MovieChat Forums > Warm Springs (2005) Discussion > why 'babs' if her name was eleanor?

why 'babs' if her name was eleanor?

posted 18 years ago by gundicus
3 replies | jump to latest

I haven't read any bios of FDR (although i'm planning to since seeing the film) but I found it odd that in the movie FDR kept calling Eleanor 'Babs' - which is obviously short for Barbara. Does anyone know where this nickname came from (perhaps someone who is an FDR buff or history buff would know - i'm sure there's a good reason for it). I feel ignorant for not knowing - i'm usually pretty 'up' on this type of thing - but this is one bit of historic trivia I obviously never picked up. It doesn't matter, really - it just piqued my curiosity - because it's an odd choice of a nickname for someone whose name in no way resembles barbara!

[–] MalJMD 17 years ago

He just started calling her that. He did that with nearly everyone, a trait he unfortunately shares with GWB.

People noted that there was no evidence Eleanor actually liked being addressed this way.

The White House staff referred to the R's as "The Boss and Babs."

[–] yellowrose21 10 years ago

He started calling her that after they were married, it is an abbreviation of "Baby." He called her that for 40 years.

[–] nmitrione (293) 3 years ago

According to a historian: Babs is short for baby. It began on the delayed honeymoon (they were married on St. Patrick’s Day and left for their European honeymoon in June after FDR’s law school exams). Eleanor, who previously had terrible bouts of seasickness was experiencing what she thought was seasickness, with her husband jokingly referred to her as “Babs” (crybaby). She was examined by a doctor and was found to be in her first trimester with her daughter Anna. The nickname Babs started off as a situational nickname and turned into a term of endearment (which Franklin and Eleanor were not known for) that lasted until President Roosevelt’s death.