Pseudonym

A pseudonym or allonym is a name, (sometimes legally adopted, sometimes purely fictitious), used by an individual as an alternative to their birth name.

When used by authors, a pseudonym is also called a pen name or nom de plume. (This is an English expression: in France, such an alias is more commonly termed a nom de guerre).

When used by actors, performers, or models, a pseudonym is also called a stage name (or sometimes "screen name")

Famous pseudonyms of people who were neither authors nor actors include:

• Le Corbusier, the architect, was Charles Edouard Jeanneret.
• Alan Smithee is name used by directors who disown their own movie.
• Nicolas Bourbaki was a famous pseudonym for a group of mathematicians
• Student was William Sealey Gosset, discoverer of Student's t-distribution in statistics.

On the internet, pseudonymous remailers utilising cryptography can be used to achieve persisnent pseudonymity, so that two-way communication can be achieved, and reputations can be established without linking a physical identity to a pseudonym.

See also:

• List of pseudonyms
• A N Other
• anonymity
• pseudonymity
• nickname
• secret identity
• stage name