# When growing up, what did you call your father? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 15, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200 "2010-04-15T13:02:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VernWinterbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c67d28/32.png) [@VernWinterbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VernWinterbottom)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/1 "2010-04-15T13:02:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/2 "2010-04-15T13:06:45Z")
Late 30’s now. Southern California American-born Latino I’ve always called my father, **“PA”** or **“APA”** , as in “PAPA” ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/3 "2010-04-15T13:07:42Z")
mid 30’s Northern England, everyone called their male parent “Dad” ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/4 "2010-04-15T13:12:10Z")
Early 40s (during the 70s), central Texas, caucasion, female. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/5 "2010-04-15T13:16:54Z")
Western New York, 70s-80s. Dad ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/6 "2010-04-15T13:35:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/7 "2010-04-15T13:58:48Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/8 "2010-04-15T13:59:42Z")
Dad and sometimes Pop. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/9 "2010-04-15T14:01:48Z")
Dad. I’m 56 now, grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and I’m an all-American mutt (German, Polish, Irish). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/10 "2010-04-15T14:01:53Z")
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”. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/11 "2010-04-15T14:04:24Z")
Daddy until I was seven or so, and Dad from then on. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/12 "2010-04-15T14:08:08Z")
White, 49, raised in the SF Bay Area. “Daddy” when I was young, don’t remember when I transitioned to “Dad”. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/13 "2010-04-15T14:15:09Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/14 "2010-04-15T14:20:14Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/15 "2010-04-15T14:22:24Z")
I voted Dad, but also called him Daddy when I was little. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/16 "2010-04-15T14:23:44Z")
I called him “Ace” and still do. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/17 "2010-04-15T14:26:28Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/18 "2010-04-15T14:26:38Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/19 "2010-04-15T14:29:41Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200/20 "2010-04-15T14:30:43Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-growing-up-what-did-you-call-your-father/536200.md?page=2)