1. By Don L. F. Nilsen and Alleen Pace Nilsen
Onomastic Variation
By Don L. F. Nilsen and
Alleen Pace Nilsen

2. Acronyms, Initialisms and Numbers
O. J. Simpson ( was known as the juice and was a spokesman for Orange Juice).
Tony Dorset had the initials T.D. meaning “touchdown.”
Note that Siddhartha Gautama and Jesus of Nazareth are known by their roles—Buddha and Christ or Savior.
In Peanuts there are characters named 3, 4, and 5.

3. Jesus a.k.a.?

4. Aliases (a.k.a.)
Barry Humphreys, Bruce Banner, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Wolverine 
Dame Edna, The Hulk, Batman, Superman, Spiderman; Wolverine’s aliases depend on the situation
Note that Superman has to become Clark Kent to keep from being a superhero, while Bruce Wayne hides his identity by becoming Batman.
Prince  the artist formerly known as Prince. He is also known as “The Love Symbol.”

5. The Love Symbol a.k.a. ?

6. Hugh Jackman a.k.a. ?

7. Then there are the doppelgangers, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr
Then there are the doppelgangers, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
There are also code names like
POTUS for Barack Obama
FLOTUS for Michelle Obama
Sawhorse for Al Gore
Angler for Dick Cheney
Evergreen for Hillary Clinton
Phoenix for John McCain.

8. FLOTUS a.k.a. ?

9. Anagrams In the Lemony Snicket books, Count Olaf is an anagram of
Al Funcoot
Foreman Flacutono
and Dr. O. Lucafont.
In the Harry Potter books,
Tom Marvolo Riddle is an anagram of
“I am Lord Voldemort.”

10. Aptronyms in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
Christian
Faithful
Mr. Brisk
Mr. Great Heart
Mr. Honest
Giant Despair
Giant Grim
Madam Bubble
Mr. Despondency
Mr. Moneylove
Mrs. Bats-Eyes

11. Foreman Flacutono a.k.a. ?

12. Brand Names Blendings
Efferdent toothpaste Danskin tights Allerest allergy medicine Slimnastics Mylanta antacid medicine

14. Associations
Chevrolet Lumina Honda Acura Mitsubishi Precis Nissan Maxima Nissan Altima Sentra Car Volkswagen Jetta

16. Mexico City Zoo:
Ying Ying
Washington D.C. Zoo:
Ling Ling
Hsing-Hsing
London Zoo:
Chia-Chia
As a mark of affection, Chinese parents often give their children double names.
Since Pandas are native only to China, Pandas also receive double names.

17. Misspellings
Sunkist Oranges Jello Dessert DieHard Batteries Evenflo baby bottles Klos kids’ clothing Mop & Glo cleaner Sew n’ Vac repairs

19. Shortened Phrases

20. “X-Rated” Brands
Sinex medicine Sominex medicine Xerox Kotex Clorox Exxon Kleenex Ford Ranger XLT Hyundai Excel

22. Character Names
In Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with the Wind she had a character named Pansy.
On the advice of her editor she changed the name to Scarlett O’Hara.

23. Cryptonyms James Bond, Karl Malone
007, The Mailman (because of his number 32, the cost of a stamp at that time, and because “he delivers!”)
In Get Smart Maxwell Smart was Agent 86 and his sidekick was Agent 99.

24. Karl Malone a.k.a. ?

25. Gender Identifications
Authors like S. E. Hinton and J. K. Rowling use initials.
And Mary Evans  George Eliot.

26. Toward Ethnicity
Cassius Clay, Daniel Michaeli, David Cornwell, Jerry Rivers, Lesane Parish Crooks, Lew Alcindor, Susan Weaver 
Muhammad Ali, Danny DeVito, John Le Carré, Geraldo Rivera, Tupac Amaru Shakur, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Sigourney Weaver

27. Cassius Clay a.k.a.?

29. Away from Ethnicity
Aaron Chwatt, Avram Chomsky, Bernard Schwartz, Carlos Estevez, Carlos Ray, David Kaminsky, Dino Crocetti, Doris von Kappelhoff, Enrique Martin Morales, Frederick Austerlitz, Gerald Silberman 
Red Buttons, Noam Chomsky, Tony Curtis, Charlie Sheen, Chuck Norris, Danny Kaye, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Ricky Martin, Fred Astaire, Gene Wilder

30. Frederick Austerlitz a.k.a. ?

31. Jacob Cohen, Jennifer Anastassakis, Joan Molinsky, Jonathan Leibowitz, Joseph Levitch, Larry Zeigler, Louise Ciccone Ritchie, Margarita Cansino, Melvin Kaminsky, Paul Rubenfeld, Raquel Tejada, Salvatore Bono, Winona Horowitz 
Rodney Dangerfield, Jennifer Aniston, Joan Rivers, Jon Stewart, Jerry Lewis, Larry King, Madonna, Rita Hayworth, Mel Brooks, Pee-Wee Herman, Raquel Welch, Sonny Bono, Winona Ryder

32. Jacob Cohen a.k.a. ?

33. Toward Formality
Andre Young, Dana Owens, Frances Gumm, Gary Keillor, James Bumbarner
Dr. Dre, Queen Latifah, Judy Garland, Garrison Keillor, James Garner
NOTE: We don’t normally go in this direction. We would prefer to be thought of as informal and maybe a bit off beat.

34. Frances Gumm a.k.a. ?

35. Away from Formality
Aaron Chwatt, Allen Konigsberg, Caryn Johnson, Clerow Wilson, Cordazer Broadus, Dante Smith, David Atkins, Gordon Sumner, James Osterberg, James Smith, John Sanford, Joseph Keaton
Red Buttons, Woody Allen, Whoopi Goldberg, Flip Wilson, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Mos Def, Sinbad, Sting, Iggy Pop, LL Cool J, Redd Foxx, Buster Keaton
The rapper Christopher Wallace  Notorious B.I.G. and then  “Biggie Smalls.”

36. Caryn Johnson a.k.a. ?

37. Away from Formality
Curtis Jackson, Leonard Hackett, Louis Armstrong, Marshall Mathers, Marvin Aday, Milton Superman, Oshea Jackson, Otha Bates, Phyllis Driver, Robert Van Winckle, Salvatore Bono, Scott Thompson, Shelton Lee, Stanley Burrell, Tracy Morrow 
50 Cent, Buddy Hacket, Satchmo, Eminem, Meat Loaf, Soupy Sales, Ice Cube, Bo Diddley, Phyllis Diller (note assonance), Vanilla Ice, Sonny Bono, Carrott Top, Spike Lee, M. C. Hammer, Ice-T

38. Louis Armstrong a.k.a. ?

39. Away from Old Fashioned
Herbert Gleason, Goldie Studlendgehawn, Malcolm Little, Marion Michael Morrison (also away from gender ambiguity)
Jackie Gleason, Goldie Hawn, Malcolm X, John Wayne

40. Marion Michael Morrison a.k.a. ?

41. Nicknames
Donald, Edward, Elizabeth, Francis, Gerald, Harold, Jacqueline, John, Joseph, Josephine, Judith, Leonard, Lucille, Margaret, Marjorie, Melvin, Nicholas, Patrick, Richard, Robert, Salvatore, Samuel, Susan, Theodore, Thomas, William 
Don, Ed, Lizzy/Lisa/Beth/Betsy/Elsbeth, Frank, Jerry, Harry/Hal, Jackie, Johnny/Jack, Joe, Jo (in Little Women), Judy, Leo, Lucy, Maj/Margo/Maggie/Meg/ Marge/Peggy/Peg, Mel, Nick (this is his “nick-name,” Pat, Dick, Bob, Sal, Sam, Sue/Suzie/Suzie Que, Ted, Tom, Will/Bill/Billie

42. Patronyms (first names become last names)
Brian, Casey, Connor, Donald, Gerald, Jack, John, Murry, Neil, Owen, Patrick, Reilly, Ryan, Will 
O’Brian, O’Casey, O’Connor, McDonald/O’Donald, Fitzgerald, Jackson, Johnson, McMurry, Neilsen/McNeil/O’Neil, Bowen (Ap Owen), Fitzpatrick, O’Reilly, O’Ryan, Wilson

43. Pen Names
Charles Dodgson, Daniel Handler, Richard Bachman, Samuel Clemens 
Lewis Carroll, Lemony Snicket, Stephen King, Mark Twain
And Theodore Seuss Geisel  Dr. Seuss, Theo Le Seig, and Rosetta Stone

44. Samuel Clemens a.k.a. ?

45. In the early 1800s, Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson, changed their family name.
The name Allcox became Alcott.

46. Louisa May Alcott

47. When Ernest Hemingway was in high school (1916-1917) he used all of the following pen names:
B. S.
E. H.
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest MacNamara Hemingway
Ernest Michaelowitch Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway

48. Ernest Hemingway

49. Pet Names
These names tend to be mild insults. Please tell us the pet names of people you know. For example:
I have a cat that I call “Dipper Hips.”
That’s my cat’s “pet name.”
My own name is Don Lee Fred Nilsen, so people used to call me Dolphin (DLFN). When people call me Donald, I correct them by saying, “No, Donald is the duck.” In the army I went to German operas, so my buddies called me “Fledermaus.”

50. Fledermaus a.k.a. ?

51. Pseudonyms Mary  Maria  Marianne “Ave Maria,” marionnette
Note that in the music industry most of the Pseudonyms are quite dark or playful, like the following:
Alien, Buck Satan, Hypo Luxa, Jello Biafra

52. Recycling of Names
David Copperfield (Dickens Character), Dolly Parton (Country Singer), & Englebert Humperdink (Opera Composer), Yogi Berra (baseball catcher) 
David Copperfield (magician, né David Kotkin), Dolly (sheep cloned from a mammary gland), & Englebert Humperdink (singer, né Arnold Dorsey), Yogi Bear (cartoon character)
On Lost, the con-man James Ford takes on the alias of “Sawyer” from another con-man who goes by the name of “Tom Sawyer.” He is part capitalist (Ford) and part con-man “Sawyer.”

53. Who is it? A.K.A.?

54. The Name Jacques in France
In France, the non-aristocrats were called “La Jacquerie.” Originally this referred to any peasant or non-aristocrat, but later it referred to the “peasant uprising” that marched from Marseille to Paris and stormed the Bastille.
In Charles Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities, three of the characters are named Jacques 1, Jacques 2 and Jacques 3.

55. Stage Names
In 1920, Alan Bolt became America’s first important sexy movie star.
But first, he had to change his name to Rudolph Valentino.

56. Rudolph Valentino

57. But he went back to his original name, telling his agent,
“They can learn!”
In his first movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger went by the name of Arnold Strong.
His agent told him that Americans would never say Schwarzenegger.

58. Arnold Schwartzenegger

59. Symbolic Names Casanova, Don Juan, Sam, St. Patrick 
a casanova, Byron’s Don Juan, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni, *Uncle Sam, St. Patrick’s Day
*Note “Uncle Sam”  “United States.”

60. United States a.k.a. ?

61. Place Names
When settlers came to Arizona, they invented such place names as:
Carefree
Golden Valley
Inspiration, Paradise Valley
Phoenix
Tucson

62. Booze Crossing
Contention
Del Muerto
Grasshopper Junction
Hookers Hot Springs
Tombstone
But people just passing through Arizona invented such names as:

63. Toponymic Names Cody, Montana, Tex, The Virginian
Chevy Chase, Dakota Fanning, Indiana Jones, Minnesota Fats, Rock Hudson & Tennessee Williams
Cornelius Chase, Henry Deutschendorf, Janet Rasmussen, River Bottom 
Chevy Chase, John Denver, Janet Reno, River Phoenix

64. Harrison Ford a.k.a. ?

65. Names Web Sites American Name Society:
Baby Names: