Line #111 Main/NamelessNarrative


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11	[[quoteright:350: [[Film/{{Sunrise}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cast_list_sunrise1.jpg]]]]
12
13	Who needs names? Plenty of stories, jokes, and even ''myths'' eschew them entirely in a [[TitleDrop Nameless Narrative]]. If a character is "named", it's more than likely to be as their role in the story [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep or the job they have]]. Sometimes, the "name" might be a unique and prominent feature to them that serves as a reminder of their basic description, such as "the one eyed man", or "the silver haired maiden".
14
15	Stylistically, it's very economical in terms of prose and narrator memory (many Nameless Narratives come from the OralTradition) and at times elegant, distilling a character's essence down to their archetype.
16
17	The Nameless Narrative also works hand in hand with TheLawOfConservationOfDetail and NominalImportance, allowing for a small named central cast and many nameless extras. This is usually because it's simply easier to remember the background characters this way than to give them all sprawling motivations and [[{{Backstory}} backstories]].
18
19	May overlap with BurlyDetectiveSyndrome (if descriptive epithets are used in place of names), EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep, NoNameGiven, TheNameless, TheAllConcealingI and YouAreNumberSix. Often employs SpellMyNameWithAThe.
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
26	* ''Anime/AkudamaDrive'' only refers to characters by descriptors that reference their jobs or crimes, such as Brawler, Cutthroat, Pupil, and Boss. Even the protagonist is only known as "Ordinary Person" or "Swindler".
27	* ''Anime/BikiniWarriors'' has none of the human characters give their proper name, with all the heroines referring to each other by their combat class. Fair enough for a series of sexual comedic shorts meant to lampoon the conventions of old-school role-playing games.
28	* ''Manga/BloomIntoYou'' has the SchoolPlay, in which none of the characters are referred to by name, merely described by their relationship to the protagonist (her nurse, her schoolmate, her younger brother and her girlfriend).
29	* ''Futari Escape'' is about a pair of friends and roommates- a manga artist and a {{NEET}}. The former addresses the latter as "Senpai," but their names are unknown.
30	* This is actually a plot point in ''Manga/IllBoyIllGirl'', where the main characters suffer from a disease that obscures everything related to a person's identity, including their names. Even the protagonists' names aren't revealed, and they are simply referred to as "the boy" and "the girl".
31	* In ''Yuri Couple'', a manga by Waflove, the couple's names are never revealed. Their only distinguishing characteristics are that one girl has long hair and yellow speech bubbles, while the other has short hair and pink speech bubbles.
32	[[/folder]]
33
34	[[folder:Comic Books]]
35	* In ''ComicBook/IKilledAdolfHitler'' the only character other than Fuhrer who has a name is David, the unnamed heroine's date.
36	* Even though we already know their names (or perhaps because of it), Franchise/{{Batman}} and ComicBook/TheJoker are never referred to as such in ''ComicBook/TheKillingJoke''. Even the newspaper clippings only call them "Disfigured Homicidal Maniac" and "Bat-garbed Vigilante." This works well with one of the themes of the book, which is that the two of them have gotten so intimate with each other that there's no need for names.
37	* ''ComicBook/RedEars'': This gag comic has no recurring characters and thus many remain nameless.
38	* ''ComicBook/ThroughTheWoods'': Several of the short stories, including the most famous, (''Webcomic/HisFaceAllRed'') are full of unnamed characters. For example, in ''His Face All Red'', there's only three characters that even get a title; the main character/narrator, the narrator's brother, and the brother's "starry eyed" wife. None of them ever gets called by name.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Fairy Tales]]
42	!!Creators:
43	* In the tales of Creator/AsbjornsenAndMoe:
44	** "Literature/EastOfTheSunWestOfTheMoon": The heroine is "the girl"; the hero is "the White Bear", and later, "the Prince".
45	** "Literature/TheThreeAunts"
46	** In "Literature/TheOldDameAndHerHen", neither the old widow, nor her daughters, nor the troll are given names in the story.
47	* In the tales of Creator/AlexanderAfanasyev:
48	** "Literature/{{Morozko}}" has the titular Father Frost... and the old man, the old woman, her stepdaughter -the heroine- and her daughter.
49	** In "Literature/TheWiseLittleGirl", no character is given a name.
50	** In "Literature/TheFeatherOfFinistTheFalcon", Finist is the only character with an actual name.
51	** "Literature/TheFireBirdTheHorseOfPowerAndThePrincessVasilissa": Neither the hero nor the main antagonist are given names. They are only "the archer" and "the Tsar".
52	** In "Literature/TheWhiteDuck", the characters are the king, the queen and the witch.
53	* In several stories by Creator/HansChristianAndersen, such as ''Literature/TheLittleMermaid'' or ''Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl'', the characters are not named and only referred by their titles, e.g. 'the mermaid' and 'the prince' in ''The Little Mermaid''.
54	* In the tales of the Creator/BrothersGrimm:
55	** "Literature/{{Bearskin}}" -- unless you regard "The Devil" as a proper name.
56	** "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/armlessmaiden/index.html The Girl Without Hands]]"
57	** "Literature/TheGooseGirl"
58	** "Literature/TheTwelveDancingPrincesses"
59	** "Literature/TheTwoBrothers", which gets a bit awkward when the two brothers are together. The main way it's got around is by distinguishing one as "the younger brother", even though it's also a plot point that they're identical twins.
60	** In "Literature/TheThreeSnakeLeaves", the main character is the young man (later prince). The remainder characters are the main character's father, the king, the princess, the old servant and the skipper.
61	** "Literature/TheNixInTheMillPond": The cast is composed of the miller, the miller's wife, the miller's son -later the huntsman-, the huntsman's wife, the old woman and the nixie.
62	** "Literature/TheSingingSpringingLark" (though at least one translation names the main character Lily).
63	** Technically, the name "Literature/SnowWhite" is just a description of the fairy tale's heroine.
64	** Similarly, "Literature/RedRidingHood", although many evolutions of the story have that become her nickname.
65	** "Literature/TheGoldMountain": Nobody, at any point in the story, gives their name.
66	** "Literature/TheDevilWithTheThreeGoldenHairs": No character is referred to by name, unless you count "The Devil".
67	* Creator/JosephJacobs' "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/diamondstoads/stories/witch.html The Old Witch]]"
68	* In the tales of Creator/AndrewLang:
69	** "Literature/TheBlueMountains"
70	** "[[http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/368.htm The Golden Blackbird]]"
71	** "[[http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/diamondstoads/index.html Diamonds and Toads]]"
72	** "Literature/TheNinePeahensAndTheGoldenApples": The characters are the king, the young prince, his brothers, the empress, the old witch, the old servant... There is not one single named character.
73	** "Literature/TheElfMaiden": No character is referred to by name.
74	** "Literature/LittleOtik": The titular monster is the only character who goes by a name instead of a descriptor.
75	* In Creator/CharlesPerrault's version of the tale, the princess is just "Literature/SleepingBeauty".
76	* In the tales of Creator/FranzXaverVonSchonwerth:
77	** In "Literature/KingGoldenlocks", the protagonist is the only named character, and even so he is often referred to as "the prince" or "the gardener".
78	** In "Literature/TheTurnipPrincess", the characters are the prince, the queen, the bear and the old woman.
79	** "Literature/TheEnchantedQuill": The characters are referred to by a descriptor (the man, the crow, the youngest daughter...) or their job (the caretaker, the huntsman...)
80
81	!!Individual tales:
82	* Despite being a culture that put great emphasis and value on names, AncientEgypt has a few tales with no named characters, such as the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (Old Kingdom), the Wax Crocodile (Middle Kingdom), and the Tale of the Doomed Prince (New Kingdom).
83	* "Literature/PrinceLindworm": All character are nameless.
84	* "[[https://web.archive.org/web/20200221214909/https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/beautybeast/stories/smalldog.html The Small-Toothed Dog]]": The heroine tells the dog its name is "Sweet as a Honeycomb" when she's trying to coax it, but there are no other names.
85	* In "Literature/TheStoryOfKingOdd", Odd is the only character referred to with an actual name.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Fan Works]]
89	* ''Fanfic/AmongYou'': Employees of MIRA aren't allowed to go by their birth names, only their colours, as it makes it easier to report back to HQ. Even the viewpoint characters are only called by their colours. However, in ''and they say murder can't be a bonding activity'' we learn that White Reliant's real name was Rachel Zaera.
90	* In ''Fanfic/ABoyAGirlAndADogTheLeithianScript'', only canon characters have names. All original characters are known by either their occupation or their rank (the Captain, the Youngest Ranger, the Seneschal...)
91	* While [[AllThereInTheScript the tags]] for ''Fanfic/BetterOffNotKnowing'' give her name as "Hakini," the viewpoint character is not named in the story proper. Similarly, while canon characters appear indirectly in the newspaper article (which mentions that Korra is recuperating after the events of [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra Book 3's finale]] and is accompanied by [[spoiler:Zaheer's "craggy, defiant" mug shot]]) that Hakini is reading, they're described in terms of role rather than being named.
92	* In ''Fanfic/SupermanAndMan'', the narrator always refers to Creator/ChristopherReeve as "the actor".
93	* ''Fanfic/DaringDosBipedalAdventure'' overlaps this with UnreliableVoiceover near the end as the narration refers to Cara's guards as Changeling #1, Changeling #2, etc. and insists that they "[[NominalImportance probably don't even have names]]" despite the fact that two of them are named in the ''dialog''.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
97	* ''Animation/HeroicTimes'' was meant to be an entirely visual-musical movie with no voice acting, [[ExecutiveMeddling until the execs]] added a CharacterNarrator. Regardless, nobody, not even the main character is named, since he speaks in first person and refers to others from his own perspective -- "my brother", "the king", "the princess", "the Czech knight", and so on. Even the title conceals his identity. The film is actually an adaptation of the ''Literature/{{Toldi}}'' book trilogy, life story of Miklós Toldi, so being familiar with the stories helps identify most characters.
98	* ''WesternAnimation/LifeInATin'' is centered around the repetitiveness of an ordinary life, and as such, the main character and any character he interacts with remain nameless in order for its message to have a more general reach.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittlePrince2015'' is an AdaptationExpansion with several {{Canon Foreigner}}s, but as in the book, they remain nameless--the Little Girl, the Mother, etc. PlayedWith in the third act, where we meet "[[spoiler:[[NotHimself Mr. Prince]]]]." Given the circumstances, this probably shouldn't be considered his "real" name.
100	* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'', only two characters are named: the protagonist's sister, Sarah, who barely appears, and [[spoiler:Billy]], the sad boy who is last to board the train. (Well, also SantaClaus.) The main character is credited as Hero Boy, with the other main kids called Hero Girl and Know-It-All Kid.
101	* ''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'' takes this a step further: aside from the protagonist ("the Dreamer"), it barely has any recurring characters, so you can't even qualify people in relationship to each other. As such, the credits just show pictures of everyone alongside the actors' names. The one exception is Creator/StevenSoderbergh, [[AsHimself who plays himself]].
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Film --Live-Action]]
105	* ''Film/TheAirIBreathe'': The four main characters are known only by their ThemeNaming, respectively Happiness, Pleasure, Sorrow, and Love, and these are AllThereInTheScript. Their real names are never spoken either, though Sorrow is referred to several times by her stage name "Trista".
106	* The film ''Film/{{Blindness}}'', like the book it's based on, does not name any characters, main or otherwise.
107	* The only two characters in ''Film/ClosetLand'' are credited as Interrogator and Victim. It's not a comedy.
108	* Only three characters get names in ''Film/CurseOfTheZodiac'', and one of those names is only revealed in text just before the credits, which only list the actors, no character names or titles.
109	* None of the characters in ''Film/TheDriver'' has a name, not even the three main characters. Ryan O'Neal is "The Driver", Bruce Dern is "The Detective", and Isabelle Adjani is "The Player".
110	* ''Film/{{Embers}}'': By nature of the movie's premise (apocalyptic amnesia virus) almost no one knows their own names; in the credits the nameless characters are listed as "Guy," "Girl," "Teacher," "Chaos," and "Boy."
111	* Only two characters in ''Film/{{Eraserhead}}'' are named: main character Henry and his fiancee Mary. Everyone else is named either by their relation to those two or where they live, such as Mary's Mother, The Beautiful Girl Across the Hall, The Man in the Planet and the Baby. This, coupled by the general lack of dialogue and oppressive music gives the film an extremely disturbing and alien feel.
112	* In ''Film/{{Exam}}'', the main characters insist that they only go by pseudonyms based on their physical appearances (save for one character): White, Black, Blonde, Brown, Brunette, Dark, Deaf, and Chinese Woman. The other two characters are the Guard and the Invigilator.
113	* In Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/{{Following}}'', only one character is referred by a name ("Cobb"), and that might be just a pseudonym. The main character alternately gives his name as Bill or Daniel; there's no indication which (if either) of these is his real name, and the credits just call him "the young man".
114	* Notable Chinese film ''Film/TheGoddess'', about the life of a Shanghai prostitute, does not give any names.
115	* ''Film/HiroshimaMonAmour'' combines this with MinimalistCast. The two lovers who are the protagonists, and have about 98% of the dialogue, aren't named, nor is anyone else.
116	* ''Film/{{Intolerance}}'' where this trope is used to powerful effect, causing the characters to become allegorical and thus universal (although some of them are historical figures). The Mountain Girl, the Rhapsode, the Dear One, the Boy, Brown Eyes.
117	* ''Film/TheLobster'' uses this. The protagonist is named David, and his dog is Bob, but the main cast otherwise consists of the Limping Man, the Lisping Man, the Shortsighted Girl, the Heartless Woman, the Hotel Manager, and many others. Only the Limping Man and the Lisping Man get their actual names revealed.
118	* 1909's short film ''Film/TheLonelyVilla'' features nameless characters.
119	* In ''[[Film/Mother2017 mother!]]'', no character is named. The main characters are credited as "mother" and "Him". Everyone else gets a generic title in the credits relating to their role in the story; "man", "woman", "oldest son", "youngest brother", etc.
120	* Japanese silent film ''Film/APageOfMadness'' doesn't even use any title cards, so it's a NamelessNarrative pretty much by default.
121	* Just like in the book, no characters are named in ''Film/TheRoad''. The main characters are referred as the man and the boy. Double subverted with an old tramp they meet at one point, who claims his name is Ely, before revealing it isn't, and that he doesn't want to tell them his real name.
122	* ''{{Film/Slacker}}'', as a result of the film switching characters every five minutes. Names used in the end titles include "Should Have Stayed at the Bus Station", "Grocery Grabber of Death's Bounty" and "Tura Satana Look-Alike".
123	* The characters in ''Film/SpringSummerFallWinterAndSpring'' are never named. Even a newspaper headline involving two of them does not use their names.
124	* In ''Film/{{Strike}}'' the only named character is the worker whose suicide precipitates the strike.
125	* In F.W. Murnau's classic silent film ''Film/{{Sunrise}}'', the main characters are called the Man, the Wife, and the Woman From The City.
126	* The ten strangers who make up the main cast of the movie ''Film/{{Ten\|2002}}'' never properly introduce themselves to each other, so no names are ever spoken, and the credits refer to them by either their occupation or role in the story (e.g. The Medium or The Religious Fanatic). Unusually, a few minor characters who are solely TheVoice do have full names that are AllThereInTheScript. The {{novelization}} has an interesting way to deal with having largely nameless characters - each main character narrates one of the ten chapters of the book, so they all have slightly different, in-character ways of referring to the other nine.
127	* No names are given in the 1971 film ''Film/TwoLaneBlacktop''. The credits refer to the characters [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep by their profession]] or some other identifying attribute, e.g. "The Driver" (James Taylor), "The Mechanic" (Dennis Wilson), "The Girl" (Laurie Bird), and "GTO" (Warren Oates).
128	* ''Film/TyrannosClaw'', a film set in prehistoric times, where none of the characters are named onscreen. Even the movie's [=IMDb=] page doesn't have their names!
129	* ''Film/UnderTheSkin'': The end credits list the actors in order of appearance, but give no character names. The only time that people are named during the film is in a "missing persons" report that we hear on the radio.
130	* In the Ryuhei Kitamura film ''Film/{{Versus}}'', none of the characters have names. The closest thing the main character has to a name is his prisoner number ([=KSC2-303=]).
131	* None of the characters are named in ''Film/WindChill''. This was done to make the story feel like an urban legend.
132	* In ''Film/YourFriendsAndNeighbors'', none of the characters are referred to by name. In the credits, they're given placeholder rhyming names such as Cheri, Jerry and Barry.
133	* Throughout ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'', the only person referred to by name is [[spoiler:Bill Murray]] - everyone else is referred to by their home or destination. The girls' names are revealed at the end (though one is hard to catch), but the men never really have names.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Literature]]
137	* ''Literature/{{Beachwalker}}'' doesn't have a single named character. Instead, the characters are named after their roles, or after figures from the protagonist's favorite childhood story.
138	* The characters in Creator/JoseSaramago's ''Literature/{{Blindness}}'' are referred to by their roles or, ironically, physical descriptions (given the fact all of them are stricken by blindness). Saramago does this frequently, in whole or in part, for example in ''Literature/{{Seeing}}'', ''Literature/DeathWithInterruptions,'' and (ironically) ''Ltierature/AllTheNames''.
139	* In ''Literature/TheCanterburyTales'', almost all the pilgrims are unnamed and are identified solely by their occupation. The only pilgrims explicitly named in the work are the Prioress (Madame Eglantine), the Cook (Roger), the Reeve (Oswald), the Friar (Hubert), and the Wife of Bath (Alisoun).
140	* In ''Literature/GirlWhoAreYouAlienErImAnAlien'', none of the characters are given specific names.
141	* In ''Literature/GoblinSlayer'', no one has a proper name used for them. Everyone is known by either their occupation (such as the titular Goblin Slayer, Cow Girl, etc.), their class (like the Priestess, Spearman, Witch, etc.), or their species plus an attribute (like the High-Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, etc.). This gets PlayedForLaughs in volume 9 when Harefolk Hunter tells her mother to "look after Brother and Sister and Brother and Brother and Sister and Brother and Sister!".
142	* ''Literature/HardBoiledWonderlandAndTheEndOfTheWorld''.
143	* Appears ''everywhere'' in ''Literature/TheHeptameron.'' Most stories HandWave it as "I won't name this guy because I used to know him once" or "I forgot her name, but anyway." Titles of characters abound, and proper names are few.
144	* Skirted by ''Literature/TheIncredibleJourney'' - the two dogs and cat do have names, but they're only used when their owners are around. Considering most of the book is about them trying to ''find'' their owners, this amounts to the introductory and concluding chapters, with the rest of the book using species, breed, and age to distinguish them.
145	%%* ''Literature/{{Kokoro}}'' by Natsume Soseki.
146	* In "Literature/TheLadyOrTheTiger", all of the characters -- the king, the princess, the youth, the lady and the tiger -- are identified by their roles instead of their names. This helps the story work, because the readers are supposed to put themselves into the princess's situation and answer the title question (which the story itself does not resolve) for themselves.
147	* No one in ''Literature/TheLittlePrince'' is named, though the narrator is apparently supposed to be the author, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, himself. (The story was based on a real incident when he crashed his plane in the desert and, according to legend, [[BasedOnADream hallucinated a young boy]] who inspired the Little Prince.)
148	* Creator/StephenKing's short story "The Man Who Loved Flowers" (published in the collection ''Literature/NightShift'').
149	* In ''Literature/{{Maoyu}}'' the characters are referred to by their titles and positions even by each other, such as Hero, Lady Knight, Demon King, and Lone Winter King. "Ruby Eyes" is the closest anyone has to a proper name, and that's more of a title or epithet.
150	* ''Literature/{{Phantastes}}'' by George [=McDonald=] has very few names revealed.
151	* E.L. Doctorow's ''Literature/{{Ragtime}}'' starts out only mentioning the names of real people who figure into the plot while the fictional protagonists remain nameless, so "Mother" meets Harry Houdini. About a third of the way through, the pattern is subverted when the fictional Coalhouse Walker Jr. shows up.
152	* Cormac [=McCarthy=]'s novel ''Literature/TheRoad'', and its film adaptation has a DoubleSubversion. None of the characters are named (the two main characters are known simply as "the Man" and "the Boy"), but at one point, they meet an old man named Ely. However, it's shortly after revealed that Ely is just a pseudonym, and he doesn't give his real name.
153	* "Literature/RobotVisions": The narrator doesn't give his name and doesn't differentiate between the multiple scientists working on their TimeTravel project, saying that these things aren't necessary for his account. The {{robot}} sent to the future, however, is [[RobotNames named]].
154	* "{{Literature/Segregationist}}": The surgeon, the nurse, the med-eng, and the Senator. None of the characters are given names, although the only one who is clearly ''human'' is the Senator; the rest of the characters might not even have names.
155	* Lampshaded in Creator/NeilGaiman's fairy tale pastiche ''Literature/TheSleeperAndTheSpindle'', which states that "Names are in short supply in this telling." None of the characters in the story are referred to by name, instead being referred to by occupation or physical appearance, although it's pretty clear who [[Literature/SnowWhite the queen]] and [[Literature/SleepingBeauty the princess]] are.
156	* Lucy Sweeney's ''Literature/SlummyMummy'' column (and novel). The title character is called "[[AuthorAvatar Lucy]]" by others, but everyone else is named by description: Youngest Son and Husband on a Short Fuse, Alpha Mum and Alpha Mum's daughter, Smouldering Teacher, Celebrity Dad, and so on.
157	* In the first book of ''Literature/TheSouthernReachTrilogy'', the main characters are forbidden to tell each other their names. Throughout the narrative, they are referred to only by their job titles: the psychologist, the biologist, the anthropologist, and the surveyor. The later books in the series reveal the characters' names, except for the biologist, who insists on being called by a nickname instead.
158	* Jessica Day George's ''Literature/SunAndMoonIceAndSnow'' (based on "Literature/EastOfTheSunWestOfTheMoon") has the main character known only as 'Pika' (girl) or 'Lass' because her mother refused to name another girl, and only a mother can name the daughters. She's given a name by the white reindeer to protect her from trolls, but it isn't until late in the story that she reveals it. The prince in the story also remains nameless for the majority of the story, but mostly because he never did get a chance to tell the Lass his name.
159	* ''Literature/{{Surfacing}}'' by Margaret Atwood has a nameless narrator.
160	* Everybody in ''Literature/TheTaleOfGenji'' is referred to by their titles.
161	* Creator/EdgarAllanPoe's ''Literature/TheTellTaleHeart'', which makes the old man's murderer's identity and relation to him ambiguous. Other examples from Poe are ''Literature/ThePitAndThePendulum'' and ''Literature/TheBlackCat''.
162	%%* ''Literature/ThereIsAHappyLand'' by Keith Waterhouse.
163	* In Creator/HGWells' ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'', the Time Traveller and most of the people to whom he's relating his story are just identified by their role, such as the Doctor[[labelnote:*]] no, not [[Series/DoctorWho that one]]. Though he would have been interested. [[/labelnote]] and the Journalist. Only one character in each time period has a name: Filby in the [[FramingDevice frame story]] and Weena in the future.
164	** The official sequel by Creator/StephenBaxter mentions the narrator of the original's FramingStory a few times as the Writer - although he's clearly Wells himself. It also has the Time Traveller's younger self using the name "Moses" (a DevelopmentGag on an early draft of the original) although that seems to be a nickname.
165	* To a lesser extent, Creator/HGWells' ''Literature/WarOfTheWorlds''. More characters get names, but the narrator/protagonist and his family don't.
166	* The kid and his grandmother in Creator/RoaldDahl's ''Literature/TheWitches''.
167	* In ''Literature/TheWonderfulAdventuresOfNils'', the narrator only ever refers to Nils as "the boy" and Mårten as "the goosey-gander"; we only learn their names from conversation with other characters - and, in the case of Nils, the book's title.
168	* There was a trend for a while for ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' stories to be told first-person or singular-viewpoint by minor characters who never really got a full explanation of what was going on. Frequently, they wouldn't even learn the names of the other characters, although they would note that one of them claimed to be a doctor.
169	[[/folder]]
170
171	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
172	* ''Series/{{Fleabag}}'' employs this trope widely but not universally. TheProtagonist goes nameless (the title of the show is understood to refer to her and it is how the character is listed in the credits, a nickname borrowed from creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge's own family nickname - but no one in the series actually calls her that). Many if not most of the other characters lack names too: they are just credited as Godmother, Dad, Bank Manager, Arsehole Guy, Bus Rodent, Priest (or Hot Priest), Counsellor and Hot Misogynist. In fact, all the characters with whom Fleabag has any kind of significant relationship are nameless with just a few exceptions: her sister, who is named Claire, her brother-in-law Martin, her late best friend Boo, and her on-agan-off-again boyfriend Harry. There certainly seems to be some significance around naming and not-naming in ''Fleabag''; perhaps most obviously that this is a story being told from Fleabag's point of view. People are referred to by the labels that are most significant to how she relates by them - including herself.
173	* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959''
174	** “[[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S3E1Two Two]]”: The last two survivors of an unnamed war (played by Creator/CharlesBronson and Creator/ElizabethMontgomery) never say their names, nor does the narrator name them.
175	** In the episode [[Recap/TheTwilightZone1959S3E14FiveCharactersInSearchOfAnExit "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"]], an army major wakes up to find himself trapped in a circular room with a clown, a ballerina, a hobo, and a bag piper. None of the characters have names that they can remember. TheProtagonist is known simply as The Major.
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Music]]
179	* Almost none of the characters in Music/{{Ayreon}} albums are named; the exceptions are Ayreon himself, [[Myth/ArthurianLegend Merlin]] and a few characters with names based on the names of singers playing them.
180	* Conversely, the protagonist of ''Music/TheDownwardSpiral'', another concept album, is never referred to by any name of any sort.
181	* Music/{{Ludo}}'s song ''Girls On Trampolines'' tells a story of friends going to a party, but the friends are exclusively referred to by monikers such as "Nice Guy", "Weed Guy", "Ride Guy", and "Party Guy".
182	** For a longer-running example, their rock opera ''Broken Bride'' has only one named character-- King Simias, an anti-christ figure-- while the protagonist is The Traveler, his LostLenore is The Bride, and other characters include The Mayor and The Boy.
183	* Music/TheSpinRoom: We don't know the name of the singing man, the woman of his dreams, or other mentioned characters.
184	* The Ookla the Mok song ''Suprema Lex'' is a VillainSong sung from the perspective of ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s archenemy Lex Luthor and has the villain sing about his hatred of Supes and how he schemes to destroy him. Nowhere in the lyrics does Lex refer to himself by name, nor does he ever refer to his adversary as Superman.
185	* In the concept album ''Music/TheWall'', none of the characters except for Pink, the main character, have names.
186	[[/folder]]
187
188	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
189	* ''Literature/TheFourGospels'': Many of UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}}'s parables are like this: the "sower" (of seed); the "man which sowed good seed in his field", also known as "the householder"; the "man" who sowed a grain of mustard seed; the "woman" who leavened her meal; the "man" who found a treasure in his field; the "merchant" who sold everything for a pearl of great price; the "good Samaritan", and so on.
190	[[/folder]]
191
192	[[folder:Poetry]]
193	* The Wedding-Guest and the Ancient Mariner in Creator/SamuelTaylorColeridge's ''Literature/TheRimeOfTheAncientMariner''.
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Theatre]]
197	* The titular characters of ''Theatre/TwelveAngryMen'' are [[YouAreNumberSix only known by their juror numbers]]. No names are used for any of the jurors, the witnesses, the victim, or the defendant. The film added an epilogue that gives last names for Juror #8 (Davis) and Juror #9 ([=McCardle=]), but the original play didn't name anyone.
198	* The Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca's tragedy ''Theatre/BloodWedding'' leaves all but one character without an 'official' forename -- they are denoted in the script by their archetype or role, for example "The Mother" or "The Bride".
199	* ''Theatre/{{Edmond}}'' by Creator/DavidMamet features just two named characters in its sizable cast: the titular lead, and a waitress named Glenna.
200	* Two Music/RichardStrauss operas have only one named character: ''Die Frau ohne Schatten'' (Barak) and ''Friedenstag'' (Maria).
201	* About half of the characters in the fairy-tale-based ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' are nameless (e.g. the two princes). Most of the rest are named because they are familiar fairy tale characters (Cinderella, Jack, Rapunzel, etc.); only Cinderella's stepsisters get somewhat gratuitous names (Florinda and Lucinda).
202	* In Creator/CirqueDuSoleil's ''Theatre/{{KA}}'', the characters are called the Twin Brother, Twin Sister, Counselor, Nursemaid, etc. This makes sense as the show has no real-language dialogue anyway.
203	* ''Theatre/{{Machinal}}'' has a DramatisPersonae and plot synopsis which identify the characters only as generic archetypes, and many of the characters are in the habit of referring to others only by their initials. However, the three most significant characters are given full names in dialogue: the protagonist (billed only as "Young Woman") is Helen Jones by marriage (her maiden name is not revealed beyond "Miss A."), her husband is George H. Jones, and her lover is Richard Roe.
204	* Carl Orff's one-act opera ''Der Mond'' includes only one named character, who doesn't appear until the second half. In the SpiritualSuccessor, ''Die Kluge'', none of the characters have names.
205	* In the Spanish children's play ''El Principe Que Todo Lo Aprendio De Los Libros'' (Theatre/ThePrinceWhoLearnedEverythingInBooks) all of the characters are called only by their role ("The King", "The Ogre" etc.) The only seeming exception is the protagonist, Principe Azul, which literally means "Prince Blue" -- however, Principe Azul is the Spanish equivalent of saying "PrinceCharming" so it doesn't really count as a name either.
206	* Much like the book it was based on, very few of the non-historical characters in ''Theatre/{{Ragtime}}'' have no names. The exceptions are Coalhouse and Sarah, which is in keeping with the book, and the Little Boy, who is [[NamedByTheAdaptation given the name Edgar]] for the musical. In the latter case, WordOfGod says that the scriptwriters gave him a name because they found it too difficult to have other characters address him without one (the character's role in the musical was significantly expanded from the book).
207	* ''Theatre/TheSoldiersTale'' has no named characters in its DramatisPersonae. The Soldier's name is revealed to be Joseph in one scene where he returns home and addresses his fellow villagers by name... but none of them recognizes him.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Video Games]]
211	* ''VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies'' is completely nameless, save for a few secondary pilots towards the end.
212	* ''VideoGame/CastleCrashers'' gives names to none of its characters, only referring them by what they are (The "X" Knight, The Cyclops, The King, etc.)
213	* ''VideoGame/ChantsOfSennaar'': While there are a few glyphs that denote individual characters like [[spoiler:the preacher or the bellman]], the only character in the game that has what could be considered a proper name is [[spoiler:Exile.]]
214	* Every single character in ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is named by their profession, such as Vice-President, Photojournalist, or Bodybuilder. Subverted in that once you recruit them, you can [[HelloInsertNameHere name them whatever you want]].
215	* ''VideoGame/{{Cloud}}'': Due to having the only character be NoNameGiven.
216	* In ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'', while the heroes under your command have names (to keep them separate from one another in gameplay), the actual characters, such as the Ancestor, the Caretaker, the Crier and many others, do not.
217	* Every person in ''VideoGame/DeadCells'' is only known by their title at best. The only two things that can even be considered named are Conjuntivius and Mama Tick, both of which are monsters.
218	* ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', specifically Ultimate Doom and Doom II. Proper nouns are never given for any character, as the only human of any consequence is Doomguy and there are no unique demon characters. The sole exception to this is when Ultimate Doom Episode 4 names Doomguy's pet rabbit "Daisy". Averted by later games in the series.
219	* None of the characters in ''VideoGame/{{DREDGE}}'' are given names and are instead called by their occupation. It's possible to ask the Fishmonger for his name but he thinks it's not worth sharing since he is just a passerby.
220	* Due to the use of pictures instead of dialogue, the only named character in ''VideoGame/{{Dropsy}}'' is the eponymous clown.
221	* ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'': EarlyInstallmentWeirdness for the first game, ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy1'', where the player party is of "Player 1" and "Player 2", but are named in later games, as Matt and Natalie.
222	* ''VideoGame/EscapeLala'' has very few characters, and none of them have names. The achievements for ''2'' use descriptors for some of them, though. ("the snake," "the pearl," etc.)
223	* ''VideoGame/FallenLondon'' is almost devoted to this trope. Characters with names other than "The Adjective Job Title" are limited to the Masters of the Bazaar (Mr Thing, where Thing is what they trade in), the dueling opponents in the Black Ribbon, and a few others (F.F. Gebrandt, Huffam, Esq., Madame Shoshana, Mrs Plenty) who have their own Twitter feeds and were thus grandfathered into the universe.
224	** This is true in-universe as well; the Traitor Empress has forbidden the use of her name, and it seems likely that, 30 years after the Fall, society has imitated this, with all remotely-fashionable individuals being referred to by role. All of those who have names are either on the margins of society or businesspeople (possibly aping the Masters rather than the Empress). Assuming you count semi-suicidal as being the margins of society.
225	** Notably subverted in the prequel game VisualNovel/MaskOfTheRose, which is set immediately after the fall and before this rule was implemented. Indeed, it actually provides names for a few characters from the first game if you can figure out who's what.
226	* In ''VideoGame/FishingVacation'', none of the characters are named and are only referred to by their relationships to each other, with the exception of [[spoiler:Sedna, the Inuit ocean goddess]].
227	* ''VideoGame/FridayNightFunkin'': All of the original characters are only referred to by their role in the narrative: the player character is The Boyfriend, his girlfriend is The Girlfriend, and her parents are The Father and The Mom (Also known as Daddy Dearest and Mommy Mearest, respectively). While Monster breaks the trend of being named "The [X]", its name is still just ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
228	* None of the bosses in ''VideoGame/{{Furi}}'' are ever given a proper name, only a title revealed [[AllThereInTheManual during the credits]]. This convention is also shared with the main character The Stranger[[spoiler:/The Rider, who may not even have a name]], and his guide The Voice[[spoiler:, aka The Architect, which is how he addresses himself]]. The only exception is the {{DLC}} {{Superboss}} named [[AerithAndBob Bernard]].
229	* ''VideoGame/TheGirlAndTheRobot'': Not one single character in the game is ever identified by name.
230	* Neither the proagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Gorogoa}}'' nor the dragon he seeks are given names, fitting into the game's [[SilenceIsGolden complete lack of dialogue]].
231	* Aside from protagonist Gordon Freeman and a few names on the lockers in the locker room, there are no named characters in ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' whatsoever. Other named characters were introduced in the expansion packs and the sequel though.
232	* ''VideoGame/AHatInTime'': Most of the characters are referred to with titles or descriptors, with the exceptions being [[{{Yandere}} Queen Vanessa]], The "murdered" Owl Express member (who is revealed to be named Robin), [[TheGhost Steve from accounting]] and possibly DJ Grooves. The "possibly" comes from that it could be his stage name.
233	* Not one character is given a name in ''VideoGame/HauntTheHouse''. The tutorial is told in the second person, which is why the player character is never named.
234	* ''VideoGame/HelloNeighbor'' gives neither of its characters (the protagonist and their neighbor) names.
235	* None of the characters in ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'' are given names of any sorts. While there are {{Fan Nickname}}s such as "Jacket" or "Richard" for the protagonist, officially he is never addressed by anything (although the developers have taken a liken to "Jacket" and other fan nicknames and have started referring to them as such). Averted with most of the new characters in [[VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber the sequel]], though characters that were nameless in the original, like Jacket, remain unknown.
236	* ''VideoGame/HyperLightDrifter'': All information is non-verbal, so nobody is called by name. However, some characters have [[AllThereInTheManual official names]] drawn from TarotMotifs.
237	* ''VideoGame/JustShapesAndBeats'': The closest things we get to names for any characters are the titles of certain boss levels, which many fans have indeed adapted into their respective characters' names.
238	* ''VideoGame/KeroBlaster'': Most of the game is this. The company president is simply known as "[[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The President]]", while the protagonist and his co-workers don't even seem to have a title they are referred to by. However, there is [[https://youtu.be/KJNRktZ2X0o?t=2m59s a secret cast roll]] (found after [[spoiler:finishing the final glitched area in Omake Mode]]) that lists names for the characters, and the bosses have names listed in the code (the names can be found on [[http://www.cavestory.org/pixels-works/kero-blaster.php this page]]).
239	* The [=NPCs=] in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' games never seem to have real names, instead using job titles or simple descriptions to designate characters. As for you, despite [[HelloInsertNameHere whatever name you choose for yourself]], you're never referred to as anything other as Hunter. Averted with the Pub Manager in ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterGenerations Ultimate'', who so far is the only character in the entire series to actually call the player Hunter by their name. This trend is only dropped by ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'', which is the first mainline game in the series to give every member of the cast actual names.
240	* ''VideoGame/PaperChase'': Bluto is the only character with a name. Everyone else is referred to by their job/position.
241	* The first ''VideoGame/{{Propagation}}'' doesn't have any named characters. Averted in the sequel.
242	* While the characters in ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' do have names, they never actually refer to each other or themselves by name except [[VideoGame/Portal2 Cave Johnson and Caroline, and Wheatley referring to himself by name once]]. Their names are only mentioned in [[AllThereInTheScript subtitles and end credits]].
243	* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'' ''almost'' does it, if it were not for Elika and Ahriman. Every other character goes unnamed.
244	* Only two characters in ''VideoGame/RCHelicopter'' are named: Mark, a random boy, and Beakly, a woman who owns an shop.
245	* ''VideoGame/SuperNinjaMeowCat'': Downplayed. The only named character is King Cobra, the boss of level 5. All the other bosses, as well as the protagonist, remain unnamed.
246	* All the player characters and the Announcer in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' are [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep referred to solely by profession/class]] in-game (which admittedly [[ExcusePlot doesn't have a plot]]) and in the [[WebAnimation/TeamFortress2 machinima videos]]. The [[Webcomic/TeamFortress2 webcomics]] ''do'' eventually give the majority of them names (and Miss Pauling), but they're still mostly referred to by class.
247	* ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'': Aside from Madotsuki, Monoe and Monoko (their names come from the files for their full-screen events), every character in the game has no name. Fans have gotten around this by using {{Fan Nickname}}s for everyone.
248	[[/folder]]
249
250	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
251	* Nobody has names in ''VisualNovel/DraKoi''. There's the dragon, the dragonslayer, the protagonist's mother and the protagonist, [[spoiler:who later becomes the hero by attacking the dragonslayer, which was just a suit of armor that now recognizes him as a worthy hero.]] It's metafiction, so names would just get in the way.
252	* In ''VisualNovel/JunipersKnot'', neither character is given a name. They are identified as "boy" and "demon" or "fiend".
253	* ''VisualNovel/ALetterOfChallenge'': No character in the story has a name. The game's antagonist is usually referred to as "the mysterious girl."
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Webcomics]]
257	* Up until this point, there has nary been a proper noun in the ''entirety'' of the comic ''Webcomic/TheArtistIsDead'' In fact, it's safe to say that there ''won't'' be a proper noun in the comic, mostly because it has already been [[CompletedWebcomics finished]].
258	* Being an [[SilenceIsGolden dialogueless]] webcomic, none of characters in ''Childhood Friend Yuri'' is given a name.
259	* ''Webcomic/CluelessHero'': None of Clueless Hero's player characters or even the villains are actually given names, not even the protagonist.
260	* Averted in ''Webcomic/{{Erstwhile}}'', in which several characters who were nameless in the original Brothers Grimm tales are given names.
261	* ''Webcomic/FifteenMinds:'' Due to the lack of text in the comics, none of the characters in any of the stories are ever named. The most we ever get from the artist on the subject is out-of-universe descriptors for the characters, such as "bunny and dino", hence the monikers used throughout the works page.
262	* Hardly any of the characters in ''Webcomic/GoneWithTheBlastwave'' are named, and the two protagonists aren't among them. Furthermore, all the characters are GasMaskMooks wearing uniforms, so the emblems on their helmets are the only way they can be told apart.
263	* ''Webcomic/{{HERO}}'' is a partial example -- while there are a few named characters, some central and some not so much, there are also many major and minor characters known only by roles or titles.
264	* ''Webcomic/LadyOfTheShard'': No names are given for anybody. The acolytes have a tradition of not using them; the Phoenix is a title, and we never learn what her name was before she inherited it; at the end of the comic, the Goddess addresses the Old God by name, but it's written as a small cluster of stars, implying that it [[TheUnpronounceable can't be pronounced]] or understood by humans anyway.
265	* Whenever someone would be referred to by name in ''Webcomic/LittleNuns'', they are instead identified by a small drawing of their face. Both this wiki's character page and Danbooru's character tags use nicknames to identify the cast due to this quality.
266	* ''WebComic/{{Minus}}'': Aside from a small number of bit characters and minus herself, no one in the comic is given a name.
267	* ''Webcomic/PiledHighAndDeeper" includes many named characters but the central semi-autobiographical grad student has no name.
268	* ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'': Many characters (for example, Problem Sleuth, Mobster Kingpin, Nervous Broad, the Weasel King) have titles instead of names. Madame Murel, the Midnight Crew and possibly [[TheGrimReaper Death]] are exceptions.
269	* Pretty much all the recurring characters in ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'' are nameless: Black Hat Guy, Black Hat Guy's Female Counterpart/Girlfriend, That Weird Guy In The Beret, etc. Pretty much the only exception is Megan. (And that's assuming it's [[OneSteveLimit always the same Megan]].)
270	[[/folder]]
271
272	[[folder:Web Original]]
273	* The only names given in ''Literature/ElfslayerChronicles'' are Bali and Baldin, ThoseTwoGuys. The main protagonist is 'OP' (short for Original Poster), his accomplice is 'the [[HalfHumanHybrid Half-Orc]]', the DM is simply 'The DM', the player who opposed OP is 'the Weeaboo' (an insulting term for a Japan fangirl/boy), the [[PlotTriggeringDeath victim]] is The Prince, and the prince's lover (who OP framed) is just 'the Royal Guard' (his position).
274	* Most of the anecdotes on ''Website/NotAlwaysRight'', as the poster won't know the names of those involved, and it wouldn't add anything anyhow, so the names are usually a description - "Husband", "Wife", "Kid", "Mother", "Father", "Stoned Guy" - or just "Me", "Customer", "Cashier", "Manager".
275	* No character in ''Literature/NothingLikeTheSun'' has a name revealed. Fortunately, the story [[FirstPersonNarration is narrated in first person]] and has a MinimalistCast.
276	* ''WebVideo/ScreenRantPitchMeetings''
277	** The series stars a Screenwriter and a Producer, neither of whom are referred to by name, as they discuss the former's movie pitches.[[note]] Though it's mentioned in one video that Screenwriter Guy and Producer Guy are their actual names[[/note]]
278	** In the ''Film/JurassicWorld'' pitch meeting, the Screenwriter initially plans on forgoing names because the characters are so flat they don't need them, but the Producer convinces him they need names, so he thinks of names for "Money Lady" (Claire) and "Animal-Loving Navy Guy" (Owen).
279	* The two friends from ''WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay''. Since they are in the same room talking to each after already staring up a game, it makes sense that they would have already said their names to each other. This is dropped in the second season when their names are revealed as Matt and Pat.
280	* ''WebOriginal/WhatColorAreYou'': While you enter a name for yourself at the start of the quiz, it's never used and the player is only addressed as 'you'. Likewise, the creator/narrator never gives their name, and all the characters encountered during the game segment are simply called things like 'the snake' or 'the noble' by them.
281	[[/folder]]
282
283	[[folder:Web Videos]]
284	* The short video ''WebVideo/ToTheDeath'' has a total of [[MinimalistCast five characters]], only two of which get actual lines. None of them get a name, or even a descriptive title in the credits. The video's trope page settles for calling the characters by roughly descriptive titles: the teacher, the student, the janitor, the man in the black suit, and the bearded man/the master.
285	[[/folder]]
286
287	[[folder:Western Animation]]
288	* For the most part, very few characters in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' actually have names or even address each other. Most characters are {{only known by their nickname}} instead of their real name, [[NoNameGiven if they're even given a name at all]].
289	* Many Creator/TexAvery cartoons feature one-time characters whom Avery never bothered to give a name. This includes many anonymous cats, dogs and mice and even the infamous wolf character who, despite being a recurring character, always has NoNameGiven.
290	[[/folder]]
291

Context Main / NamelessNarrative