# Nameless Characters **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 1, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906 "2009-11-01T02:09:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/81 "2009-11-02T19:09:06Z")
The main character in H.G. Wells’ _The Time Machine_ is referred to only as ‘The Time Traveler.’ ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/82 "2009-11-02T19:16:36Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > When the movie came out, it was supposed to be a big deal that we found out his actual name. I thought his first name was revealed in the series finale? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/83 "2009-11-02T19:30:34Z")
Thought of one more. The Little Mermaid in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/84 "2009-11-02T19:46:21Z")
**The Road Warrior** - the Gyro Captain and the Feral Kid were never referred to by name. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/85 "2009-11-02T19:53:15Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > I thought his first name was revealed in the series finale? It is, it shows up on Carrie’s caller ID at the end of the episode. His full name is in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/86 "2009-11-02T19:54:14Z")
> [@Promethea](#): > > He’s named in the screenplay but Paul McGann’s character in _Withnail & I_ has no name mentioned onscreen. Even in the end credits, his character is listed as ‘…& I’. When he receives the telegram informing him that he’s been called back, you can read the name and address upside down after he hands it to Withnail. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/87 "2009-11-02T19:54:21Z")
The singer in Kenny Rogers’ _The Gambler_ is never named. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/88 "2009-11-02T21:09:11Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > In Timothy Findlay’s _Not Wanted On The Voyage_, he pokes fun at the fact that Noah’s wife is never named in the Bible. She is known as “Mrs Noah” throughout the book. Everybody knows that Noah’s wife’s first name was Joan. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/89 "2009-11-02T21:13:13Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Everybody knows that Noah’s wife’s first name was Joan. Ah, a fellow Bill and Ted fan after my own heart. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/90 "2009-11-02T21:31:33Z")
> [@Dorothea\_Book](#): > > Well I’m somewhat new to Cafe Society having mainly posted in Great Debates till now. Perhaps I erred on the side of caution. Definitely worth putting a spoiler in for. But next time you do, you need to write something outside the spoiler box about what’s inside it, otherwise no one knows what you’re about to spoil until they actual click on the box (and get spoiled). **Do:** > [@Correct Spoiler Use](#): > > Hey, everyone knows what happens at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, right? > > Darth Vader is Luke’s father. **Don’t:** > [@Incorrect Spoiler Use](#): > > You had no idea what I wrote here until you clicked “Show”. It could have been anything, what in the world were you thinking?!? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/91 "2009-11-02T21:37:19Z")
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern know their two names, but cant remember which is which. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/92 "2009-11-02T22:04:46Z")
Speaking of characters whose names are references to anonymity, my latest favourite is the eponymous character in Jaco Van Dormael’s movie _[Mr Nobody](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485947/)_. The name we’re given is “Nemo Nobody”, which quite literally means “Nobody Nobody”. As a matter of fact, he’d qualify for this thread, since at one point in the movie he alludes to the fact that he can’t remember his real name and that there are no records of who he really is… which would make “Nemo Nobody” a pseudonym. We don’t know his parents’ names either - they’re only “mother” and “father” in the film, and they’re not named in the credits. > [@Lamia](#): > > Thinking of _Snow Crash_, was YT’s real name ever mentioned? I can’t remember now. I know she introduced herself as “YT” (“Yours Truly”). According to the [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash#Important_characters), Y.T.'s real name is never revealed in the book. I’ll have to double-check my copy when I get home, tho, as I think her mother’s name is mentioned (which would mean we technically know Y.T.'s last name) ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/93 "2009-11-02T22:23:18Z")
The leading role in the musical _Kismet_ is “The Poet.” Near the beginning he falsely identifies himself as Hajj the Beggar, a name he answers to for much of the rest of the show. But his real name is never revealed. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/94 "2009-11-02T22:28:31Z")
Oh yes, another one that occurs to me. It’s part of a plot twist, so I’ll put it in spoilers, but the central character of _The Day of the Jackal_ is never identified. ---
**Author:** ![Magicicada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c67d28/32.png) [@Magicicada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magicicada)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/95 "2009-11-02T23:23:14Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Quoth **sweetie pea** :Wasn’t she named “Beloved”? I believe in the novel, the only thing Sethe remembers from the funeral are the minister’s opening words, “Dearly Beloved,” so that is what she has chisled on the baby’s tombstone. Later, when the girl appears calling herself Beloved, Sethe remembers the tombstone engraving and is touched by the name, which she thinks is sweet. Little did she know… Anyway, and I’m trying not to give too much away for anyone who hasn’t read the book, I always understood that Beloved named herself from the tombstone engraving, and that that was not the baby’s given name. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/96 "2009-11-02T23:29:07Z")
> [@Mahna\_Mahna](#): > > According to the [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash#Important_characters), Y.T.'s real name is never revealed in the book. I’ll have to double-check my copy when I get home, tho, as I think her mother’s name is mentioned (which would mean we technically know Y.T.'s last name) IIRC YT’s father isn’t in the picture, although I don’t remember if he’s dead, if her parents are divorced, or if they were never married. It’s possible that YT’s mother uses her maiden name while YT’s legal last name is the same as her father’s. If she has bad feelings towards her father that would give her extra reason to prefer a nickname to her legal name, although that’s pure speculation on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/97 "2009-11-03T00:12:04Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The narrator of **Moby Dick**. He does say, “Call me Ishmael,” but he is never referred to as such in the book and the sentence seems to imply you can call him that, but it’s not necessarily his name. It’s true his name seems to be rarely mentioned but, from chapter 16… > [@Captain Peleg](#): > > “Now then, my young man, Ishmael’s thy name, didn’t ye say? Well then, down ye go here, Ishmael, for the three hundredth lay.” ---
**Author:** ![Dorothea\_Book](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Dorothea\_Book](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorothea_Book)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/98 "2009-11-03T00:22:31Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Definitely worth putting a spoiler in for. But next time you do, you need to write something outside the spoiler box about what’s inside it, otherwise no one knows what you’re about to spoil until they actual click on the box (and get spoiled). > > **Do:** > > **Don’t:** Well thank you **Munch**. I confess that I thought my having said that my post was “Re the narrator of _Fight Club_” was sufficient to warn non-_Fight Club_-initiated posters of the contents of my spoiler box. However, I will be even more explicit in the future. **Lamia** , I think wikipedia is right about Y.T. but I too will need to check–it’s been years since I read _Snow Crash_–too long in fact. And it’s so nice to find that **Captain Peleg** posts on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/99 "2009-11-03T05:10:57Z")
Oh, a couple of webcomic examples: In [Piled Higher and Deeper](http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/aboutcomics.html), one of the major characters (about the third or fourth biggest character in the strip) has no known name. He has a name, but nobody ever addresses him by it, to his occasional annoyance. His younger sister is named “Dee”, but her last name isn’t known, either, so that doesn’t help. And in [Order of the Stick](http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0472.html), there are a couple of minor characters, common soldiers who ended up hanging out with the heroes for an arc. At one point, they stay behind to hold off some enemies, and the genre-savvy bard laments that they’re surely doomed, since they don’t even have names. Following that, well, read the linked strip. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2009, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906/100 "2009-11-03T05:43:29Z")
In _That Thing You Do_, the bass player is only known as “The Bass Player.” In the comics, in _Calvin and Hobbes_, Calvin’s mom and dad have no names. Charlie Brown’s crush is only known as “the little red-haired girl,” although she may not count since she is only spoken about and never actually appears in the strip. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nameless-characters/515906.md?page=6)