What Does It Mean When She Calls You Daddy (10 THINGS TO KNOW!)

Many couples and partners have pet names for each other and these can range from sweet to spicy. 

These nicknames show endearment and love, but some pet names can have a little more meaning. One such nickname that often causes a bit of a stir is ‘daddy.’

What does it mean when a girl calls you daddy?

Truly, a girl calling you ‘daddy’ can mean a variety of things and this will all depend on your relationship, her personality, and the context in which she called you the pet name. It could show that she wants to be dominant, or you simply remind her of her father!

To help you work it out, we’ve gone into the reasons that she might call you daddy, whether it is a red flag or not and how you can respond…

Is ‘Daddy’ A Sexual Term?

Most people would say that daddy as a nickname for a lover is more sexual than anything else, but the truth is that it’s a lot more complex than that.

She might be calling you daddy purely because she sees you as the dominant figure in the relationship, and she wants to feel submissive or because she wants you to take a nurturing role. This can appear in sexual situations, and it could not.

However, most commonly, the term does have some sexual connotation to it when used in a relationship, so it is not something to ignore!

What It Might Mean When She Calls You Daddy

You might not want to stop her in the moment and ask her why she has called you daddy, but you would also want to figure out why she is calling you daddy.

Here are some of the reasons she might be calling you daddy, so have a read-through and see which one you think suits the situation and your relationship best!

She Feels Safe Around You

Dads are supposed to be caring, protective, and loving, and she might be projecting this idea onto you because she feels safe around you and wants you to take on the protective, nurturing role in the relationship.

This is a good sign that you make her feel safe and she sees you as someone who can care for her. When she calls you daddy in this scenario, it is not actually referring to you as the father figure but rather as the protector and provider.

This can sometimes bleed over into sexual connotations, but if she uses it mainly in non-sexual moments and uses it more when referring to you as a provider, then it has less to do with sex and more to do with how you make her feel.

It Is Sexual For Her

It might turn her on to call you daddy. Everyone has their thing, and this is hers! This will be quite obvious as she will mostly call you daddy when you are intimate or when she is trying to initiate intimacy.

She will most likely be turned on by the idea of you being in charge in the bedroom and her being submissive. She would want you to take the lead and own the situation, and she will abide by your lead.

This is obviously something that she is into, but you need to decide if it is something that you are okay with or not. The term daddy can make some men uncomfortable while turning others on.

If you don’t like that she’s calling you daddy, this may need to be brought up at some point (sooner rather than later.)

She Loves How Authoritative You Are

She might not usually call her partners daddy, but she recognizes your authoritativeness and loves that about you. She likes your strength and enjoys the role the both of you have in the relationship.

This shows that she considers you to be the stronger, dominant person in the relationship and really enjoys that. She is willing to take on the submissive role and let your personality strengths take control.

Just roll with it and continue being who you are, as this is obviously something she enjoys and appreciates.

If she does feel comfortable calling you daddy, that’s not a bad thing. Just make sure you are also okay with it as well.

Read Next: Signs He Only Wants You For Your Body

She Is Trying To Be Submissive

You might not have taken some of the other hints she has put out there, but it could be that she wants to be submissive. This means that she wants you to take control and be more dominant in the relationship.

She might not say it straight out, so calling you daddy is her way of hinting that she wants you to be more in control.

If she calls you daddy in the bedroom, then she wants you to take charge sexually. If she calls you daddy in other situations, then she might want you to be dominant in that area.

You Remind Her Of Her Dad

This might seem strange because you do not want her to be calling you daddy because you remind her of her actual father, but it can happen.

She might not even recognize it, but you could remind her of her dad, and that is why she is calling you daddy. It is most likely that she sees how strong and protective you are; these characteristics remind her of her father.

But this could steer a little (or a lot!) into daddy issues, and that’s something that would make most people uncomfortable.

If that’s the case, you’ll have to talk to her about it or be really open and honest with yourself regarding whether or not that’s something you’re okay with as well.

Especially if you’re going into a long-term relationship and you aren’t happy having a girlfriend who thinks of you as her father figure.

It’s A Term Of Endearment

They might consider daddy to be a term of endearment and doesn’t mean it to be anything sexual or mean anything more than that.

Daddy does not always need to have a sexual meaning behind it, and to her, it could just be a term she uses for someone who is protective and caring in her life.

It also does not mean that she sees you as her father or you remind her of her father, but rather that you fill a specific role in her life, feels secure around you, and this is her way of showing it to you.

She Thinks You Like It

It could be that she thinks you enjoy being called daddy, so she is doing it for you. Many men find it a turn-on to be called daddy, so she could just be trying this out with you to see if you are one of them.

She may have had an ex who loved it and assumes it’s something all men enjoy. The same way some men love being called ‘baby,’ it’s just a term of endearment in her eyes.

You might like it, or you might not; it is up to you and your preferences and whether or not you like being referred to as daddy!

She Wants To Role Play

In some situations, she might want to role play, and she wants you to act out the part of a father, and her as the more submissive role.

In this case, she wouldn’t call you daddy in many other situations,  only when she wants to become intimate with you and initiate the role play. It definitely helps if she speaks to you about this first instead of just assuming that you’ll get the hint and play along.

It is always healthier to speak about role-play ideas before heading to the bedroom, so hopefully, she lets you in on hers and you can both be okay with the idea.

A Transfer Of Power

Every family dynamic is different, but generally and historically, fathers are considered to be the authoritative figures in a family, who are dominant and in control.

When your partner calls you daddy, especially in the bedroom, it could be because she wants to transfer power over to you.

Maybe she feels shy about speaking about this to you normally, so she is hinting to you in the bedroom that she wants you to be more dominant and take the lead in the bedroom.

She is submitting to you and your role, which shows that she completely trusts you and the power she is handing over to you.

She May Want Attention

There might be no real reason behind her calling you daddy, other than her looking for attention. She might feel neglected or put to the side, and instead of telling you about how she feels, she would look for ways to get your attention.

You will usually be able to determine this if she calls you daddy out of the blue and in a bit of an odd situation, and you can recognize that she is trying to catch you off guard and get you to focus on her.

If this does happen, then take a step back and look at your relationship, and try to see whether or not you have been spending less time with her and not giving her the attention she needs. 

Read Next: How Long Do You Date Before Becoming Boyfriend/Girlfriend

What Do I Call Her If She Calls Me Daddy?

She might catch you off guard by calling you daddy, and it will probably leave you a little unsure of how to respond next time she says it.

What you call her when she calls you daddy will depend on why she is calling you daddy, as well as the situation too.

The safest bet is to respond by calling her either ‘baby girl’  or ‘princess.’ Both of these are endearing and show that you are caring and loving but also that you hold the position of dominance in the relationship.

Some men who like being called daddy refer to their partners as a ‘naughty princess.’ To each his own! No judgments here.

See how she responds to this and go from there. You could spice it up a little more if she tends to call you daddy in the bedroom too.

You could also just ask her what she prefers to be called. There is a good chance that she will have a preference or two over what she wants to be called.

However, if she is calling you daddy because she wants you to be dominant, she will likely want you to decide on a nickname for her.

Is It A Red Flag If She Calls Me Daddy?

As the pet name daddy is considered mostly to be a sexual term, you might be worried that it is a red flag and that her interests might lay somewhere different to yours.

There really is no straightforward answer to this as every relationship is different, and her reason for calling you daddy will be her own. Generally speaking, it isn’t necessarily a red flag if she calls you daddy.

The cliche is that girls who call their partners daddy, especially in sexual situations, have daddy issues, but this really isn’t the case most of the time. Some women really just enjoy using it to refer to their partner.

Some may argue that it is actually a good sign, as she feels comfortable around you to give you a pet name, and she is demonstrating that she views you as a strong, authoritative figure in the relationship, which might suit your dynamic perfectly.

She is trying to make you feel confident in your role as the dominant figure, and it is a reassurance that she is happy with the way your relationship is set up. It is also her way of showing that she feels that you can protect her and nurture her as her partner.

Even though it is a contested name, any pet name is a sign that a relationship is comfortable and positive and going well.

Don’t overthink it too much unless it makes you feel uncomfortable when she calls you a certain name, especially when there are no other red flags in your relationships.

What If It Makes Me Uncomfortable When She Calls Me Daddy?

Some people love being called daddy, and others not so much. It is up to you whether you want her to call you daddy or not and you need to be open and honest with how you feel.

If you do not like it when she calls you daddy, then it is completely fine to tell her so. It might be an awkward situation to approach at times, but you would rather get it done than allow it to carry on.

Here are some ways you can let her know that you do not like it when she calls you daddy:

Be Kind

Don’t be rude when asking her not to call you daddy. Even if it is something that makes you feel quite uncomfortable, how you express that discomfort is huge.

Rather put your emotions aside and approach the situation as gently as you can. Remember that she might not know that it makes you uncomfortable, so you do not want to hurt her feelings.

Just gently suggest that she comes up with a new pet name for you and that you aren’t a big fan of being called daddy. Be kind and affectionate when approaching the situation, rather than letting her know you’re upset or uncomfortable.

Speak About Your Feelings

When asking her to not call you daddy anymore, use “I” language to address how you feel and how being called daddy causes a bit of an upset for you. Do not speak for her and her feelings, as this could cause conflict.

Just be clear and direct about your feelings and how it makes you feel personally. That is really all that needs to be said, instead of waffling on about her side of things and how she might feel.

In a healthy, happy relationship she should be able to respect your feelings and stop doing it moving forward. There shouldn’t be any back and forth.

Ask Her Why She Does It

If she continues to call you daddy, even when you have made it clear that you do not enjoy it, you should sit her down and ask her exactly why she does it.

You shouldn’t have to go along with it just because she keeps doing it and you need to make it clear to her that you do not like it.

She could be using it to taunt you or because she thinks it is funny, but this isn’t fair, and she needs to know that it puts you in an uncomfortable position.

Set Your Boundaries

When it comes to being called daddy in sexual situations, you and your partner need to be clear with what you are and aren’t comfortable with. Have an honest conversation about what the both of you enjoy.

Partners do make compromises for each other in the bedroom and try to please one another (hopefully!) So it is worth talking about the fact that she calls you daddy and what she might expect from you when she does.

If you are okay with her calling you daddy, but not with the role-play she expects, then talk to her about this. If you don’t mind the role play, then both of you can chat about boundaries and what is okay or not.

Successful relationships only happen with open communication, even over something as small as her calling you daddy, so make sure to address it if you feel you need to.

What Does It Mean When She Calls You Daddy?

There are many things it might mean when she calls you daddy. She might use it as an endearing term, she could be using it in a more sexual way, or she could be using it because she sees you as an authoritative figure.

To be able to determine what she might mean when she calls you daddy, you should look at your relationship and her character. If you still do not know what it might mean or indicate, then just ask her! A healthy relationship is an open relationship.

Either think of your own pet name to call her back or ask her what she would like to be called. It might start off something new in your relationship and bring a bit of a spark!