Ringo, that is some funny stuff with the stripper name. That makes my stripper name Midnight Rucker.

-Max

"Puff Broad" doesn't like this game.


Jus' Sayin'

Look at names YOU like in other artists. Find out IF it is a 'stage name'. Why do you like it? How does it fit the performer and why?

Then sit down and brainstorm out as many possible names for yourself as you can possibly come up with. Good, bad, terrible. Does not matter put them all down.

Look at them. Meditate on them. Start to get rid of those that are obviously not useful. Work it down until you have the one that seems the best. CAN you LIVE that name? Imagine yourself in detail with that name. Want to change? Do so if you need to. But,in the end you WILL come up with a name that works.

Use that one.

Best,

Well I also see it similar to acting. Actors impersonate a specific role on stage which of course has a name that fits the specific role - for example Lady MacBeth. But then they often also use a pseudonym instead of their real name like Steward Granger instead of James Lablache Stewart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewart_Granger.

I am looking for a pseudonym like Steward Granger. (But it doesn't have to have this forename-surnmae structure like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-Rob or just a single name like http://www.hayashimagic.com/)

As a magician I also can play different roles on stage in different acts. Most magicians don't do that though. They often just play a nerd that likes weird glittery props, old fashioned style and magic tricks. ;-)

I hope that's clearer now.

Thanks to all of you so far. I already have more ways of searching for it than before.

How about Edithini? The great Bourbon street emcee, Phil D'Rey (1950s) suggested I call myself, Zero Motel. I was using another name with the word Zero in it at the time. With the popularity of the internet, you can check if the name you pick is being used by someone else. I always liked the name, Fooldini, but it is a well used name by others.
You can do an internet search of old striptease & burlesque acts for interesting names. I worked on shows with Belle Starr, Tempest Storm, Lili St. Cyr and so on. One gals name was, Circe, and she made an appearance out of a large oyster shell. Then there was the bubble dancers....

(Laughing) Yes, I made that mistake myself! I never call myself "Doo-geeny". It was the only handle the Magic Café would let me use, after trying a half dozen handles.

No, I think a stage name is essential in my case. I was a radio disc jockey for more than 35 years, and went by Doug Shannon. One, because I'm Irish, and the other was that Scott Shannon is a great DJ I have admired for years!

In German, "magic" is "Zauber". So maybe a last name with a variation of that? just an idea...

Doug

My personal opinion is that you are asking for too much at the same time. The more requirements you wish to address, the weaker the name will be. It's the same as choosing a name for a company.
Choose one requirement, max 2 (if 2 try not to make the requirements mutually exclusive).

Dame Aviana

"Astounding Miss Edith" sounds fine.

Mine came off a perfume truck, I didn't choose it, Harry Baron chose it for my Father. They were trying to come up with a stage name and a truck came past with the word Chandaue on the side. Harry said what about Ron Chandaue, my dad like the name Ross so became Ross Chandaue and I kept up the name.

There's a very interesting chapter about how to find the right stage name in Eberhard Riese's book "Foundations".

He say's that a stage name should :

- be linguistically well formed
- be very easy to memorize
- give away something of the performance character
- fit the artist a lifetime

Those are the rules I followed and I still have the same stage name for all different kinds of shows (kids, parlour and stage shows).

My advice would be to avoid stage names like :

- Magic ...(fill your name in here)- The mystifying... (fill your name in here) - The great ...(fill your name in here). This kind of superlatif stage names were used in the 18th and 19th century and worked for this time, but today they won't be very well received by the audience. Exceptions are made for comedy magic acts, like The great Thompsoni and Co. etc...

Keep your name very simple and if you can use your real first name and your familly name in it, even though by modefying it a little bit, it could sound appealing.

Try it out. Personally I've found my stage name very fast and it sticks very well to me and my different performance styles as well as the way I am in the real life.

I hope those points will help you. Good luck.

Oliver.