When my wife and I were expecting twins in 2011, one of the most popular questions we were asked by friends and family were, “What will they call you?” And then after our twins were born, coworkers, people on planes and complete strangers who discovered that we were a same-sex couple with children continue to want to know what our children call us. We don’t mind the question but the curiosity is, well, curious. As if people are trying to make sense of us and our family. I knew my straight pregnant friends weren’t being asked what their kids would call them because their kids would have one mom and one dad, and they’d most likely follow the socially prescribed formula of Mom and Dad. My wife and I always knew we’d have our kids call us Mommy and Mama. It made perfect sense to us. And it does seem like that’s the most popular choice for LGBTQ+ moms and some nonbinary parents. But over the years, I’ve come across some really fun and clever alternatives to Mommy and Mama. In honor of Mothers Day, we’re sharing popular names for LGBTQ+ moms and nonbinary parents we’re seeing used in our community. Feel free to add yours in the comments!
Baba
Duda
Emmy
Ima (Hebrew for mother)
Keka (short for Matka, Polish for mom)
Maddy
Madre
Mommy
Mama
Mami
Mana (Greek for mom)
Maya (a variation on the Greek word for mom)
Mia
Mida
Mimi
Momma
Momo
Mumsy
Mutty
Omi
Yaya
