Slang dictionary

porn name

What does porn name mean?

Porn name can refer to an alternate identity for stars of pornographic movies, similar to a stage name or pseudonym. More recently, porn name has been used in reference to a somewhat humorous moniker used for private sexting or porn-related activity online.

Where does porn name come from?

porn name
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The practice of having a porn name has obviously been around as long as the practice of pornography has been, but it did not become an average household joke (mainly among juveniles) until recent decades. Even before pornography was called as such, sex workers and performers had stage names, which essentially fulfil the same purpose as porn names, and were used to both protect performers’ real identities and boost the commercial appeal of their acts.

Linda Lovelace is believed to be the first household porn name, being the character and stage name of actress Linda Boreman, who starred in the famous 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat, a film that achieved so much commercial success it was screened in theaters and even reviewed by Roger Ebert in 1973.

The use of alliteration has become one of many staples of a successful porn name, as demonstrated by others like Samantha Saint, Mia Malkova, and August Ames. Other staple strategies for creating a good porn name include rhyming (Alexis Texas), putting together two real words (Angel Dark, London Keys, Jynx Maze), incorporating vocabulary related to sex and desire (Kendra Lust, Dylan Ryder, Brianna Beach), using single names (Stoya, Raylene), and using the letter X in reference to the X-rating of porn films (Diamond Foxx, Rachel Roxxx), to name a few.

The idea of a porn name as something comical came to more widespread attention with the revelation in 2013 that New York politician Anthony Weiner had been using the name “Carlos Danger” to send sexually explicit messages and photos, leading to his disgrace and resignation.

Immediately following the scandal and for years after, the notion of a laughable porn name continues to intrigue the public and inspire them to figure out what their porn name would be. Many methods for concocting the perfect porn name have circulated the internet, including ideas that one should combine their pet’s name with their street name, or their mother’s maiden name, exotic places, types of curry, etc. There are multiple porn name generators online, and BuzzFeed notably offers quizzes for very specific porn names including “What’s Your Disney Porn Star Name?” and “What’s Your Literary Porn Star Name?”

Examples of porn name

“Ralph just misspoke and accidentally created the best porn name ever: Rick Havoc”
BROtocross Twitter (March 25, 2017)
“Most of us have determined our porn names at some point.”
Bobby Box, Bustle (November 18, 2015)
“Another method of determining someone's 'porn name' is apparently taking their first pet's name as the first name and their mother's maiden name as the surname.”
“Anthony Weiner scandal sparks online 'porn name' craze,” The Telegraph (July 24, 2013)
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This is not meant to be a formal definition of porn name like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of porn name that will help our users expand their word mastery.