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What pseudonym did author Samuel Clemens use?

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pseudonym

American  

[sood-n-im] / ˈsud n ɪm /

noun

• pseudonyms
  plural

1. a fictitious name used especially by an author to conceal their identity; pen name.

   Synonyms:

   nom de plume, alias

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pseudonym British  

/ ˈsjuːdəˌnɪm /

noun

1. a fictitious name adopted, esp by an author

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Usage

What is a pseudonym? A pseudonym is a false or fictitious name, especially one used by an author. When an author uses a pseudonym, it can also be called a pen name or a nom de plume. There are many reasons an author may choose to use a pseudonym 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 pseudonym to get their work published due to bias against women writers. A famous example is Mary Ann Evans, who used the pseudonym George Eliot. The word pseudonym can refer to a fake or false name used by anyone, not just writers. It’s typically used so a person can remain anonymous. In legal proceedings, the pseudonyms John Doe, Jane Doe, Richard Roe, and Jane Roe are used in​ when a person’s name is being kept anonymous. Such names can also be called anonyms. Example: A lot of people use pseudonyms when posting controversial opinions online.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudonymity
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pseudonyms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pseudonym

First recorded in 1840–50; from Greek pseudṓnymon “false name”; see pseud-, -onym

Explanation

A pseudonym is a name that someone, often a writer, uses instead of their real name. The real name of Dr. Seuss was Theodore Seuss Geisel. Mark Twain was a pseudonym for the writer Samuel Clemens. A near synonym of pseudonym is pen name. Similarly, an allonym is the name of an important person in history that is taken by a writer as a pseudonym. Some of Shakespeare's plays might have been written by other writers using an allonym. If an actor uses a fake name, it is usually called a stage name. And there's no fancy work for nickname — it's just what your family and friends call you.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pseudonym pseudonyms

A brief mention of a pizza-spinning girlfriend is tossed off immediately after, replaced by vivid stories about his first summer working at the real-life Flagship, given the pseudonym The Dreadnaught.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

Factually, it’s baloney, although “Tony” does restore the restaurant’s actual name — the Flagship — from Bourdain’s Dreadnaught, the pseudonym he gave it before he ever imagined future fans following him around the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Those taking part in the Eisteddfod's poetry competition do so under a pseudonym, with entrants' real details kept in a sealed envelope and winners' identities only revealed when announced.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Inside El-Obeid, drones buzz almost constantly, said Adam Hussein, using a pseudonym for fear of reprisals.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

It took me almost as long to select a pseudonym as it had taken me to write the whole letter.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Four women, who use the pseudonyms Isabella, Justine, Elizabeth and Margo and founded the "No One Above" advocacy group, have now been recognised as victims of human trafficking.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

The song was co-credited to Who's British? - which turned out to be another of Ellis's many pseudonyms.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

The indictment names him as Thomas Doyle, saying that he also used the pseudonyms A.J. and Austin Doyle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

With ultra-low budgets, many of the productions are non-union, prompting some writers and actors to work under pseudonyms to avoid facing sanctions from their unions, said several people who work on the shows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2025

I would venture to guess that these were pseudonyms.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Related Words

• alias
• stage name