: Re: How to name characters of unspecific nationality and race? I am writing a generic story. I have a setting that is not tied to a specific region on earth, though the story certainly does occur

@Lengel543

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My first thought was why not use non-typical/atypical names (or even codenames as another person suggests)?

You know, names such as "Dasher", "Dancer" and "Prancer" or "Onedwarf", "Twodwarf" and/or "Threedwarf"?

How about descriptive names such as "Oneeye", "Haircut" (could be great for a bald character) or "Beefchop" (for an especially muscular character)?

OR, you could even just use the characters' surnames. Think about it:

"Henderson looked over at Rimmer, furious."

or

"Joplin considered Lawson's suggestion, but ultimately dismissed it."

or even

"Norton skewered Clayton through the throat with his sword, lifting Clayton's twitching remains high above his head, showering himself and the other spectators with Clayton's life liquid." (apologies for the slightly gory example there - I got carried away!)

The reason for this (surname-only) suggestion is because the surnames could/would have originated from anywhere in the/your world and will not be directly affected by the birthplace of each character because surnames tend to typically carry on throughout generations within each family and are not allocated at birth.

You don't mention any specific detail of your story, so I am unsure as to whether or not this will suffice, but something along those lines may serve you well and I hope that you are able to find a little inspiration in my words.

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