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What would young children (aged around 5-ish) have called their parents circa 1920's England? Were there specific terms of endearment, or would it just be "mother" and "father"? I'm particularly thinking of the upper classes, but all answers are appreciated.

As a side-question, would there have been informal terms of endearment for children, or would their parents have always called them by their first names?

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"Mummy" and "Daddy" seem extremely common in books from the period, just as they are in the UK today. (Mummy as a word for mother is all but unknown in American English, which prefers mommy, so it's probably safe to assume that most of the results from that search are British.)

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  • 'Mummy' and 'Daddy' were used when we were very small, and it was a little milestone when we moved to 'Mum' and 'Dad' at what - 7 years old or thereabouts? This was also my mum's experience (b1922, Salford)
    – peterG
    Sep 19, 2017 at 9:34
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Mam and dad was common, as was mum and dad. This according to mom, born in '26 in Grimsby.

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  • Mam? Or did you mean mom?
    – NVZ ♦
    Sep 18, 2017 at 20:30
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    yes, I mean mam. My cousin still calls her mom 'mam'.
    – Phil Sweet
    Sep 18, 2017 at 20:38
  • Okay, I see. I thought it's a typo. +1
    – NVZ ♦
    Sep 18, 2017 at 20:39
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    @NVZ Mam is used in some regions of Britain, mainly in the Midlands, but also in various places north of the Trent.
    – WS2
    Sep 18, 2017 at 23:03
  • @Phil - and do/did you call your mum 'mom'?
    – peterG
    Sep 18, 2017 at 23:34

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