The Quote Garden ™

I dig old books. ™

Est. 1998
Interesting Pen Names
Here are some interesting and humorous pseudonyms I’ve come across in my readings over the years. After each nom de plume is the real author name. —tg
- Abel Shufflebottom (Robert Southey, 1774–1843)
- Æ, or Æon (George William Russell, 1867–1935)
- A Glow-worm (John Lorraine Baldwin)
- Alice Addertongue (Benjamin Franklin, 1706–1790)
- Anser Pen-Dragon (Samuel William Henry Ireland, 1775–1835)
- Anthony Afterwit (Benjamin Franklin, 1706–1790)
- Anti-Climacus (Søren Kierkegaard, 1813–1855)
- Arminius, Baron von Thunder-ten-Tronckh (M. Arnold, 1822–1888)
- A Sentimental Idler (Harry Harewood Leech)
- Benevolus (Benjamin Franklin, 1706–1790)
- Benjamin Goosequill (James Makittrick Adair, 1728–1802)
- Biblicus (Alexander Tilloch, 1759–1825)
- Bookworm (Thomas F. Donnelly)
- Bottomless Pitt (William Pitt, 1708–1728)
- Boz (Charles Dickens, 1812–1870)
- Burlington Hawkeye-man (Robert J. Burdette)
- Cantell A. Bigly (George W. Peck, 1817–1859)
- Caustic Barebones (Thomas Bridges, c.1710–c.1775)
- Champagne Charlie (Charles Thorpe)
- Christopher Twist-wit, Esq. (Christopher Anstey, 1724–1805)
- Cobweb (Joseph Tinker Buckingham, 1779–1861)
- Cornelius Scriblerus Nothus (Thomas Burgess, 1756–1837)
- Cupid Jones (F. S. Saltus, 1849–1889)
- Daddy Violet (Napoleon Bonaparte, 1769–1821)
- Deep Will (William Pitt, 1759–1806)
- Demetrius Wyseman (Duke Willis, 19th century)
- Dick Kitcat (Richard Doyle, 1824–1883)
- Dizzy (Benjamin F. Disraeli, 1804–1881)
- Doctor Merry (J. Wyndham, 19th century)
- Dolly Dawdle (Mary C. Painter Lukens, b.1842)
- Drew Dogyear (Edward Gorey, 1925–2000)
- Dr. Humbug (Joseph Reed, 1723–1787)
- Dr. Syntax (William Combe)
- Dud Jermyn (Walter R. Benjamin, 1854–1943)
- Ebenezer Pentweazle (Christopher Smart, 1722–1771)
- Edgar E. Wordy (Edward Gorey, 1925–2000)
- E. G. Deadworry (Edward Gorey, 1925–2000)
- Epistolographos (Gouverneur Carr)
- Erratic Enrique (H. Clay Lukens)
- Father Brighthopes (J. T. Trowbridge)
- Fax (Augustine Barnum, 19th century)
- Forest Warbler (M. R. McCormick, 19th century)
- Forlorn Hope (Matilda A. Bailey, 19th century)
- F. Yrubslips (Francis Spilsbury, 18th century)
- Gabriel Silvertongue (James Montgomery, 1771–1854)
- Gary Dredwoe (Edward Gorey, 1925–2000)
- Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (Washington Irving, 1783–1859)
- George Washington Makewright (Frank Cahill, 19th century)
- Handsome Beard (Baldwin IV Earl of Flanders, 1160–1186)
- Harry Wandsworth Shortfellow (Mary Cowden Clarke, 1809–1898)
- Herman Thwackus (Jonas Clopper, 19th century)
- Hibernicus (DeWitt Clinton, 1769–1828)
- Hilarius Bookbinder (Søren Kierkegaard, 1813–1855)
- Honey Bee (Eliza A. E. Smith, 1819–1905)
- Johannes de Silentio (Søren Kierkegaard, 1813–1855)
- Jonathan Oldstyle (Washington Irving, 1783–1859)
- Lola Salt — collective pseudonym (Sarah Alderson & Becky Wicks)
- Lord of Crazy Castle (John Hall Stevenson, 1718–1780)
- Magnus Merriweather (Charles Remington Talbot, 1851–1891)
- Massachusettensis (David Leonard, 1740–1829)
- Maurice O'Quill (Martin Van Buren Denslow, 19th century)
- Minnie Mayflower (Catharine Stratton Ladd, 1808–1899)
- Mr. Inkle (Christopher Anstey, 1724–1805)
- Mrs. Fairstar (Richard Hengist Horne, 1802–1884, story about dolls)
- Mrs. Literary (S. Elizabeth Hillyer Ballard Maynard, 19th century)
- Mrs. Margaret Caudle (Douglas W. Jerrold, 1803–1857)
- Mr. Sparrowgrass (Frederick Swartwout Cozzens, 1818–1869)
- Mrs. Ramsbottom (Theodore Edward Hook, 1788–1841)
- Mrs. Silence Dogood (Benjamin Franklin, 1706–1790)
- Mr. Zigzag, the Elder (John Wykeham Archer, 1808–1864)
- Nemo Nobody, Esq. (James Fennell, 19th century)
- Noah Lott (George V. Hobart, 1867–1926)
- Nobody Nothing, of Nowhere (James Alexander Young, 1810–1870)
- Normyx (Norman Douglas, 1868–1952)
- Oliver Oldschool, Esq. (Joseph Dennie, 1768–1812)
- Orange Peel (Sir Robert Peel, 1750–1830)
- Parallax (Samuel Rowbotham, 1816–1884)
- Parenthenopeus Hereticus (Mr Gordon, 18th century)
- Patience Strong (Winifred Emma May, 1907–1990)
- Periwinkle (Louisa May Alcott, 1832–1888)
- Peter Paragraph (James Makittrick Adair, 1728–1802)
- Peter Query (Martin Farquhar Tupper, 1810–1889)
- Petroleum V. Nasby (David Ross Locke, 1833–1888)
- Philocosmos (Hamlet Clark, 19th century)
- Philo-Veritas (Thomas D'Arcy M'Gee, 1825–1868)
- Phœnix (Henry Martin, 19th century)
- Q (Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, 1863–1944)
- Queen of Hearts (Mrs. E. M. Patterson Keplinger, 19th century)
- Queerquill (Mary T. Waggamon, 1846–1931)
- Ray Adverb — character (Dave Barry, b.1947)
- Rev. Dr. Jonas Dryasdust, of York (Walter Scott, 1771–1832)
- Samuel A. Bard (Ephraim George Squier, 1821–1888)
- Sarah Search (Frederick Nolan, 1784–1864)
- Scriblerus Maximus (James Love, 1721–1774)
- Shirley Dare (Susan Dunning Waters, 19th century)
- Σ (Thomas Sharp, 1771–1841)
- Sigma (Lucien Manlius Sargent, 1786–1867)
- Simon Spunkey (Thomas Green Fessenden, 1771–1837)
- Sir Gregory Nonsense (John Taylor, 1580–1653)
- Smelfungus (Patrick Proctor Alexander, 1823–1886)
- Solomon Secondthoughts (John Pendleton Kennedy, 1795–1870)
- Sophie Sparkle (Jennie E. Hicks, 19th century)
- Soul of Numbers (Ben Jonson, 1573–1637)
- Spiral Groove (Wilson MacDonald, 19th century)
- Squinteyed (Gian Francisco Barbieri, 1590–1660)
- Sut Lovengood (George Washington Harris, 1814–1869)
- The Cocoa-tree (Philip Francis, 1708–1773)
- The Ghost of Harry the Eighth's Fool (A. H. Forrester, 1804–1872)
- The Greatest Hypocrite in England (John Wesley, 1703–1791)
- The Inspired Idiot (Oliver Goldsmith, 1728–1774)
- The Most Impudent Man Living (William Warburton, 1698–1779)
- The Most Unpatriotic Man Alive (Charles James Fox, 1749–1806)
- Theodore Thinker (Francis Channing Woodworth, 1812–1859)
- Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass (Samuel Clemens, 1835–1910)
- Travis Tea — collective pseudonym (thirty-nine authors, 2004)
- Tydus-Pooh-Pooh (John Bowring, 1792–1872)
- U. Donough Utis (Richard Grant White, 1822–1885)
- Uniche (Mrs. R. A. Heavlin, 19th century)
- Ursa Major (Samuel Johnson, 1709–1784)
- Vagabondia (Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1849–1924)
- Veni Vidi (Mrs. J. Cunningham Croly, 1829–1901)
- Vieux Moustache (Clarence Gordon, 1835–1920)
- Walking Library (John Selden, 1584–1654)
- W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab (Samuel Clemens, 1835–1910)
- Who Thinks-I-To-Myself? (Edward Nares, 1762–1841)
- Winning Hazard (Albert De Vere, 19th century)
- Xenette (Pamela S. Vining, 19th century)
- Xo Ho (Horace Walpole, 1717–1797)
published 2016 Oct 21
revised Jun 2020, Nov 2020
last saved 2025 Jan 4
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