Southerners say "Big Daddy"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hearing, "Big Momma and Big Daddy" are very common in some southern communities. I've heard so many women call their fathers or grandfathers, "Big Daddy" when I lived in the south. Instead of saying, "Let me introduce you to my father or grandfather", you will often hear, "This is my Big Daddy."

I grew up in the south and never once heard this and my family and friends covers the whole spectrum of income and eduation levels. If I heard it, it wouldnt suprise me but no its not "common"

[Anonymous]

Uh, never heard anyone say that. From Texas.

[Anonymous]

My Mother was Middlesborough KY (next to Cumberland Gap near where the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet.) She called her grandfather Big Daddy, he had passed away before I came along, and I was very young when her own “Daddy” my grandfather died... But for year's I was confused on which one was big daddy... You see I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, my grandparents from my dads side were called grandma & grandpa, and they lived down stairs from us. I only remember visiting with my moms dad a few times, and she always called him big daddy. Now I realized she was calling him Big Daddy for my and his benefit... Example “ now you behave around Big Daddy, or I'm sure Big Daddy won't mind... Lol mind you I was very young and called my own dad “Daddy” I understood it was my moms Daddy... I thought I should call him grandpa like my other grandpa and like EVERYONE I knew called theirs...and this is going to sound crazy but I'm in my 50’s and all this time I was confused thinking my mom called her dad big daddy because even as she would talk about her childhood to me she would refer to him as such, but also refer to her grandfather as such too! ( talk about confused) I never thought to ask her why she called her dad big daddy... It wasn't till after my mother passed away... The subject got brought up between my much older brother and I... All these years my mother was referring to her father in what most people would say grandpa... Lol I wish she would had said “your big daddy” maybe then I'd had caught on much quicker! My mother being from the deep south just expected me to understand! Now I do!

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a low class thing.

[Anonymous]

My mom called her grandma big momma (everyone referred to her that way). They were from North Carolina. It is my understanding that it was not an ironic nickname.

[Anonymous]

no it's not common

[Anonymous]

You never heard of Big Momma's House, the movie? And here in DC there is a child care center called Big Mama's Children aka Big Mama's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like a low class thing.

I am the one with a great-grandma called Big Momma from N. Carolina. This is what I was thinking too. My family were lower middle class farmers (white).

[Anonymous]

I’m from the south and my grandparents were Big Ma and Big Pa. He also went by Big Daddy. They were originally from Alabama.

[Anonymous]

"blushes in embarrassment". I am from San Angelo, TX. My husband's father is called Big Daddy or Daddy Big to my toddler and teen. Mimi is his wife's name. My father is called PawPaw and Grandmere is his wife as she is French Canadian. I hear the term used all the time where I grow up. I do not here is hear so I am very reluctant to say it as I think I will appear "backwards". The replies on this thread cement my thinking.

[Anonymous]

I am from the south and know people who call their grandparents Big Daddy, Big Papa, big Mama, little Mama, G-mama, G-daddy. The list goes on w the weird grandparent names.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hearing, "Big Momma and Big Daddy" are very common in some southern communities. I've heard so many women call their fathers or grandfathers, "Big Daddy" when I lived in the south. Instead of saying, "Let me introduce you to my father or grandfather", you will often hear, "This is my Big Daddy."

I grew up in the south and never once heard this and my family and friends covers the whole spectrum of income and eduation levels. If I heard it, it wouldnt suprise me but no its not "common"

The south is a big region and pp said common in “some Southern communities.” I’m from the South too and know lots of people who call their grandparents these names. My grandparents are from Mississippi and Louisiana. It is common where I’m from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Mother was Middlesborough KY (next to Cumberland Gap near where the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia meet.) She called her grandfather Big Daddy, he had passed away before I came along, and I was very young when her own “Daddy” my grandfather died... But for year's I was confused on which one was big daddy... You see I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, my grandparents from my dads side were called grandma & grandpa, and they lived down stairs from us. I only remember visiting with my moms dad a few times, and she always called him big daddy. Now I realized she was calling him Big Daddy for my and his benefit... Example “ now you behave around Big Daddy, or I'm sure Big Daddy won't mind... Lol mind you I was very young and called my own dad “Daddy” I understood it was my moms Daddy... I thought I should call him grandpa like my other grandpa and like EVERYONE I knew called theirs...and this is going to sound crazy but I'm in my 50’s and all this time I was confused thinking my mom called her dad big daddy because even as she would talk about her childhood to me she would refer to him as such, but also refer to her grandfather as such too! ( talk about confused) I never thought to ask her why she called her dad big daddy... It wasn't till after my mother passed away... The subject got brought up between my much older brother and I... All these years my mother was referring to her father in what most people would say grandpa... Lol I wish she would had said “your big daddy” maybe then I'd had caught on much quicker! My mother being from the deep south just expected me to understand! Now I do!

Please share with me how you managed to find this thread from seven years ago. Did you put "big daddy" in the search field? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Anonymous]

Big daddy means something else now.

[Anonymous]

I've lived in Louisiana, Florida and Georgia but have never heard anyone serious call somebody Big Daddy.