Resumen
This article deals with the different name forms (first name, surname) used by the characters of Theodor Fontane’s novel Frau Jenny Treibel (1892) when they speak to each other or mention other persons. In this novel we see that, in the XIXth century, forms of address were different from today. In this novel, the use of the surname between friends is widespread, and wives use the surname when addressing their husbands, whereas husbands use the first name when addressing their wives, which reflects the subordinate role women played in XIXth century society. Younger couples, however, address each other with the first name. This is in line with the observation that the practice of addressing husbands with their surnames was already in decline at the turn of the century.