Ok I'm not sure I posted this in the correct forum, but it seemed the most logical choice.

What is the reason some magicians use aliases (alternate names, and do they have any specific advantages?

Some do it because they just want to. Others because they have a boring name. Also thoough some do it to create a character to play.

Maybe...they want to be remembered more easily.

And some have good reasons !!

A bank manager or a lawer may have to to cover his prefessional standing. In my last job it was a condition that I could do no work, either paid or unpaid, without written permission.

I have two friends called Martin. Both called themselfs Magic Marty !

If someone is booking a childrens show through Yellow Pages, and she has to chose between - Sunny Jim or Israel Gow. Who would get the job ?
Inversely, a student rave-up would go for Issy G !

Or the magi might have a real name like David Blaine or Tom Hanks !
How many can remember Ed Marlo's real name ?

There are a lot of very good reasons although a very large number of us do use our real names, even when people can't say them.

Eddie

I see....ok thanks for you guys' povs on this

I always thought that a good stage name would be Wells Fargo -- but apparently it's taken! LOL!

Well uncle Harry changed his name several times, guess it is a family tradition, lol. When he changed from Boughton to Bouton, it was such an influential change, even my side of the family made the same spelling change (though we kept the English pronunciation while he took a French pronunciation.) As I recall one of his name changes was simply because he bought up a bunch of cheap posters and handbills with that name on it. The last change to Blackstone came because the name from the posters "Fredrick the Great" was German and WWI was bring large anti-german sentiment to U.S. audiences.
Now I changed my name several times as well, 1) the Last name "Bouton" while well recognized in magic circles, because of Uncle Harry, isn't so well known outside circles and is hard to pronounce just from reading (especially since my side of the family kept the English pronunciation). 2) I found from personal experience a single name identifiable with magic often helped people remember me as a magician. 3) I found that people remembered me as a magician, necessitating my changing my name again to get further bookings. (sometimes in the middle of my act). No just kidding about the last one. Just like actors there are two reasons to change ur name 1) you get a name more easily identifiable and thus you are remembered better 2) someone else already has that name who is performing. Thus, if your name is Michael Ammar, but ur not the same Michael Ammar who is the FISM winner, then you probably should change ur name for performing purposes. And stealing a famous magician of the pasts name , much like in clowning taking the make-up of a clown of the past is considered bad form, is also not kosher. Harry, Jr. was indeed Harry Blackstone, Jr., and he appended the "Jr." most of his career even though after his father passed on he could have dropped it. So that name was rightfully his, but someone else performing as "The Great Blackstone", even if a Bouton, is not good form. Or Houdini, or Thurston, or Keller, or any other name of a magician living or non living. Build your own reputation, good or bad, and if doing that requires a name change, then do so.

I guess some magicians change there names in honor of their magical heroes. Didn't Houdini do this?