What Do Taid and Nain Mean? Welsh Grandparent Names and How to Say Them

Taid is Welsh for grandfather and Nain is Welsh for grandmother. Taid rhymes with "tide" and Nain with "nine". Families in North Wales mostly use Taid and Nain; in South and West Wales, Tad-cu and Mam-gu are more common. All four are Welsh, and any of them can be engraved on a gift.

What Taid and Nain mean

Taid means grandad and Nain means grandma. Add Gorau, meaning best, and you get Taid Gorau (best grandad) and Nain Gorau (best grandma). Many families outside Wales still use the Welsh names, which is why they come up so often on gifts sent from England or abroad.

How to pronounce them

• Taid: one syllable, rhymes with tide. In Welsh, "ai" makes a long "i" sound.
• Nain: one syllable, rhymes with nine.
• Tad-cu: roughly "tad-kee".
• Mam-gu: roughly "mam-gee", with a hard g.

North or South: which to use

Taid and Nain are mostly northern; Tad-cu and Mam-gu are mostly southern and western. Families move, so the safest rule is to use whatever the grandchildren actually say. If you are ordering for another family, ask first.

Welsh wording for a grandparent gift

• Nain Gorau or Taid Gorau: best grandma, best grandad.
• Taid's Shed, Nain's Kitchen or Nain's Garden, mixing Welsh names with English.
• Diolch Taid or Diolch Nain: thank you, grandad or grandma.
• Panad Nain: Nain's cuppa, for a mug coaster.
• Cariad: love. Add the grandchildren's names underneath.

For more Welsh words, see our Welsh gift ideas.

Gift ideas for Taid and Nain

• Signs: the Nain Gorau & Taid Gorau sign in Welsh or the Best Nain & Best Taid sign in English. For Taid's shed, the personalised workshop sign takes any name.
• Coasters: the Welsh saying oak coasters, where Panad Mam can read Panad Nain or Panad Taid.
• Keyrings: a 90mm round oak keyring with Taid or Nain and the grandchildren's names, or a 200 x 80mm XL keyring for the house keys.
• Hug tokens: a personalised 40mm pocket coin, small enough to post in a card.

See everything in gifts for Taid and Nain.

Ordering tips

• We engrave exactly what you type in the personalisation box, so check Welsh spelling and accented letters such as ŵ and ŷ.
• Proofs are not standard; ask for one in the personalisation box if you want to see the layout first.
• Bulk discounts apply automatically at checkout, per product, from 20 units, which helps when the whole family is ordering.

All items are made to order. Dispatch time is shown at checkout. UK orders via Royal Mail Tracked 24. International via Royal Mail International Tracked.

Frequently asked questions

What does Taid mean?
Taid is Welsh for grandfather, used mostly in North Wales. It rhymes with tide.

What does Nain mean?
Nain is Welsh for grandmother, used mostly in North Wales. It rhymes with nine.

What is the difference between Taid and Nain and Tad-cu and Mam-gu?
Both pairs are Welsh for grandad and grandma. Taid and Nain are mostly used in the north, Tad-cu and Mam-gu in the south and west.

What does Nain Gorau mean?
Best grandma. Taid Gorau means best grandad.

Can you engrave Mam-gu or Tad-cu instead?
Yes. Type any wording in the personalisation box and we engrave it as entered.