Pseudonym Examples

A pseudonym is a fictitious name used to conceal someone’s real name. The pseudonym of an author is a pen name and the pseudonym of an actor is a stage name or screen name. A pseudonym can also be an alias used by people or groups, like sports stars or criminals.

Pen Names and Pseudonyms

Here are examples of pen names with the pseudonym listed first:

A.A. Fair - Erle Stanley Gardner
Aaron Wolfe - Dean Koontz
Anne Rice - Howard Allen O'Brien
Boz - Charles Dickens
Brynjolf Bjarme - Henrik Ibsen
David Agnew - A group of writers and producers for Doctor Who
Dear Abby - Jeanne Phillips and Pauline Esther Friedman Phillips
Dr. Seuss - Theodor Seuss Geisel
Edgar Box - Gore Vidal
Elia - Charles Lamb
Ellis Bell - Emily Bronte
Geoffrey Crayon - Washington Irving
Kennilworthy Whisp - J.K. Rowling
Lemony Snicket - Daniel Handler
Lewis Carroll - Charles Dodgson
Mark Twain - Samuel Clemens
Mary Westmacott - Agatha Christie
Moliere - Jean-Baptiste Poquelin
O. Henry - William Sydney Porter
Paul French - Isaac Asimov
Richard Bachman - Stephen King
Voltaire - François-Marie Arouet

Stage and Screen Pseudonyms

Here are some examples:

Alan Alda - Alphonso D'Abruzzo
Axl Rose - William Bailey
Barbara Stanwyck - Ruby Stevens
Ben Kingsley - Krishna Banji
Bruce Lee - Lee Yuen Kam
Chuck Norris - Carlos Ray
Dorothy Lamour - Mary Kaumeyer
Elvis Costello - Declan McManus
Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry McGraw
George Burns - Nathan Birnbaum
John Wayne - Marion Morrison
LL Cool J - James Todd Smith III
Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Baker
Michael Landon - Eugene Maurice Orowitz
Queen Latifah - Dana Elaine Owens
Rock Hudson - Roy Scherer Jr
Shania Twain - Eileen Regina Edwards
Sting - Gordon Sumner
Tina Turner - Annie Mae Bullock
Whoopie Goldberg - Caryn Johnson
Woody Allen - Allen Konigsberg

Sports Pseudonyms

Here are examples:

Casey Stengel - Charles Dillon Stengel
Chi Chi Rodriguez - Juan Antonio Rodriguez
Dida - Nélson de Jesus Silva
Fuzzy Zoeller - Frank Urban Zoeller, Jr.
Khaosai Galaxy - Sura Saenkham
Mercury Morris - Eugene Edward Morris
Pele - Edson Arantes do Nascimento
Smush Parker - William Henry Parker
Sparky Anderson - George Lee Anderson
Too Tall Jones - Ed Lee Jones

Pseudonyms Used by Criminals

Here are examples of famous criminals with pseudonyms:

Baby Face Nelson - Lester Joseph Gillis
Billy the Kid - William H. Bonney
Blackbeard - Edward Teach
Butch Cassidy - Robert LeRoy Parker
Legs Diamond - Jack Nolan
Machine Gun Kelly - George Celino Barnes
Pretty Boy Floyd - Charles Arthur Floyd
Son of Sam - David Berkowitz
The Sundance Kid - Harry Alonzo Longabaugh
The Unabomber - Ted Kaczynski

Pseudonyms Used by Fictional Characters

Here are some examples:

M - Sir Miles Messervy from James Bond
Q - Major Boothroyd from James Bond
Aramis - Chevalier d'Herblay from The Three Musketeers
Athos - Le Comte de La Fère from The Three Musketeers
Porthos - Monsieur du Vallon from The Three Musketeers
Art Vandelay - Used by George and Elaine in the TV sitcom Seinfeld
Lord Voldemort - Tom Riddle from Harry Potter
Mr. Underhill - Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings
Scarlet Pimpernel - Sir Percy Blakeney from the play and novel of the same name
The Shadow - Lamont Cranston
Zorro - Don Diego de la Vega originally created by author Johnston McCulley

With these examples you can now recognize pseudonyms for different famous people you may encounter.