NOMEN EST OMEN oder warum einen Künstlernamen wählen?

Abstract

There may be different reasons for choosing another name instead of the native family name. The examination covers a large number of pseudonyms of singers in terms of the relationship between the pseudonym on the one hand and the native names on the other. One reason for giving up the original name is the triviality of the family name, as in the case of Schultze, Schwarz, or Krause. Another important reason is that a name may provoke ridicule, as in the case of Krzywonos [crookes nos], Koslowa [goat], Ochsenbein [ox leg], Sülzenfuß [brawn foot]. The names in the last group are so-called 'Schmähnamen', i. e., names, which can be used to defame a person.