I’m wondering how age, geographical location, and ethnic/cultural background might have influenced what you called your father, too, so add details if you think they’re meaningful.
I called mine Dad in Massachusetts during the '60s. My younger sisters, influenced by “Little House on the Prairie,” called him Pa.
Late 30’s now.
Southern California
American-born Latino
I’ve always called my father, “PA” or “APA”, as in “PAPA”
mid 30’s Northern England, everyone called their male parent “Dad”
Early 40s (during the 70s), central Texas, caucasion, female.
Western New York, 70s-80s. Dad
Mama and Daddy all their lives. When speaking about them when they weren’t present, occasionally it was “mother and father,” more often “mom and dad,” but mostly Mama and Daddy. That was the tradition they used about their parents, except Mama called her parents Mama and Papa. Grandparents (both sides) were Granddaddy and Grandmama, never shortened to Granddad or Gramps, or Gramma or Granny, or any of that sort of thing.
My kids have been much less formal. Grandkids even more so. Must be generational as much as anything.
Papi (Spanish equivalent of daddy). Well, that and a bunch of other nicknames, but never his given name. I didn’t call my mom her name either. It’s just now, when I’m an adult over 20 that I refer to her by her given name sometimes, but I don’t call her that.
My siblings always called him by his given name, probably because his ex-wife always called him by his name, they learned it, and called him that and kept doing it even while my dad was married to her. Afterwards, even more. It was just many years later, influenced by me, that they call him sometimes “dad”.*
Mom saw that and was determined that I wouldn’t call family members by their given names. I was 5-6 years old when I truly learned my parents (and other relatives)’ names. I still don’t call most of them by their proper names, they all have titles and nicknames.
*This does not diminish the relationship my dad has with my siblings. They truly love him a lot, and viceversa. That they usually call him “Karl” instead of “dad” is insignificant in that area. Just a quirk.
And most people in my culture DO NOT use the given names when referring to their parents. They’re always “mami y papi”.
Dad and sometimes Pop.
Dad. I’m 56 now, grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and I’m an all-American mutt (German, Polish, Irish).
Montreal - we were a mostly English-speaking home so it was “Daddy” when I was very young (or when whining or when I really wanted something), but mostly “Dad”.
Daddy until I was seven or so, and Dad from then on.
White, 49, raised in the SF Bay Area. “Daddy” when I was young, don’t remember when I transitioned to “Dad”.
Given name, I’m black, in my twenties, and grew up in the northeast. Sometimes people try to make a big deal out of it, or find some deeper meaning behind it, but there isn’t one. That’s just the way my family did things.
I am from northwestern Louisiana and it was always “Momma” and “Daddy” and still is and always will be. I am a 36 year old male living in New England. My daughters call me “Daddy” as well.
I voted Dad, but also called him Daddy when I was little.
I called him “Ace” and still do.
When talking to him, I called him Daddy or Poppy. When talking about him (like to my friends) I referred to him as “my dad.”
Daddy! He was my daddy till the day he died. I’m black, 35 (will be 36 in a couple weeks! Go Nzinga! It’s your birthday!) and was born and raised in upstate NY.
Till this day, I call men ‘daddy’. I miss my daddy.
40, born and raised in Georgia, my father was “Daddy.” Even now, I refer to my late father as Daddy, and my wonderful stepfather is “my dad.”
I (we) called my father Da. It’s pronounced as if you’re starting to say “Dad” but don’t quite get the ending “d” sound started.
When the hate got to be too much, we started calling him by his first name.