Mesmerised by pseudonyms

An analysis of online pseudonym generators

Abstract

Mesmerised by pseudonyms
An analysis of online pseudonym generators

The examination of literary pseudonyms has not been in the focus of onomastic studies. Nevertheless, several websites deal with the question and aid the choice of a pseudonym. The study focuses on web applications that advertise themselves as pseudonym generators, several of which further refer to themselves as writer pseudonym generators. These programs aim to ease the creation of literary pseudonyms. However, their use is limited by several factors. The study aims to examine these generators and categorise them based on their usefulness by using names created earlier to examine these generators. As the applications are dominantly programmed according to unprofessional aspects, they provide unique insights for onomastic research.