History LastNameBasis / RealLife

* A vast majority of political figures are referred mainly by their last name, unless they get some kind of nickname ([[UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy JFK]]).

** Fans also typically refer to sports figures only by their last name, with only a few exceptions (Kobe Bryant is "Kobe," Shaquille O'Neal is "Shaq," etc.).

** Same things goes for Jillian Music/{{Banks}}.

* Standard practice in [[JapanesePoliteness Japan]], combined with {{Honorifics}}. [[{{FirstNameBasis}} First name]] + honorific is more intimate, and ''yobisute'' (null honorific) even more so.

** Additionally, addressing a Korean as "Surname + [[KoreanHonorifics ssi]]" is extremely rude if they don't happen to work for you, that being how subordinates are addressed. It's also very common for Koreans to address each other by their full names, in part because almost all Korean names are only three syllables long (this last is also true in most of China, whose name-pattern Korean borrowed some time after the Three Kingdoms period).

** The main exceptions to this being some female politicians and [[LegacyCharacter political legacies]] whose last names aren't distinctive enough (Hillary Clinton, almost universally referred to as "Hillary", is an example of both). SaddamHussein was almost always referred to as "Saddam," presumably because "Hussein" is an all-too-common name in the Arab world.

*** The same is true in capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, as well; one can know someone for ''years'' by their capoeira name—e.g., Mestre Bimba—before finding out their real name (Manoel dos Reis Machado). Even ''historians'' of capoeira might not recognize the name Machado if they heard it.

* Longtime San Francisco TV news anchor Fred Van Amburg billed himself as just Van Amburg later in his career.

** Fans also typically refer to sports figures only by their last name, with only a few exceptions (Kobe Bryant is "Kobe," Shaquile O'Neal is "Shaq," etc.).

* A vast majority of political figures are referred mainly by their last name, unless they get some kind of nickname (JFK).

** Last Name Basis is only used in the first year(s) of high school, and some particular places (some extremely vertical enterprises, the army/police forces) unless you are addressing to a professional (like a doctor) or somebody really important (Mr. President). Everyone else use their First name or his/her nickname, calling a person by their last name is considered offensive and awkward, unless that person requests it.

* Dunno about other Spanish speaking countries, but in Argentina is common to have a LastNameBasis between male persons, even if they are best friends, and FirstNameBasis for [[DifferentforGirls female]] persons. It's also common for male persons to be addressed [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname by a nickname]] that is often based on a physical attribute.

* Dunno about other Spanish speaking countries, but in Argentina is common to have a LastNameBasis between males, even if they are best friends, and FirstNameBasis for [[DifferentforGirls females]]. It's also common for males to be addressed [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname by a nickname]] that is often based on a physical attribute.

** Saddam is just as common a first name as Hussein is as a surname. "Saddam Hussein" in the Arab world is about as distinctive as John Smith. Why the world came to reffer to Saddam on a first name basis isn't clear, but it may have been propagated by Saddam himself as part of his cult of personality.

*** The same is true in capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, as well; one can know someone for ''years'' by their capoeira name—e.g., Mestre Bimba—before finding out their real name (Manoel dos Reis Machado).

*** Calling him "Saddam" is a sign of disrespect. It might have to do with the practice of US officials routinely pronouncing "Saddam" the same as the biblical city of Sodom.

** This is probably so in EVERY military in the world, where you are only "allowed" to refer to others by first name within your own or a lower rank group. Also, last names are usually visible on the uniform, so you hear the last names of your comrades frequently and place them to faces more easily. This was the case for this troper during his training in the [[WeAreNotTheWehrmacht German army]].

* As noted in LittleWomen, when Jo tells Laurie that she's not Miss March, she's only Miss Jo, it was a commmon practice in the 1800s to refer to the oldest of multiple sisters by "Miss [surname]" and all younger sisters as "Miss [first name]"

* This is more often than not the case in the United States military. It leads to confusion which common last names, however. Which often times leads to the form address being "Rank Last Name" in units were there is more then one instance of the last name, or appropriate informal title such as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Top, Gunny or Chief]].
** This is probably so in EVERY military in the world, where you are only "allowed" to refer to name within your own or a lower rank group. Also, since the names are usually branded on the uniforms in the form of a nametag, you hear the last names of your fellow comrades more often, and it therefore gets memorized to the face more easily. This was the case to this troper during his training in the [[WeAreNotTheWehrmacht german army]].

** Not sure if this counts, but USAF fighter pilot call-signs are used more than their real names, to the point where the given names are sometimes forgotten.
*** That's more KnownOnlyByTheirNickname or NomDeGuerre.

* An unusual academic example: at St John's College, students refer to each other by honorific and last name in class, and often in non-academic situations, with the result that many people are ignorant of the first names of fellow students they see every day.

** Not sure if this counts, but USAF fighter pilot callsigns are used more than their real names, to the point where the given names are sometimes forgotten.

* Almost universal in sports, where announcers and coaches will refer to the players almost exclusively using their last names. Relatedly, it's typically only the last name that appears on the player's uniform.

* As noted in LittleWomen, when Jo tells Laurie that she's not Miss March, she's only Miss Jo, it was a commmon practice in the 1800s to refer to the oldest of multiple sisters by "Miss [surname]" and all younger sisters as "Miss [first name]"

*** Before the first Gulf War, King Hussein of Jordan was also frequently in the news.