# Origin of "Military Brat" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286 "2003-06-20T21:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rocker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Rocker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocker)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286/1 "2003-06-20T21:28:29Z")
Can anyone tell me why a child raised in the military is called a “brat”? Is it an acronym? I’ve searched the web as well as the Straight Dope Archive, but can’t find anything that explains it. Was the term brat used in the military first, then later used to describe unruly kids, or was it the other way around? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286/2 "2003-06-20T23:30:54Z")
_Brat_ dates to at least the early 16th century as a (usually pejorative) term for a child. My guess would be that when families/kids began to follow their fathers around from station to station, they were looked upon (at least by those who did not have children of their own) as useless and irritating baggage. I have heard “army brat” quite a bit, mostly from the period following WWII–which may correspond to the period when families with children were more likely to accompany the parent to overseas stations. I don’t recall actually hearing “Navy brat” or “military brat,” although I’m sure such terms may be used. (Army brats can follow their fathers from base to base, while Navy kids have to stay ashore while the father has sea duty.) I haven’t actually found any citations for the origins of the phrases. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286/3 "2003-06-20T23:45:58Z")
Since I was born to a military man (more precisely, to his wife) before WWII and was moved about from camp to base to post until I was about 3, I might be among the class of “military brats” if you take that as the only rule. OTOH, I believe it applies more to the way that many kids are allowed to range pretty free in those environments, much the same way as “preacher’s brats” tend to be. I knew quite a few of those kids from nearby bases when I was in school, and only a few of them would fit the “brat” part. Most of them were well-developed socially and were good students as well. It’s not uncommon to hear of people like Kris Kristofferson and Jim Morrison referred to as “military brats” and their later choices of ways of expression may be why the label has more relevance in their cases. So, it goes from being a simple descriptive of how their early family lives were situated to being a real putdown. Welcome to the boards, Rocker, from a fellow “newbie.” ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286/4 "2003-06-21T02:40:01Z")
_Army brat_ is only cited from 1931 in print. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-military-brat/183286/5 "2003-06-21T04:13:53Z")
I heard the term Navy Brat when I was a kid, probably because both parents were Naval personnel. Didn’t bug me though.