History Main / TheNameless

* In the extended edition of ''Film/{{Waterworld}}'', it's revealed that Kevin Costner's character falls into this category rather than NoNameGiven. [[spoiler:At the end of the film, just before he leaves Dryland to head back out to sea, Helen presents him with (according to her) the first free gift in Waterworld's history, a gift which he accepts: a name for him. It's "Ulysses", after the main character of the ancient legend of ''[[Literature/TheOdyssey The Odyssey]]''.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho''
** There is no answer to the question posed by the title. "The Doctor" is all the name he needs because it is a promise he made.
** All Daleks are nameless due to them being "pure" and so similar that they're effectively hiveminds. There are very specific exceptions, such as the Cult of Skarro.

* All Daleks in ''Series/DoctorWho'' are nameless due to them being "pure" and so similar that they're effectively hiveminds. There are very specific exceptions, however.

** Kenpachi had no name growing up, the district of his origin being filled with people little better than animals. After discovering Yachiru, a toddler who also had no name, he decided to name both of them and started his journey to the Seireitei.

** According to Xenilla, Destroyah never chose a name for herself and doesn't care. The others just refer to her as Destroyah out of convenience.

* ''Film/TheSunsetLimited'' stars only two characters with no names spoken aloud who are listed as "Black" and "White" in the credits.
* Main/ClintEastwood plays famous nameless characters in Film/HighPlainsDrifter, Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly, Film/AFistFulOfDollars, and Film/ForAFewDollarsMore.
* In Film/DeadLands the true identity of Lawrence Makaore's character remains a mystery.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidPeaceWalker'', Snake says that he has no name. Various characters call him different names, including Big Boss (his title [[YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame given to him by the CIA for his actions in ''Metal Gear Solid 3'']]), John (his birth name), and Snake (his code name from [=MGS3=]), which is the name he dislikes the least.
** In a similar vein, in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Liquid implies that he and Solid Snake have no names, no history beyond their programmed lives as clones. [[SubvertedTrope Snake counters that he ''does'' have a name]], angering Liquid, who doesn't. The end of the game reveals that his first name is David.

* In ''Literature/JonathanStrangeAndMrNorrell'' the character so-called 'Stephen Blac'k is apparently not actually named Stephen Black, or so it would seem according to the rules of magic, because 'Stephen' was a slave name and not his true name given to him by his mother at his birth. As such, Magic considers him to actually be "TheNameless King", which is problematic because there is also a historical figure prevalent in the story, the Raven King, who was given a name that was not his real name, John Uskglass, and is also referred to as "TheNameless King". Spells meant to address the latter Nameless King accidentally affect the former Nameless King.

* ''Webcomic/{{Follower}}'': Geedy, in the beginning is only known as Subject 23-3, and even then only to the scientists who he doesn’t understand. He is later named given a name by Dia.

* Trowa Barton from ''Anime/GundamWing'' was separated from his family as a baby and raised by a band of mercenaries, who never named him. He remains nameless his entire life until the eve of [[ColonyDrop Operation Meteor]], when he lifts the moniker of the man originally trained to pilot the Gundam Heavyarms. After [[TheMovie Endless Waltz]], he considers himself nameless once more, until his friends convince him to keep it.

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* Applies to [[spoiler: ''her'']] in the [[Fanfic/TriptychContinuum Triptych Continuum]], whose lack of name appears to be deliberate -- and possibly a way of getting past the suspected power of names as applied to destiny in Equestria.

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* ''Roleplay/{{Crestfallen}}'': Charade's true name was taken away from him by Ensenial.

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* ''VideoGame/KingOfFighters'' has a character literally named Nameless, presumed the last clone made by NESTS, and thus didn't have enough time to develop a legitimate name.

* In ''[[http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/ Harkovast]]'', TheNameless are obviously an example of this trope, being an army of warriors who lack not just names but also cannot speak and [[FacelessGoons always have their faces covered by helmets.]] They are so anonymous that they are the only creatures in {{Harkovast}} who cannot be identified with a real world animal.

* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'': "MU is the name of the nameless one, the one who climbs to the sky."

* ''Videogame/SoulSeries'': In a series where every other weapon [[NamedWeapons has a name]], all of Edgemaster's weapons are nameless. This is because he believes that weapons are nothing more than tools. It is the warrior's soul, not the weapon, that makes the warrior.