Why do my coworkers call me Dear?

I don't know if this is the right place. But I work in the US and my Indian coworkers call me "Dear" a lot. It makes me feel uncomfortable as that is something that is rarely said in my interactions with other countries. Hearing/reading "Dear" can be thought of as condescending. In parts of the US, they say "oh dear" like you are naive and don't understand anything. I get in India it's meant to be respectful, but just wondering if your offices give you any trainings about this?