Zaddy

About

Zaddy is a slang term used to describe physically attractive and fashionable men, a variation on the slang use of the word "daddy." Typically, these men appear to be confident, wealthy and responsible. The term appeared online as early as the late 2000s, spreading increasingly over the 2010s through memes and other mediums.

Origin

On June 17th, 2008, Urban Dictionary ^[1] user Josette defined the term as "The slang term for a really "handsome" guy who is very appealing and looks really fashionable. He has to have swag and sex appeal and look sexy and attractive." The post received more than 3,000 upvotes in over 10 years.

Spread

Over the next decade, the term grew in social popularity. On Twitter, people used the term to describe attractive and fashionable men (examples below, left and center).

Additionally, the term has been applied specifically to the singer Zayn Malik, creating a portmanteau consisting of his first name initial and the word "daddy" (shown below, right).

On August 25th, 2016, American rapper Ty Dolla $ign released the song "Zaddy," which contains the lyrics "She keep on callin' me zaddy, she keep on callin' me zaddy
She keep on callin' me zaddy, that lil' baby got a fatty."^[2] Five days later, on August 30th, the rapper released a music video the song, receiving more than 15 million views in two-and-a-half years (shown below).

On June 16th, 2017, the official Kimoji Instagram, ^[3] which sells Kim Kardashian-branded merchandise released a series of "Father's Day" items, including a Zaddy hat. The post received more than 10,000 views and 1,300 likes in less than two years (shown below). That day, Twitter^[4] account @kuwthewests posted an image of Kardashian wearing the hat, which appears to be a screenshot from either Snapchat or Instagram Stories (shown below, right).

The following day, both Bustle^[5] and Jezebel^[6] reported on the word.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References