Did Baby Boomers Kill “Grandma” in Illinois and Missouri?

As a member of Gen-X I’ve borne witness to much of the baby boomer’s positions, activities and the consequences. Because of their sheer numbers, culture can shift through them. It just depends on if subsequent generations follow.

Gen-X always standing by...watching

One area, that while ultimately harmless, should have been predictable – baby boomers dealing with becoming grandparents. Boomers were never comfortable with the idea of aging. Remember “Never trust anyone over 30.”? So, when they inevitably became grandmas and grandpas it was not surprising that they couldn’t just embrace the label. They had to make it seem “cooler”, “younger”, more stylish than their parents, who their kids called “grandma and grandpa” and their parent’s parents, who they called “grandma and grandpa”.

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As they aged into the position the boomers shunned the name “grandma”. My mother-in-law announced to Qwife and I that she would not answer to “grandma” for her first grandchild -and subsequent eight other grandchildren (what a blessing!). Grandma was out; She instead would be referred to as “Nana”.

Call me......"Nana"

The Nana thing caught on (baby boomers do tend to move en-masse). In Illinois that is the go-to name for grandma in 2025. Same for Missouri, although Missouri still keeps it real in some areas (I’m looking at you Ozarks) with “grammy”. Classic.

In some places in Missouri "granny" still lives

A quick scan of grandparent labels across the USA shows that “Nana” is the new norm. Also getting used in some areas: Grandmama (Iowa), Mawmaw (Kentucky, Indiana and others), Mom-Mom (Maryland & Pennsylvania), or Mimi (Texas). There are even ancestral titles being applied in some areas like: Abuela (Spanish), Oma (German), or Bubbe (Yiddish).

Oma and Opa still get used in some states

Grandpas (to no one’s surprise) roll easier. While grandpa is no more, Grandad, Papa, Pop-Pop, Pawpaw, Gramps and even Grandfather (in Rhode Island) are embraced. Also, Abuelo, Opa, and Dedushka (Russian) are used.