Do you use "our" in front of close family names?

[mabelandmaud]

I call my close family members "Our Tom" or "Our Julie" etc. All my family do this. I'm from the north West Midlands - near Stoke on Trent and have a Northern Irish parent. I'm just wondering where this comes from, is it a regional thing, or a class thing, or a colloquial thing?

I’m north west and I say it and my Irish family do too.

My Yorkshire family do, husbands southern family don't. I don't.

I don't (London) but DH's relatives in the Black Country do.

I only know one person who does this and she's a Scouser.

Yes, originally from NI

Don't even realise I'm doing it but just occurred to me I only do it when talking about my NI relationship not my family where I live now (not NI)

Yes, Peak District here

My family didn't (East Midlands) and I don't (been living in the south east for 40 years) but my in law family (Yorkshire) do, and I love it.
I think it must be great for family cohesion and for young children to grow up knowing that they belong, every time that they're referred to.

I live near Macc, it's always Macc, never Macclesfield.

Yes always 😂 Liverpool here

We do it in my very close family , i think it's very loving for the person involved.
Midlands and Worcester areas.

All of my Mum and Dad's family do, born and raised in Barnsley. They'd never dream of saying anything other than 'our Brian' or 'our Julie'.

Me and my siblings, having never lived in Yorkshire, do not do this.

There's a reasonable amount of snobbery on this thread. 'How common' and such guff. It's a regional thing, you idiots who commented along these lines. It has nothing to do with socioeconomic status. I have one auntie and uncle who use this term who live in a council house, and another auntie and uncle who live at the completely opposite end of that spectrum. They also use the term. Stop saying it's 'common'!

It's not solely regional. I dont know anyone in the north who is established MC who would say it .

That's not snobbery, I don't see one class as better or worse than another, it's just a fact

Yes. From North West.

Growing up in Yorkshire it was used all the time, that and "our kid" for sibling. Have moved down south so it has disappeared from my vocabulary

I use Our for my in laws, and My for my family. South Wales, very working class

You might want to have a read of your thread title pet. 😂

No. SE

Yes in Manchester

My family don't (southern) but all DH's family do (Scottish). I love it.

Yes. My dad's side always have. My mum's side never did. All from the same area (north) but different types of people really. My mum is very snobbish about that sort of way of talking but it's perfectly normal where we grew up and I certainly use it.

Yes and also our lass/lac

Yes.

I'm from West Yorkshire, near the Lancashire border.

'Some interesting regional variations mentioned here. I've never heard 'our' used to refer to an in-law. Your brother/sister will be 'our', but their partner won't be - but their kids will!

Yes, he does say 'mi/me mum' I've just written it as I perceive it (my, mine)!
I remember being confused when I first heard him use it in a convo with his own sister - like, 'surely it's both your mum, she knows who you're on about... why are you saying it like that, is this some sort of passive-aggressive annoying brother thing?' 🤣 Used to it now, of course!

My grandparents did / do. My parents do sometimes, too. North East England.