What Does Satnin Mean? Elvis Presley's Pet Name For His Mother & Priscilla Explained

For the most part, Priscilla and Elvis follow the real story of the couple's life, even getting some of the minor details correct, such as the nickname Satnin Elvis had for both his mom, Gladys Love, and Priscilla. Elvis and his mother were very close their whole lives and she and her husband, Vernon, were instrumental in helping Elvis with his career and navigating the limelight (via People). They all lived together at Graceland before Gladys passed away at 46, a death that shook Elvis. He was close enough with her that they both had pet names for one another.

Satnin, Elvis' Pet Name For His Mother, Has Conflicting Meanings

Gladys And Elvis Often Spoke To Each Other In "Baby-Talk"

Elvis referred to his mother by the pet name Satnin, a name that those close to the Presleys disagree about the meaning of (via Distractify). Butler, and Jacob Elordi in Priscilla, refer to their mother almost only as Satnin in both movies. June Juanico, an early girlfriend of Elvis', who was also dubbed "Satnin", said the name came from a song his mother used to sing Elvis when he was little, saying Presley once told her,

"[His mother] used to sing to me when I was little. You remember the song, 'Mammy's Little Baby Loves Shortnin' Bread'? Well, she used to sing 'mama's little baby has satnin skin.' You know, June, skin soft as satin."

In June's version, the name is a purposeful misspelling of "satin" to fit the rhyme scheme of the song, which makes for a cute and easy-to-remember nickname as well. Elvis' cousin Billy Smith tells the story differently and says that it began as a teasing nickname for Gladys, who he considered "always heavy". Billy said that when Elvis used the nickname he would touch Gladys' stomach and say,

"Baby’s going to bring you something to eat, Satnin."

Billy said "Satnin" was an extension of the word "shortening", a fattening food. Though it's not as sweet an origin as June's story, it clearly did not bother Gladys too much and Elvis meant it lovingly. Elvis and Gladys would often speak to each other with "baby talk" that may seem overly intimate to some (via TheWrap), but is not so unusual considering Elvis was an only child, whose twin was stillborn, bonding Gladys closer to her one child.

Why Elvis Started Calling Priscilla Satnin

Elvis Had Multiple Nicknames For Priscilla

After Elvis' mother died, he transferred the nickname to his wife Priscilla. Originally, Elvis called Priscilla "'Nungen", his version of the term, "young one", a reference to their age gap (10 years). He also called her "'Cilla" and "Little One", but he changed it to "Satnin" after his mother passed away (via ElvisHistoryBlog). It seemed he was still using it as a loving way to refer to the "satin skin" he thought Priscilla had.

Elvis' Other Pet Names For The Women In His Life

Friends, Family, And Girlfriends All Had Nicknames

Elvis had no shortage of women in his life and he gave many of them pet names. June Juanico was one of his first girlfriends, and he also referred to her as Satnin. He called Anita Wood, who he was with until he entered the Army, "Little". Elvis called his grandmother Minnie Mae "Dodger" because he once threw a ball at her that she just barely managed to dodge.

There were plenty of others who Elvis lovingly dubbed one way or another. It's apparent though, as shown in Priscilla and Elvis, that he reserved "Satnin" for the greatest loves of his life.

Based on the memoir written by Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon, Priscilla is a biography-drama that follows the titular woman through the journey that was her and Elvis Presley's relationship. From the moment they met at a party through their marriage, Priscilla takes viewers through the eyes of the lovers through the highs and lows of their relationship.

Director Sofia Coppola

Release Date November 3, 2023

Runtime 113 Minutes