]

I've always used grandma - nan/nanny has an air of goat about it....

[Arrods]

As Gary Delaney once said.  A lot of old fashioned names were coming into vogue, like Lily, Rose etc.  They couldn't decide what to name their daughter so they called her Nan, on the basis that she'd grow into it.

[ladybirder]

rene 19.04 yesterday.  Perhaps the Nanny was employed as that when the children were small but was kept on to do other jobs as she was good.  As she had always been called Nanny then that's what they kept on calling her.

[CJHorse]

Just more evidence, if needed that it's not recent. My maternal grandmother was Nanny to me in the 1950's and to my older cousins in the 1940's.

[youngmafbog]

Since when did the Nanny clean the house?  Thats the job of the housekeeper or maid.  The Nanny is to look after the kids, I think you may be confusing it with an Au pair.

In our house its Nan and Nana.  Granny is the great grandmother (94) which is probably why the Nan/Nana feel old if called Granny.

I'm Grandad 😀

 

[ladybirder]

I'm Great Granny.

[renegadefm]

I think what is puzzling is Gran is short for Grandmother. So based on that theory Nan or Nanny shouldn't really be used as an alternative to Gran or Granny. 

 

It doesn't really matter to me as such, but when I see my partner get a bit irritated if someone describes her as a Gran or Granny I find it amusing, but then on the flip side, I find the use of Nan or Nanny irritating as it reminds you of a Nanny goat, or to hire a Nanny.

 

I suppose I found it a modern use of the term because I never heard it used until roughly 20 years ago. I think it was from when my sons friend from school said something like I'm staying at my Nans tonight, I suddenly though whats that, and said don't you mean Grans, he said no way, it's my Nan, like he didn't like the term Gran, almost was embarrassed by it. 

[andres]

One of my granddaughters born in 2002 was lucky to have 4. To avoid confusion she called  each one  Grandma, followed by their Christian name. Nanny  is usually someone paid to care for children. 

 

 

[renegadefm]

andres

Your dead right, a nanny is hired to look after Children. And this is where it gets tricky, because when someone who is a gran is referred to has nan, it has basically compared your Gran to a lesser person used to look after Children. 

[Old_Geezer]

Some folk have strange ideas.

[andres]

OG ^^^What did you call your grandparents?

[Old_Geezer]

See 19:18

[Thisoldbird]

My late son would be 68 now, he always called my mother Nan.. his son called her Nan-nan..for Gt Nan. 

Born late 30s i called my maternal Grandmother Granny..my paternal Grandmother Granny M''' using thr first part of her surname. My grandfathers both passed away. 

As a Gt Grandmother I'm called Gran-nan..my husband as Gt Grandad was called Pops.. I never liked his name but not my choice.  

[Cloverjo]

My granny was called granny because "a nanny is a goat or a children's nurse, and I am neither of those", she said.
 

I live in an area where less affluent people come for their holidays. Every grandmother who I've heard being addressed is Nan, nanny or nana. I've hardly ever, probably never, heard 'Granny' from a holiday maker here.  
 

Sorry, but I think Granny is a bit posher, even if you do have visions of her with grey hair and doing some crocheting. I am Granny, but I dye my hair chestnut and can't crochet 🥂😁

 

[renegadefm]

I always use Gran and Grandad. 

 

My daughters both say Granny. 

[pastafreak]

"...a lesser person used to look after children"?

https://www.nannies-matter.co.uk/helpful-info/what-are-nannies-and-what-do-they-do

And in London...they're paid up to £18 an hour. Not 'lesser'...but a job with a fair amount of responsibility.