Massachusetts: The Most Popular Grandparent Nickname
When it comes to our grandparents, it’s all about those cool, quirky, and downright adorable nicknames we give them. Whether it’s “Nana” and “Papa,” “Mimi” and “Pop-Pop,” or something entirely unique for your family, these nicknames reflect the unique connections between generations. Preply, an online tutoring and language company, has put together a compilation of the most frequently used grandparent nicknames across all states. To gather this data, they conducted a survey that involved 1,500 participants from each of the 50 states. The survey respondents were people who either have living grandparents or had similar relationships with their grandparents when they were alive, even if all of their grandparents have since passed away.
Massachusetts’ most popular grandparent nickname
According to the study, in Massachusetts, the top-ranking grandparent nickname is “Dedushka,” the Russian term for grandfather. The most commonly used grandmother’s nickname is “Nana.” This nickname secured the majority of votes, totaling 12 states primarily located in New England and the Midwest region as pointed out in the study.
The research revealed some interesting trends in grandparent nicknames across various states. In many states, such as the South, “Granny” and “Granddad” ranked as the most common nicknames. Meanwhile, states like Maine, New Hampshire, Alaska, Washington, and Wyoming leaned towards the more informal “Gram” and “Gramps.” For grandfathers, “Pop-Pop” emerged as the top choice in seven states. In states with a significant Spanish-speaking population, like California and Texas, “Abuela” and “Abuelo” took the lead.
Interestingly, Hawaii, Virginia, and Vermont were the only states where the more formal terms “Grandmother” and “Grandfather” were preferred. Rhode Island stood out as the sole state where “Grandfather” held the number one spot.
Additionally, the study revealed that of the 50 states 34 indicated a preference for spending time with their grandparents rather than their parents. Moreover, nearly half, or 49%, of respondents said they would confide in their grandparents rather than their parents. Furthermore, 44% of participants stated that their maternal grandmother was their favorite grandparent.
See the full study breakdown here.
Redditors Roast Worst Baby Names They've Ever Encountered
Selecting a baby name can be tough, especially with thousands of options available. Some parents stress over the lasting influence of their child’s name, wanting to ensure a prosperous future. Trends in naming kids mirror shifting cultural norms and evolving ambitions for children.
Getting baby names right has taken on a new level of importance for expecting parents. In fact, TikTok has become a platform where creators gather substantial followings by discussing baby name trends and highlighting names to avoid due to their trendiness. They openly share names they considered but didn’t use, along with names they’d rather not encounter again. TikTok’s baby name inspiration videos now focus on various themes, including “old money” names such as Caroline, Elizabeth, and Charlotte, “main character” names like Blaze, Arrow, and Falcon, and “aesthetic” names like Rowan, Wren, and Atlas.
Celebrities are accustomed to unconventional names. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, and musician Grimes named their first child X Æ A-12, often called “X.” Their second child is Exa Dark Sideræl. They also affectionately refer to their daughter as Sailor Mars, inspired by the “Sailor Moon” manga series.
“The Most Unusual Name I’ve Encountered in Real Life”
Occasionally, parents opt to invent a name, a decision that carries some level of uncertainty. While they might create something distinctive and appealing, there’s also a chance of the child being given a name perceived as peculiar by others. This situation arose for a baby, drawing significant attention on Reddit. The name of the child came to light through a thread titled, “The Most Unusual Name I’ve Encountered in Real Life.”
It reads, “So my mother just told me the name of her ex’s child and my GOD is it a doozy. He and his wife named their daughter: Audtom. Because his name is Tom and her name is Audrey. I could not f—ing believe my ears.”
The worst baby names
Commenters had strong opinions, with many criticizing the name choice. Others suggested more seamless ways to combine the parents’ names, including one person who wrote, “Assuming this is pronounced ‘Autumn’ and not ‘Odd-Tom,’ would it have killed them to just spell it Autom?”
Another person suggested, “Not me thinking ‘Tomrey’ would be better,” and another joked, “They missed an opportunity: ‘Tawdry.’”
Redditors even came up with baby names that they considered to be the worst. Take a look at some of these names below.
Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it.
She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel.
A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community.
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