pen name

American  

noun

1. a pseudonym used by an author; nom de plume.

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pen name British  

noun

1. Also called: nom de plume.  an author's pseudonym

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Usage

What is a pen name? A pen name is a name, especially a completely fake one, under which an author publishes their work instead of using their real name. The term nom de plume means the exact same thing. There are many reasons an author may choose to use a pen name instead of their own name, such as to avoid controversy or to create a persona. Many women authors throughout history have used a male or gender-neutral pen name to get their work published due to bias against women writers. A famous example is Mary Ann Evans, who used the pen name George Eliot. A more general term for a pen name is pseudonym, which refers to any false name but is most commonly associated with writers. Example: Many people know that Mark Twain was the pen name of Samuel Clemens, but they don't realize he also published as Sieur Louis de Conte.

Etymology

Origin of pen name

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

But that is to underestimate the symbolic vehemence of the Le Pen name, and the associations it conjures up in the minds of its enemies.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2023

Nowadays, the 38-year-old Franco-Algerian said he no longer viewed the Le Pen name as a threat.

From Reuters • Apr. 15, 2022

“The Le Pen name is a brand,” Maréchal, now 32, told me last fall.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2022

Even the Le Pen name, tied to her father, is absent.

From New York Times • May 3, 2017

The author of this book is Metta Victoria Fuller Victor writing under the Pen name of Walter T. Gray.

From The Blunders of a Bashful Man by Victor, Metta Victoria Fuller