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stage name

stage name

19 3.6
A different name used publicly by an actor or musician
  • noun
  • /steɪdʒ neɪm/
translation icon : nombre artístico
  • The Queen song "Radio Ga Ga" inspired her stage name: "I adored Freddie Mercury and Queen had a hit called 'Radio Gaga.'"
  • goes by the stage name
  • adopted a stage name
  • uses a stage name

His He was known by his stage name, Evel Knievel.

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Examples

Synonyms

alias
vsstage name
64 7.0

A name a person uses instead of their real name to hide identity

is a public professional name used openly by entertainers
pseudonym
vsstage name
32 7.7

A name a writer or singer uses instead of their real name

is used mainly by actors and musicians rather than writers
assumed name
vsstage name
6 6.3

A name someone uses instead of their real name to hide who they are

is chosen publicly for performance rather than to hide identity
byname
vsstage name
  • Archaic
8.6

A familiar name used instead of someone's real name

is a deliberately chosen public name for performance or shows

How Official

company name
4 1.4
stage name
19 3.6
alias
64 7.0
street name
  • Slang
3 8.2
to nickname
  • Informal
49 2.0

Surface Forms

stage name singular
stage names plural

Morphology

stage + name

The meaning 'a name used by an actor or entertainer' is directly derivable from combining 'stage' (performance setting) with 'name' (an identifier); it literally denotes the name used on stage. This compositional pattern is common across languages (e.g. French nom de scène, Spanish nombre artístico), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would very likely understand it.

Etymology

The phrase stage name comes from the simple image of an actor, singer, or other performer going on the stage and using a different name for the show to keep their private life separate. So, it means 'a different name used by a performer instead of their real name'.