This is a list of pseudonyms, in various categories.
A pseudonym is a name adopted by a person for a particular purpose, which differs from their true name. A pseudonym may be used by social activists or politicians for political purposes or by others for religious purposes. It may be a soldier's nom de guerre or an author's nom de plume. It may be a performer's stage name or an alias used by visual artists, athletes, fashion designers, or criminals. Pseudonyms are occasionally used in fiction such as by superheroes or other fictional characters.
| Pseudonym | Real name | Notability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satoshi Nakamato | (unknown) | Inventor of Bitcoin | |
| Abel Djassi | Amílcar Cabral | Guinea-Bissauan politician | |
| ABOVE | Tavar Zawacki | American abstract artist | |
| Abu Ammar | Yasser Arafat | Palestinian president | |
| Acharya S | D.M. Murdock | American Christ myth theorist | |
| Adam Ant | Stuart Goddard | English Pop Musician | |
| Adi Da | Franklin Jones | American writer | |
| Al "Bummy" Davis | Abraham Davidoff | American boxer | |
| Alexander Supertramp | Christopher McCandless | American hiker | |
| Allan Kardec | Hippolyte Rivail | American religious figure | |
| Amor de Cosmos | William Smith | 2nd premier of British Columbia, Canada | |
| Anarchasis Cloots | Jean-Baptiste du Val-de-Grâce | Prussian-French noble | |
| Anthony Garotinho | Anthony Matheus de Oliveira | Brazilian broadcaster, politician, and criminal | |
| Aristides | William Lloyd Garrison | American activist and journalist | |
| Arkan | Željko Ražnatović | Serbian soldier and criminal | |
| Armin S. | (unknown) | German financier | |
| Avicii | Tim Bergling | Swedish Pop Artist | |
| Baby Face George Nelson | Lester Gillis | American criminal | |
| Balthus | Balthazar Klossowski de Rola | French painter | |
| Barefoot Bandit | Colton Harris-Moore | American former fugitive | |
| Bernard Shakey | Neil Young | Canadian musician | |
| Bhanusimha | Rabindranath Tagore | Poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter | |
| Billy the Kid | Henry McCarty | American criminal | |
| Black Bart | Charles Bowles | English-American criminal | |
| Bob Denard | Gilbert Bourgeaud | French mercenary | |
| Bono | Paul Hewson | Lead singer, U2 | |
| Bór | Tadeusz Komorowski | Polish soldier | |
| Borelowski | Michał Grażyński | ||
| Bramantino | Bartolomeo Suardi | Italian painter | |
| Brother Andre | André Bessette | Canadian priest and saint | |
| BTK | Dennis Rader | American serial killer | |
| Bugsy Siegel | Benjamin Siegelbaum | American criminal | |
| Butch Cassidy | Robert Parker | American criminal | |
| Cafu | Marcos Evangelista de Moraes | Brazilian footballer | |
| Caligula | Gajus Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus | Roman emperor | |
| Canaletto | Giovanni Canale | Italian painter | |
| Caravaggio | Michelangelo Merisi | Italian painter | |
| Careca | Antônio de Oliveira Filho | Brazilian footballer | |
| Carlos Danger | Anthony Weiner | United States Congressperson | |
| Carlos the Jackal | Ilich Ramírez-Sánchez | ||
| Cassandre | Adolphe Mouron | French painter | |
| Chad Ochocinco | Chad Johnson | American footballer | |
| Cigoli | Lodovico Cardi | Italian painter | |
| Coco Chanel | Gabrielle Chanel | Fashion designer | |
| Colonel Tom Parker | Andreas van Kuijk | Musical entrepreneur | |
| Coldmirror | Kathrin Fricke | Youtube creator | |
| DAIM | Mirko Reisser | Graffiti artist | |
| Darius Paul Dassault | Darius Paul Bloch | French general | |
| Deco | Anderson Luiz de Sousa | Footballer | |
| Dick Tiger | Richard Ihetu | ||
| Dida | Nélson de Jesus Silva | Brazilian former footballer | |
| Doctor Ch@os | Joseph Konopka | ||
| Donatello | Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi | ||
| Dosso Dossi | Giovanni di Niccolò de Luteri | ||
| Duda | Sérgio Paulo Barbosa Valente | ||
| Dutch Schultz | Arthur Flegenheimer | ||
| El Greco | Dominikos Theotokópulos | ||
| Elizabeth Arden | Florence Graham | ||
| Emmanuel Goldstein | Eric Corley | ||
| Erté | Romain de Tirtoff | ||
| Estée Lauder | Josephine Mentzer | ||
| Francis of Assisi | Giovanni di Bernardone | ||
| Francisco "Pancho" Villa | José Arango Arámbula | ||
| Frank Costello | Francesco Castiglia | ||
| Frank Talk | Stephen Biko | Activist | |
| Friedensreich Hundertwasser | Friedrich Stowasser | ||
| Garrincha | Manuel Francisco dos Santos | ||
| Garry Kasparov | Garik Weinstein | ||
| Geki | Giacomo Russo | ||
| Germain | Ernest Mandel | ||
| Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej | Gheorge Gheorghiu | ||
| Gimax | Carlo Franchi | ||
| Giorgione | Giorgio da Castelfranco | ||
| Giottino | Maso di Stefano | ||
| Grabica; Grot; Kalina | Stefan Rowecki | ||
| Gracchus Babeuf | François-Noël Babeuf | ||
| Green River Killer | Gary Ridgway | ||
| Grete Lainer | (unknown) | ||
| Grigory Zinoviev | Ovsel Radymyslsky | ||
| Grzegorz | Tadeusz Pełczyński | ||
| Gus Hall | Arvo Halberg | ||
| H. Rap Brown | Hubert Gerold Brown | Activist | |
| Halston | Roy Halston Frowick | ||
| Happy Face Killer | Richard Jesperson | ||
| He hate me | Rod Smart | ||
| Hellé Nice | Mariette Hélène Delangle | ||
| Henri Cornet | Henri Jaudry | ||
| Henriett Seth F. | Henrietta Fajcsák[1] | ||
| Henry Arundel | Henry Fitzalan-Howard | ||
| Ho Chi Minh | Nguyễn Sinh Cung | ||
| Houari Boumédiène | Mohamed Boukharouba | ||
| Hubal | Henryk Dobrzański | ||
| I-5 Killer | Randall Woodfield | ||
| Iceman | Richard Kuklinski | ||
| Il Garofalo | Benvenuto Tisi | ||
| Il Pordenone | Giovanni Licinio | ||
| Il Sodoma | Giovanni Bazzi | ||
| Kim Il-sung | Song-ju Kim | ||
| Ingahild Grathmer | Queen Margrethe II of Denmark | She illustrated The Lord of the Rings under this pseudonym. | |
| J. Krzemień | Florian Marciniak | ||
| J. Posadas | Homero Cristali | ||
| J.J. Lehto | Jyrki Järvilehto | ||
| János Kádár | János Csermanek | ||
| Jean Jérome | Michel Feintuch | ||
| Jieshi Jiang | Chiang Kai-shek | ||
| Jil Sander | Heidemarie Jiline Sander | ||
| Jim McKay | James McManus | ||
| Jimmy Choo | Yeang-keat Choo | ||
| Joe Louis | Joseph Louis Barrow | ||
| Joel Ash | David Padwa | Author | |
| John of God | João Teixeira de Faria | Faith healer | |
| John Winter | Louis Krages | ||
| Johnny Dumfries | John Crichton-Stuart | ||
| Josef Stalin | Ioseb Dzhugashvili | ||
| Joseph Estrada | Joseph Ejército | ||
| Joseph of Cupertino | Giuseppe Desa | ||
| Josip Broz Tito | Josip Broz | ||
| Kaká | Ricardo dos Santos Leite | ||
| Karl Lagerfeld | Karl Lagerfeldt | ||
| Kaws | Brian Donnelly | ||
| Khaosai Galaxy | Sura Saenkham | ||
| Kid McCoy | Norman Selby | ||
| Korczak | Tadeusz Komorowski | ||
| Kouji Takanohara | Kouji Hanada | ||
| Kuba | Jakub Błaszczykowski | ||
| Lawina | Tadeusz Komorowski | ||
| La Pasionaria | Dolores Ibárruri | ||
| Le Corbusier | Charles-Édouard Jeanneret | ||
| Leclerc | Philippe Marie | ||
| Legija | Milorad Ulemek | ||
| Leon Duray | George Stewart | ||
| Leon Trotsky | Lev Bronstein | ||
| Lev Kamenev | Lev Rosenfeld | ||
| Lo Spagna | Giovanni di Petra | ||
| Lucien Petit-Breton | Lucien Mazan | ||
| Lucky Luciano | Salvatore Lucania | ||
| Machine Gun Kelly | George Barnes | ||
| Mahatma Gandhi | Mohandas Gandhi | ||
| Malaclypse the Younger | Gregory Hill | ||
| Man Ray | Emmanuel Radnitzky | ||
| Manolo Blahnik | Manuel Blahnik Rodriguez | ||
| Marc Chagall | Moishe Shagall | ||
| Marc Ecko | Marc Milecofsky | ||
| Mark Rothko | Marcus Rothkowitz | ||
| Martin Thembisile Hani | Chris Hani | ||
| Masaccio | Tommaso Cassai | ||
| Masaru Wakanohara | Masaru Hanada | ||
| Mata Amritanandamayi | Sudhamani | ||
| Mata Hari | Margaretha MacLeod | Dutch courtesan and spy | |
| Max Factor Jr. | Maksymilian Faktorowicz | American businessperson | |
| Meyer Lansky | Meyer Suchowljansky | Russian-American gangster | |
| Míchel | José Miguel González Martín del Campo | Spaniard footballer | |
| Michel Pablo | Michel Raptis | Egyptian-Greek activist | |
| Miss Cleo | Youree Harris | American television psychic | |
| Miu Miu | Miuccia Prada | Italian fashion designer | |
| Mo Martin | Melissa Martin | American golfer | |
| Monter | Antoni Chruściel | ||
| Moses David | David Berg | American cultist | |
| Mother Angelica | Rita Rizzo | American nun | |
| Mother Jones | Mary Jones | Irish-American activist | |
| Mother Teresa | Agnes Bojaxhiu | Albanian nun | |
| Mr. Baldy | Brian Keith Jones | Australian criminal | |
| Mr. Death | Dennis Allen | Australian criminal | |
| Mr. Rent-a-Kill | Christopher Flannery | Australian assassin | |
| Mr. Stinky | Raymund Edmunds | Australian murderer | |
| Murph the Surf | Jack Murphy | American murderer | |
| Murray the Hump | Murray Humphreys | American criminal | |
| Mutilator | William McDonald | ||
| Nahuel Moreno | Hugo Bressano | Argentinian politician | |
| Nenê | Maybyner Rodney Hilário | Brazilian basketballer | |
| Niedźwiadek | Leopold Okulicki | Polish general | |
| Night Stalker | Richard Ramirez | American serial killer | |
| Nil | August Emil Fieldorf | Polish brigadier general | |
| Notch | Markus Persson | Swedish former game programmer | |
| Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst | Kerry Wendell Thornley | American author | |
| Orsza | Stanisław Broniewski | Polish economist and soldier | |
| Paco Rabanne | Francisco Rabanedo Cuervo | Basque fashion designer | |
| Padre Pio | Francesco Forgione | Italian priest and mystic | |
| Papa Doc | François Duvalier | President of Haiti | |
| Parmigianino | Girolamo Mazzola | Italian printmaker and painter | |
| Pelé | Edson Arantes do Nascimento | Brazilian footballer | |
| Phoenix Jones | Benjamin Fodor | American vigilante and martial artist | |
| Pierre Levegh | Pierre Bouillin | French auto racer | |
| Pink | Alecia Moore | American pop musician | |
| Pisanello | Antonio Pisano | Italian sculptor and painter | |
| Pol Pot | Saloth Sar | Cambodian politician and murderer | |
| Ponury | Jan Piwnik | Polish soldier | |
| Postcard Bandit | Brenden Abbott | Australian robber | |
| Prachanda | Pushpa Kamal Dahal | Former prime minister of Nepal | |
| Radosław | Jan Mazurkiewicz | Polish soldier | |
| Rakoń | Stefan Rowecki | Polish general and journalist | |
| Ram Dass | Richard Alpert | American religious leader | |
| Raphael | Raffaello da Urbino | Italian painter and architect | |
| Raymond Kopa | Raymond Kopaszewski | French footballer | |
| Red Baron | Manfred von Richthofen | German soldier | |
| Ricco | Erich Wassmer | Swiss painter | |
| Rivaldo | Vitor Borba Ferreira | Brazilian footballer | |
| Rocket Ismail | Raghib Ismail | American football player | |
| Rocky Marciano | Rocco Marchegiano | American boxer | |
| ROJO | David Quiles Guilló | ||
| Ronaldinho | Ronaldo de Assis Moreira | Brazilian footballer | |
| Ronaldo | Ronaldo Nazário de Lima | Brazilian footballer | |
| Ronwaldo Reyes | Fernando Poe Jr. | Filipino actor, director, and politician | |
| Saïd Moustapha Mahdjoub | Gilbert Bourgeaud | French mercenary | |
| SAMO | Jean-Michel Basquiat | American artist | |
| Sara Jane Olson | Kathleen Soliah | American robber | |
| Sathya Sai Baba | Sathya Narayana Raju | Indian guru | |
| Sister Dora | Dorothy Pattison | English nun | |
| Son of Sam | David Berkowitz | American serial killer | |
| Spy | Leslie Ward | British artist | |
| Stanley Ketchel | Stanislaus Kiecal | American boxer | |
| Student | William Sealy Gosset | British statistician | |
| Sugar Ray Robinson | Walker Smith Jr. | American boxer | |
| Sundance Kid | Harry Longabaugh | American robber | |
| Suso | Jesús Fernandez Sáez | Spaniard footballer | |
| Swami Vivekananda | Narandranath Dutta | Indian monk and philosopher | |
| Swoon | Caledonia Curry | American graffiti artist | |
| Taras Chuprynka | Roman Shukhevych | Ukrainian war criminal | |
| Ted Grant | Isaac Blank | South African-British activist | |
| The Edge | David Evans | Lead guitarist, U2 | |
| Thérèse of Lisieux | Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Martin | French nun and saint | |
| Tiger Woods | Eldrick Woods | American golfer | |
| Tintoretto | Jacopo Robusti | Italian painter | |
| Titian | Tiziano Vecelli | Italian painter | |
| Tom of Finland | Touko Laaksonen | Finnish visual artist | |
| Tony Cliff | Yigael Glückstein | Israeli-English activist | |
| Tony Zale | Anthony Zaleski | American boxer | |
| Tristán Marof | Gustavo Navarro | Bolivian activist | |
| Ulay | Frank Uwe Leysiepen | German artist | |
| Unabomber | Ted Kaczynski | American serial killer | |
| Utisz | István Orosz | Hungarian visual artist | |
| VaGla | Piotr Waglowski | Polish activist | |
| Vecchietta | Francesco di Giorgio e di Lorenzo | Italian painter | |
| Viktor Suvorov | Vladimir Rezun | Russian-British Soviet defector and author | |
| Vladimir Lenin | Vladimir Ulyanov | 1st head of the Soviet Union | |
| Voltaire | François-Marie Arouet | French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher | |
| Vyacheslav Molotov | Vyacheslav Skryabin | Russian politician | |
| Waxey Gordon | Irving Wexler | American gangster | |
| WhoIsParadise | Marcus Dawes | British-American musician and activist | |
| Wilk | Aleksander Krzyżanowski | Polish soldier | |
| William Andersen | Christian Wilhelm Allers | French cricketeer | |
| William Rabbit | Katay Don Sasorith | 8th prime minister of Laos | |
| Willy Brandt | Herbert Frahm | Chancellor of Germany | |
| Xanana Gusmão | José Alexandre Gusmão | 3rd prime minister of Timorleste | |
| Yorkshire Ripper | Peter Sutcliffe | English serial killer | |
| Zico | Arthur Antunes Coimbra | Brazilian footballer and manager | |
| Znicz | Tadeusz Komorowski | Polish soldier | |
| Zośka | Tadeusz Zawadzki | Polish soldier |
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Main article: List of people who adopted matrilineal surnames |
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Main article: List of pen names |
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Main article: List of pseudonyms of angling authors |
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Main article: List of members of the AVN Hall of Fame |
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Main article: List of stage names |