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A '''stage name''', also called a '''screen name''', is a music performers, professional wrestlers.

== Motivation to use a stage name ==
Performers often take a stage name because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, unintentionally amusing or difficult to pronounce or spell, or because it has been used by another notable individual or projects the wrong image. Sometimes a performer adopts a name that is unusual or outlandish to attract attention. Other performers such as pornography performers use a stage name to retain their anonymity. The equivalent concept among writers is called a nom de plume or pen name, while the term ring name is used in wrestling.

=== Family connection ===
Some individuals who are related to a celebrity take a different last name so that they are not perceived to have received undue benefit from their family connection.  Examples of these include Nicolas Cage (real name Nicholas Coppola, nephew of Francis Ford Coppola) and Mike McGear (brother of Paul McCartney). Conversely, individuals who wish to receive benefit from their family connections may take that loved one's first or last name. For example, Lon Chaney Sr.’s son Creighton spent a number of years appearing in minor roles before renaming himself Lon Chaney Jr.. Emilio Estévez chose not to take his father Martin Sheen’s professional name and uses his birth name.

=== Guild and association rules ===
Guilds and associations that represent actors, such as the Screen Actors Guild in the United States and British Actors' Equity Association in the United Kingdom, stipulate that no two members may have identical working names.  An actor whose name has already been taken must choose a new name. Notable examples include Nathan Lane, whose birth name, Joseph Lane, was already in use, Stewart Granger, whose birth name was James Stewart, and Michael Keaton, born Michael Douglas. The latter chose the last name Keaton simply because he was an admirer of actress Diane Keaton, who in turn had changed her name from Diane Hall. Michael Andrew Fox became Michael J. Fox because a Michael Fox was already a member of the Screen Actors' Guild.

An actor may change his name if he shares it with a namesake in another field. the renowned physicist.

=== Ethnicity ===
In the past, a stage name was often used when a performer's real name was considered to denote a specific ethnicity that faced potential discrimination. One of the most famous examples of this type of name change involved Queen, who was born Farrokh Bulsara to Parsi parents; his name change was partly intended to conceal his heritage. Historically, Jews in Hollywood were encouraged to anglicize their names to avoid possible discrimination. This still happens to a degree (Jon Stewart, Brad Garrett, and Natalie Portman for instance), but the growing acceptance of ethnic performers in the performing arts has made this occurrence less frequent. Ramon Estévez changed his name to Martin Sheen, because he expected a better reception for an Irish name than a Hispanic name; his sons made divergent choices: Carlos Irwin Estévez is now Charlie Sheen, while Emilio Estévez left his name unchanged. Conversely, Neil Diamond (his real name) considered the stage name Noam Chomsky before being encouraged to keep his real name.

=== Ease of use ===
Another consideration in choosing a stage name is ease of use. The Actors' Equity Association (AEA) advises performers to select a name that is easy for others to pronounce, spell, and remember. Some performers while paying great attention to their skills and abilities give little thought to the difference that a well-thought-out name can make to their career. Often it is only after the realization that a poorly chosen name results in an undesired impression that a person or group decides on a different name. 

Actor The Caine Mutiny'' and thought that it would make a good last name in conjunction with ''Michael.''  ("Had I looked the other direction," he would later quip, "I'd be known as Michael The One Hundred and One Dalmatians.")

Et '''artistnavn''' er kallenavnet til en artist. Navnet er ofte enklere å huske enn personens virkelige navn, eller mere iøynefallende. I noen tilfeller har personen også offisielt byttet sitt navn til artistnavnet.
Musikere har for det meste artistnavn for at det skal høyne statusen.

==Utvalg av artistnavn==
===Artister===
*50 Cent - Curtis Jackson
*Aaliyah - Aaliyah Dana Haughton
*Ace Frehley - Paul Daniel Frehley
*Alice Babs - Alice Nilsson
*Alice Cooper - Vincent Damon Furnier
*Amy Diamond - Emily Linnéa D.
*Billie Holiday - Eleanora Fagan Gough
*Bob Dylan - Robert Zimmerman
*Bono - Paul Hewson
*Cat Stevens - Stephen Demetre Georgiou/Yusuf Islam
*David Bowie - David Robert Jones
*Elton John - Reginald Dwight
*Frank Sinatra - Francis Albert Sinatra
*George Michael - Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
*Jahn Teigen - Jan Teigen
*Ringo Starr - Richard Starkey
*Snoop Dogg - Calvin Broadus
*Timbaland - Timothy Mosley

===Skuespillere===
*Anna Nicole Smith - Vickie Lynn Hogan
*Audrey Hepburn - Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston
*Benny Hill - Alfred Hawthorn Hill
*Boris Karloff - William Pratt
*Cary Grant - Archibald Alexander Leach
*Charlie Sheen - Carlos Irwin Estévez
*John Wayne - Marion Michael Morrison
*Judy Garland - Frances Gumm
*Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Mortenson (Norma Jean Baker)
*Marlene Dietrich - Maria Magdalena Dietrich von Losch
*Martin Sheen - Ramón Gerard Antonio Estévez
*Nickolas Cage - Nicholas Kim Coppola

===Fotballspillere===
*Pelé - Édson Arantes do Nascimento