Hayden

For a story I'm thinking of writing, I'm going to have a male character named Nikola.
I know in sweden it's used for boys, but what do you guys condider this to be more likely to be, a male or a female name?

Kat

whatever you want it to be, it's your character. If you are going to name a male character a slightly feminine name you need to make sure that the character has obvious masculine features so your reader doesn't get confused.

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Hodge

Nikola Tesla... It doesn't sound feminine, it sounds like a Russian name.

Bear in mind that names don't usually give away a character's gender. Personality does. And Nikola could work for a female, although I've never seen a woman named Nikola. Nicole, yes, but not Nikola.

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Hayden

Good points, thanks.

lisajane

Nikola for a guy if he's Eastern European, or Swedish as you suggested.

Nicola is a common name for a girl here in Australia.

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Hayden

I am actually, Australian as well. Nicola is a common name here you think? The closest I have heard to Nicola is Nicole. No Nicolas', but oh well.

sangfroid

Here here, I've never heard of it either.

As for the name Nikola...for me it's 50/50. If it was Nikolai I'd know it was male for sure...but I guess through the story Nikola as a man's name would grow on me, especially since it's European. All names ending with the letter "a" tend to have a feminine ring to them, but I think that's specific to certain languages.

lisajane

Dunno how old you two are, but when I was in primary school (21 now) Nicola was highly popular.

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'Beauty stands and waits with gravity to start her death-defying leap. And he, a little charleychaplin man, who may or may not catch her fair eternal form spreadeagled in the empty air of existence.' - Laurence Felinghetti, 'The Acrobat'

utter

Weird never met anyone named Nikola here in sweden, closest is Niklas I guess.

Utopian Union

Well. Yes, I would say Niklas is a better opt.

mammamaia

tesla wasn't russian [it's nikolai in russian]... he was serbian-american, born in croatia... his last name is most likely romanian in origin...

but nikola is a masculine name in several countries...

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