I was thinking England or else maybe Australia, you are correct in your thinking that this is not a common expression in the US.

The nearest thing to it in the US is "hun" or "hon" (short for "honey") and actually is opposite in that it is more commonly used in the South rather than the North. Folks in more metropolitan areas tend to see it as a bit "country" or unsophisticated.

Sometimes, depending on the gal or who is saying it, it can be taken as overly familiar / cheesy / schmoozy it can be taken (or meant!) offensively, similar to the "sarcastic" uses of "don't you just love that" sort of stuff mentioned above.