So the good news is you won’t accidentally be referencing livestock when addressing your special someone-definitely an important factor when picking a nickname. Instead, bae is almost always used as a term of endearment for something or someone. (You know, like “baaaa?”) Nowadays, when people say the word, they’re not typically talking about animal noises.

When did people start saying 'bae'?Īccording to a 2014 Time article, “bae” was first used in the 1500s to reference the sounds sheep make. Even though the nickname has been popular for a while, its meaning isn’t exactly as well-known. If you’re wondering what bae means, you’re not alone. Sometimes these pet names happen organically, and sometimes, well, you just sorta lean into something more mainstream, like “bae.”īut before adopting a new nickname for your significant other on a whim, it’s a good idea to understand exactly what you’re calling them.

From “baby” to “ stinky butt,” using cute (and sometimes horrifying) nicknames as a couple is one of those things we don’t really talk about, but almost all of us do.

What does bae mean