English
daddy
Daddy may come from English dad.
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English daddy
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1523, John Skelton, A Ryght Delectable Tratyse vpon a Goodly Garlande or Chapele: “By saynt Mary, my lady, / Your mammy and…”.
Lineage
- English1500–presentdadWiktionary, English daddyuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1523daddyWiktionary, English daddy. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1523, John Skelton, A Ryght Delectable Tratyse vpon a Goodly Garlande or Chapele: “By saynt Mary, my lady, / Your mammy and…”
The story
The noun is probably derived from dad (although this word is attested later) + -y (diminutive suffix).
Word family
English words that share an ancestor with daddy, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.
through English dad
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Today it means
noun Also used as a term of address: a father; one's father.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “daddy”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / English dad / daddy