Here’s why Jimmie Allen spells his name with an “I-E” instead of a “Y”

Ever wonder why Jimmie Allen spells his name with an “I-E” instead of ending it with the more conventional “Y”? Well, like a lot of things the singer does, it’s an homage to his family.

The singer actually used to be known as “Jimmy”; He told Today’s Country Radio With Kelleigh Bannen on Apple Music that when he goes home to Delaware, that’s how people spell his name. “I go hang out with people that know me as Jimmy with a ‘Y’,” he said, talking about what life is like back home.

But he decided to switch up the spelling in order to pay tribute to his late grandmother Bettie Snead. “I switched it to an ‘I-E’ from my grandma, because she spelled ‘Bettie’ ‘B-E-T-T-I-E,’” Jimmie explained.

Of course, that’s not the only homage Jimmie has made to his grandma. His Bettie James album was named after her and his late father, James “Big Jim” Allen. The singer also titled his newest record Tulip Drive after the street where his grandma lived when he was growing up.