History Main / LastNameBasis

** All this, by the way, leaves poor fans very confused as to how they're supposed to refer to the characters.

* Two examples from the DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Eighth Doctor Adventures: in ''Ancestor Cell'', [[spoiler:a great deal of the plot has to do with an antagonistic alternate version of Fitz Kreiner. The evil alternate version is generally known as Father Kreiner (no, he hasn't got kids; [[CreativeSterility he can't]], anyway; it's from the ranking system used by the evil organization he's in). The Doctor, however, calls him Fitz anyway, and although the first time the Doctor does so, he tells the Doctor, "Don’t call me that. I’m not Fitz," he puts up with it from then on, perhaps symbolic of the fact that, following an EnemyMine situation and Kreiner's having aired out [[LoveMakesYouCrazy his grievances with the Doctor]], they slip back into [[HeterosexualLifePartners their old relationship]].]] Also, in ''The Gallifrey Chronicles'', Anji Kapoor's [[StrangledByTheRedString new fiance]], Greg, keeps calling her "Kap". Fitz can't figure out how he came up with this nickname, until Trix explains it probably comes from Kapoor. Fitz has a problem with this:

* The [[Series/DoctorWho Fifth Doctor]]'s red-headed male companion was always referred to as Turlough. Somewhat justified, in that he was a British public schoolboy (see below).

** In "Crush" Spike calls Buffy by her last name "Summers" while making his AnguishedDeclarationOfLove; no doubt to show he's serious.

* Otonashi, Iwasawa, and Naoi from ''AngelBeats!'' are always referred to by their last names, even after their first names are revealed (Yuzuru, Asami, and Ayato, respectively).

** {{Subverted}} in the ''{{Sherlock}}'' series. They're not "Holmes" and "Watson", they're "Sherlock" and "John". It's the 21st century. Move on.

** Don't forget (Turanga) Leela, although it's implied "Turanga" is her surname. (In another episode, her parents are referred to as Turanga Morris and Turanga Munda, further implying that mutants arrange their names surname first.)

* Most characters in ''RedVsBlue'' save [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep Sarge]], Grif's sister (who is never referred to by her name [[AllThereInTheManual Kaikaina]]), [[OnlyOneName Lopez]], [[CodeName the Freelancers]], and any tertiary characters, due to the characters being in the military. Church didn't even ''know'' Tucker's first name when he asked him partway through the series, despite working with him for months. The cast's full names are Leonard L. Church, Michael J. Caboose, Lavernius Tucker, Dick Simmons, Franklin Delano Donut, and Dexter Grif.

* Most characters in ''RedVsBlue'' save [[HisNameReallyIsBarkeep Sarge]], Grif's sister (who is never referred to by her name [[AllThereInTheManual Kaikaina]]), Lopez, [[CodeName the Freelancers]], and any tertiary characters, due to the characters being in the military. Church didn't even ''know'' Tucker's first name when he asked him partway through the series, despite working with him for months. The cast's full names are Leonard L. Church, Michael J. Caboose, Lavernius Tucker, Dick Simmons, Franklin Delano Donut, and Dexter Grif.

[[folder:Machinima]]
* Most characters in ''RedVsBlue'', due to the characters being in the military. The cast's full names are, Leonard L. Church, Michael J. Caboose, Lavernius Tucker, Dick Simmons, Franklin Delano Donut, and Dexter Grif. Sarge's first name was revealed in Revelations to be... [[spoiler: Sarge]].
** Don't forget the other nicknamed/codenamed characters: Frank [=DuFresne=] (Doc), Kakaina Grif (Sister), Allison (Tex), David (Washington), Reginald (Wyoming) y Lopez El Pesado.
[[/folder]]

* Most of the characters in RedVsBlue, save Sarge, Lopez, Grif's sister (who is never referred to by name), the Freelancers, and any tertiary characters.

*** Flanders also addressed Homer as "Simpson" early on. [[Flanderization As he transformed from a perfect neighbor into an ultra-pious nice guy]], he started calling Homer by first name (and any number of vari-diddly-ations thereof).

*** Flanders also addressed Homer as "Simpson" early on. As he transformed from a perfect neighbor into an ultra-pious nice guy, he started calling Homer by first name (and any number of vari-diddly-ations thereof).

* On ''{{Stargate SG-1}}'', Colonel Jack O'Neill calls his civilian scientist "Daniel" but his military officer second "Carter". Daniel Jackson, on the other hand, addresses both his military comrades by their first names, which continued even after O'Neill was promoted to Brigadier General and put in charge of the SGC. Samantha Carter calls him "Daniel" and O'Neill "Colonel/General" or "sir". Teal'c is addressed by [[OnlyOneName his only name]], and calls Jack "O'Neill" and Daniel by his [[FullNameBasis full name]], "Daniel Jackson".
** This is not out of the ordinary for a military situation at all, at least for Samantha Carter's situation. Daniel is a civilian (no military rank) and a close friend and thus can be referred to even on missions as Daniel (rather than Dr. Jackson, as she does in the first episode), while O'Neill is her commanding officer. It would be inappropriate for her to refer to him by his first name while on duty, and 95% of the show is the team 'on duty'. Hence the Colonel/General and sir, even though they are [[UnresolvedSexualTension close]] friends.
* It's worth noting that in his recent appearance on ''Stargate Universe,'' O'Neill did address Carter as "Sam." Most members of the fandom are of the opinion that "sir" and "Carter" have evolved into the characters' pet names for one another.
** And when Mitchell came along, he addressed Daniel as "Jackson" and Carter as "Sam", and they both reciprocated. Which may be excusable in a military setting as, if I recall correctly, at that point Carter was a Colonel herself.

** On ''StargateAtlantis'', Rodney has only called his best friend "John" a handful of times in the entire series, preferring first Major then Colonel Sheppard, or just Sheppard. Sheppard himself uses both "Rodney" and "[=McKay=]" equally.
*** Of course, [[WhoNamesTheirKidDude "Rodney" is not his first name]]. [[spoiler: It's Meredith.]]
**** And when he meets an alternate version on himself, he's distressed that people call that version Rod, which he could never get anyone to call him.
*** [=McKay=]'s best friend is Beckett, not Sheppard. [=McKay=] does indeed go on a first name basis with Carson.
*** Ronon calls everyone except Teyla by their surname.

[[folder:Film]]

** Homer calls Ned Flanders on his last name.

*** Pansy Parkinson is a weird exception. She is TheLibby and Harry has no likeness for her, but he/the narrator thinks of her as "Pansy" rather than "Parkinson". Hermione does refer to her as "Parkinson", however. Harry never talks to Pansy or mentions her in dialogue, so we don't know how he would refer to her outside his head.

* Spinelli from ''{{Recess}}'', who keeps her first name (Ashley) a secret to differentiate herself from "[[TheHeathers The Ashleys]]," a posse of [[TheLibby Libbies]] that she hates.

* Except for a few racers and characters in ''FutureGPXCyberFormula'', most of them are rarely called by their first names, like Naoki Shinjyo, Karl Lichter von Randoll, to name a few.

-->--''{{Futurama}}'', "The Problem With Popplers''

* (Sheldon) Plankton from SpongebobSquarepants. Not even his own grandmother calls him Sheldon.

* (Philip) Fry in ''{{Futurama}}''.

* (Glen) Quagmire in ''FamilyGuy''.
* Mr. Burns from ''TheSimpsons'', in that his first name (Charles) is hardly ever used. When people wish to refer to him informally, he goes by his ''middle'' name, Monty.

* The same is true of Hal Needham from ''StuntDawgs''.
* (William) Murderface and (Charles Foster) Ofdensen in {{Metalocalypse}}

* In the [[Tintin]] series, Captain Haddock is never called by anything other than his last name. Even his best friend, Tintin, is not entirely sure what his first name is.

* Both played straight and averted in the Gears of War game series. Averted with Marcus Fenix and Dominic "Dom" Santiago, who are almost exclusively called by their first names. Played straight with Damon Baird and Augustus "The Cole Train" Cole, who are almost exclusively called by the last names, or in Cole's case, his Thrashball nickname.

* ''{{Alias}}'' -- Since everyone's in the CIA, most of the characters in Alias go by surnames -- Sydney calls the male lead "Vaughn" even while giving birth to his daughter. This meant that his short-lived Season 3 wife earned a double take from the audience every time she called him "Michael," seeding distrust and dislike of the character well before her reveal as TheMole.