In Britain, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand and, particularly prevalent in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nan, Nana, Nanna, Nanny, Gran and Granny and other variations are often used for grandmother in both writing and speech. 43. She told me it's not important what people say they do, it's what they do that counts. It is feminine in Japan, Georgia and Greece, and it is masculine in Ethiopia and India, and epicene in Ghana and Indonesia. I saw several ideas on the origination of the word Nana as used for grandmothers, but the two main ones seem to be: It is derived from the Italian word for grandmother, Nonma. — Ms. : the mother of one's father or mother : grandmother … my nana's commonsense wisdom still resonates. Nana is a given name that has different origins in several countries across the world. 41. 44. Bibi: This means grandmother in Swahili. Ba-nana: We think this nickname was made-up by a child who had problems saying grandmother. What does Nana mean? Nana and Nanny have come to mean "grandmother" or "person who looks after children". 45. Its use as a feminine or masculine name varies culturally. And then changed to Nana in English. In Ghana, among the Akan people, particularly the Akyem, Ashanti and … Granny: This is one of the most common nicknames for grandma. In the United States, Nana often refers to a grandmother or grandmotherly figure, and is also used in the place of "Mom," or "mother" when the grandmother is the primary caretaker. In Georgia, Nana is the fifth most popular given name for girls. Also form of Anne. 46. It is of Hawaiian origin. 42. The second theory is that it comes from the word … Name of a spring month and the name of a star. The Spanish Nana is a pet form of Ana. MainMa: Use this for the main grandma in your life. N ana as a girls' name is pronounced NAH-nah. Lola: This is the term for grandmother in the Philippines’ Tagalog language.