Pet names (terms of endearment) in English

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With Valentine’s Day coming up soon, I thought I’d share some common pet names, and by “pet names” I don’t mean names for your pet! Pet names, or terms of endearment, are words that are used to express affection for those we love, particularly romantic partners.

The classics include names like baby, babe, darling, dear, and sweetie. You’ve probably heard these ones in movies as they’ve been used for several generations and are still common today. While pet names are generally for private use, “dear” may be the most sophisticated and socially accepted one.

Food names are also popular, such as cupcake, honey, pumpkin, and sugar. “Pumpkin” might sound like an odd thing to call someone you love, but apparently it originated in the 19th century as a name for a small, cute, and round child. Over time, it also came to be used for romantic partners that we adore.

Some names can have an extra level of cuteness added to them. “Sweetie” becomes “Sweetie pie,” “Cutie” becomes “Cutie pie,” and the word “boo” (perhaps from the French word “beau”) is also used as a cute pet name for one’s boyfriend or girlfriend. For some, these ones are just too over the top (excessive)!

There are also some international favourites that English speakers have borrowed from other languages, such as “mi amor” from Spanish

And, if you happen to hate pet names, here are some words you can use to describe them! Adjectives like cringe(worthy), mushy, cheesy, cliche, and even ick (very casual) would be appropriate choices to describe pet names or the practice of using pet names, as in “Some of the pet names in this article are totally cringe” or “Calling someone ‘babe’ is so cheesy.”

Finally, keep in mind that these names are not only used for romantic partners. They’re also used for loved family members and occasionally to refer to customers/clients. So, if a waitress in a diner calls you “sweetie,” it doesn’t mean she’s in love with you!