6 Good and Bad Pet Names for Your Boyfriend

Being called a pet name usually produces one of two reactions:

• Deep feelings of warmth, intimacy and love.
• Deep feelings of embarrassment or humiliation.

How a pet name makes us feel depends on two factors:

• The context.
  
• The name.
  

Dissecting context is simple. If you refer to your man by a pet name in private, such as while you’re on a date, while you’re on the phone with each other, or during an intimate moment, then that pet name can feel incredibly welcome.

If you refer to your man by a pet name when he’s surrounded by his male friends, he will probably feel pretty embarrassed and will likely take a lot of flak from his guys.

Figuring out pet names for your man and which he’d prefer to avoid is a little more difficult.

Let’s break down a few pet names and explain why they work or why they fail.

1. Sweetie, Honey or any other sugar-laden term:

These are very standard pet names no man can really take objection to and no man’s friends can give him too much flak over, but which no man really feels too excited about being called.

These terms are totally non-offensive and pleasant enough, but if you’re looking to find a pet name that will drive him crazy in the best possible way, then you need to search elsewhere.

2. Baby.

This doesn't really fly as a pet name for men because it won’t work in most contexts.

Baby works as a pet name for women, so there’s no reason to feel upset or offended if your man refers to you as either. Just don’t return the favor.

3. Man.

You probably wouldn’t refer to your boyfriend as “Man” when you’re trying to get his attention or when you’re looking for a clever substitute for his name, but it’s perfectly appropriate to refer to your boyfriend as your Man when referring to him in conversation with someone else.

4. Darling.

Definitely a little old fashioned, but not bad at all, this pet name carries with it a certain classic charm many guys will appreciate.

Darling is a pet name that carries with it a lot of care and affection without implying a level of commitment that other slightly formal pet names such as “Love” imply.

5. Lover.

Whereas “Darling” is charming enough to call your boyfriend in pretty much any circumstance without worrying about sounding antiquated, overly serious, or just plain silly, you’ll have a hard time using the pet name “Lover” while keeping a straight face.

Only very romantic women can use this pet name authentically, and even then only when dating a man with an equally passionate view of the world.

6. Daddy or Papi.

Either the best or the worst pet name you could call your boyfriend, how he responds to this pet name depends a lot on what sort of man he is.

Are you dating a hyper masculine, well-muscled alpha male type? You have the go-ahead to call them Daddy anytime, anywhere, for any reason.

Are you dating a sensitive, soft-spoken intellectual? Calling him “Daddy” might not go over so well.