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HelpCharacter Name in a Cross World Story
Hi everyone - this is my first post so please tell me if I've screwed anything up!
I'm writing a story involving a character who gets dumped with an animal as they leave school for the day. This critter turns out to be extremely important and has to be delivered to someone in another (medieval type) world. And so the chaos ensues.
My character is very ambiguous - neither obviously female or male - and never lets anyone know what he/she actually is gender wise. It is one of the great mysteries at their school, and is only ever solved (maybe) at the very end of the book.
Can anyone think of any names that you truly can't distinguish the gender of? I'm thinking Logan or Mackenzie at the moment, but they bring male and female to mind respectively. I haven't yet found a name that I think of as completely ambiguous. I don't mind unusual names, but please not completely out there ones that are 16 letters long and the like!
Thanks in advance for any ideas :-)
AileKahleil
I'm writing a story involving a character who gets dumped with an animal as they leave school for the day. This critter turns out to be extremely important and has to be delivered to someone in another (medieval type) world. And so the chaos ensues.
My character is very ambiguous - neither obviously female or male - and never lets anyone know what he/she actually is gender wise. It is one of the great mysteries at their school, and is only ever solved (maybe) at the very end of the book.
Can anyone think of any names that you truly can't distinguish the gender of? I'm thinking Logan or Mackenzie at the moment, but they bring male and female to mind respectively. I haven't yet found a name that I think of as completely ambiguous. I don't mind unusual names, but please not completely out there ones that are 16 letters long and the like!
Thanks in advance for any ideas :-)
AileKahleil
Archived Thread - replies disabled
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Replies
If you really want to pick a name that people won't associate with a gender - I would go with something foreign. Think Asian, Hebrew, or something ancient. Plus... if he/she will be in a medieval world - a totally modern name will stand out like a sore thumb.
Logan and Mackenzie are both trendy - which means that they are associated with a particular generation (which doesn't help stories about parallel worlds and times, etc).
I do like the suggestion of Alex... but I personally would go with something like:
Adi
Li
Lux
Michi
Shea
Tal
Wen
etc...
Logan and Mackenzie are both trendy - which means that they are associated with a particular generation (which doesn't help stories about parallel worlds and times, etc).
I do like the suggestion of Alex... but I personally would go with something like:
Adi
Li
Lux
Michi
Shea
Tal
Wen
etc...
1
Thanks for all the ideas you wonderful people! Although now I've got too many names to pick from...Drat.
After much comparing of replies and scrolling through pages of unisex names on here I've rounded it down somewhat from my original list of two which swelled to over thirty five and now is about twenty eight.
English – Aaren, Addison, Arlie, Caelan, Coby, Dale, Emery, Hadley, Kenzie, Kit, Riley
Irish – Kelan, Quinn Welsh – Aeron, Morgan
Japanese – Kaede Dutch – Elian
Hebrew – Keshet, Liron, Tal, Tovia, Indian – Kiran
Invented – Dalen (from Dale), Tovian (from Tovia), McKinley, Keth
From the above, I really like Caelan, Emery, Riley, Kit, Kaede, Elian, Tal, Kiran and Dalen (I find names ending in -n to be particularly ambiguous).
I forgot to add that the “other world” in my story was a fantasy world involving magic, so the names could be a little odd/modern and no one would notice. I just have to find a name that will blend in among other names of the same origin (which needs to be just that little bit different so it's clear that you're not in the real world any more), without it sounding too strange in a 21st century Australian high school.
After much comparing of replies and scrolling through pages of unisex names on here I've rounded it down somewhat from my original list of two which swelled to over thirty five and now is about twenty eight.
English – Aaren, Addison, Arlie, Caelan, Coby, Dale, Emery, Hadley, Kenzie, Kit, Riley
Irish – Kelan, Quinn Welsh – Aeron, Morgan
Japanese – Kaede Dutch – Elian
Hebrew – Keshet, Liron, Tal, Tovia, Indian – Kiran
Invented – Dalen (from Dale), Tovian (from Tovia), McKinley, Keth
From the above, I really like Caelan, Emery, Riley, Kit, Kaede, Elian, Tal, Kiran and Dalen (I find names ending in -n to be particularly ambiguous).
I forgot to add that the “other world” in my story was a fantasy world involving magic, so the names could be a little odd/modern and no one would notice. I just have to find a name that will blend in among other names of the same origin (which needs to be just that little bit different so it's clear that you're not in the real world any more), without it sounding too strange in a 21st century Australian high school.
1
Of the names you like I the the ones the keep people guessing her gender would Kit and Tal the others have had one gender or the other assigned to them in recent years. So if you target audience is teenagers, they will more likely then not assumed that someone named Emery, Kaede, Caelan or Riley is a girl. On the other hand they would more likely the not assume someone named Elian, Kiran and Dalen is more likely a boy.
1
People are going to respond differently depending on their experience with a name. So I think your best choice is to invent something. The truly unisex names make it seem humorous that the person is ambiguous. Lee, Chris, Jamie, Taylor, Quinn, Casey, Alex - it risks becoming funny, and there's such a letdown if the mystery is ever solved.
I think you should use something so unfamiliar that it gives the reader a purely "unknown" vibe that will make them just accept the lack of gender info, instead of making their brain struggle between picturing one gender and the other. Nym, Deve, Tass, Zil, Keth, something like that.
I think you should use something so unfamiliar that it gives the reader a purely "unknown" vibe that will make them just accept the lack of gender info, instead of making their brain struggle between picturing one gender and the other. Nym, Deve, Tass, Zil, Keth, something like that.
1
How about Alex? It's steadily used as a nickname for both male and female names, and it's sometimes chosen as a standalone name for both.
I'll also suggest Blair and Quinn.
I'll also suggest Blair and Quinn.
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Ditto Alex
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