Is this normal?

[GSyren]

I have noticed that in many TV shows people refer to their colleagues by their last name, and even call them by their last name. In Castle, for example, everybody except Castle's mother and daughter refer to him as Castle, even Beckett calls him Castle rather than Richard.

Similarly, in Bones, everybody seems to refer to each other by their last name, with the notable exception of Bones herself who is usually refered to by her nickname. But she refers to Booth by his last name.

Is this normal in real life in workplaces in the US? I find it hard to believe that it's common among couples. None of my girlfriends ever called me "Syren" (which probably would sound even more weird in English than in Swedish, but that's another matter), and I certainly never called any of them by their last name. And at work I always called everybody by their first name (or nickname), even the bosses. If I had called anybody by their last name they would probably have thought that I was pissed off at them...

[DJ Doena]

I think it has to do with the abandonment of the "thou", the informal "you".

I don't know Swedish, but in German we have the informal you "du" and the formal you "sie". Unless it is a child or a teenager at the most you don't say "du" to a person who hasn't offered it to you (You can say "you" to me. ).

And since English doesn't have that distinction anymore, they need some other way to signify a professional distance, in this case the use of the last name.

If you watch closely, on US shows even teens do it while being at high school.

[hal9g]

In my experience, it only happens in the military, where everyone is addressed by last name.

[GSyren]

I don't know Swedish, but in German we have the informal you "du" and the formal you "sie".

Well, technically we have that in Swedish as well, "du" and "ni" respectively, although after the "du reform" in the late sixties and early seventies, "ni" is seldom used. You can say "du" to pretty much everyone except royalty. But that hasn't lead to people addressing each other by last name. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Last names are used in the military, as Hal says. At least that's how it was when I did my military service back in the sixties, and even though we no longer have conscription in Sweden, I'm pretty sure that it's the same today.

[Dragonfire]

I have thought that was a little....odd I guess.  Especially once characters become a couple - like on Bones or Castle.  Kate has called him Rick a few times..but yes, it is still mostly Castle..and he still mostly calls her Beckett, though I think he does call her Kate every so often.  Someone use to call Bones Temperence more often...maybe Angela..not so much anymore.

We don't call each other by our last names at work.  That would seem odd to me. 

[Halo2]

As Hal mentioned, it is mostly in the military. Once out of the military, I stopped calling people by their last name. I have not run across it anywhere else.

[DSig]

Really ... i find it pretty normal.  I have several friends who call me by my last name or a shortened version.  I know when i grew up it was very common.

[Antares]

I have thought that was a little....odd I guess.  Especially once characters become a couple - like on Bones or Castle.

The really strange occurrence is on Downton Abbey, where Anna, the ladies maid, who is married to John Bates, the valet, still calls him Mr. Bates to whomever she's conversing with...even him. It sounds so ridiculous.

[MEJHarrison]

I have thought that was a little....odd I guess.  Especially once characters become a couple - like on Bones or Castle.

The really strange occurrence is on Downton Abbey, where Anna, the ladies maid, who is married to John Bates, the valet, still calls him Mr. Bates to whomever she's conversing with...even him. It sounds so ridiculous.

I'm pretty sure there was a scene where he said to call her John.  Not sure that she followed that advice or not.  Maybe it's time to re-watch?  Season 4 is just around the corner.