Why Elvis Rarely Used People's First Names, Even When He'd Known Them For Years

Celebrity

Elvis Presley rarely used people's first names out of respect for them. Priscilla Presley revealed that he always used proper titles.

Published on September 16, 2023

As Priscilla Beaulieu got to know Elvis Presley, she realized he rarely used people’s first names when addressing them. He invented nicknames for a select few people, but he also relied on a person’s proper title when speaking with them. Priscilla explained that Elvis only used first names for people in his immediate circle. Otherwise, he felt it was impolite and disrespectful, even when he’d known someone for years. Here’s why.

Elvis didn’t often use people’s first names

When Priscilla took Elvis to meet her parents, she was nervous. They didn’t approve of the 10-year age gap between Elvis and 14-year-old Priscilla, and they were unimpressed by his level of celebrity. Elvis’ politeness won them over, though.

“[E]lvis was the perfect gentleman,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “My father was visibly impressed, and from that moment on, Elvis always addressed him as Captain Beaulieu or Sir.” 

Priscilla explained that this treatment was not a special occasion to impress her parents. Elvis always treated people this way.

“This was characteristic of Elvis, whatever a person’s position in life — whether doctor or lawyer, professor or motion-picture director — unless someone were in Elvis’ immediate circle, Elvis rarely used first names, even in dealing with people he’d known for years,” she wrote. “As he once explained to me, ‘It’s simple. They’ve worked hard to get where they are. Someone should respect them.'”

B.B. King once described Elvis Presley as ‘polite to a fault’

Even before Priscilla met Elvis, she heard he was a “country boy who didn’t smoke or drink, who loved and honored his parents, and who addressed all adults as ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am.” This was a reputation that followed him. Musician B.B. King said Elvis was far more polite than most celebrities. 

“Elvis was different,” King said, per the book King of the Blues: The Rise and Reign of B.B. King by Daniel de Visé. “He was friendly. I remember Elvis distinctly because he was handsome and quiet and polite to a fault … Spoke with this thick molasses Southern accent and always called me ‘sir.’ I liked that. In the early days, I heard him strictly as a country singer.”

His politeness came in stark contrast to his public image in the early days of his career. Many people, including Priscilla’s mother, believed he was a bad influence on his audience.

Elvis also used nicknames rather than first names

As his wife, Priscilla was in Elvis’ immediate circle, but he often used nicknames with her. He used pet names for many of his girlfriends and his daughter, Lisa Marie. He frequently called Priscilla “Cilla” and “Little One.” 

He also often used the term “Satnin” when speaking to her. This was a nickname Elvis had used for his mother, Gladys, during her lifetime. Priscilla also began using this pet name for Elvis in their conversations, even continuing to use it after their divorce.

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