Maybe already mentioned in the pre-resurrected part of this thread, but… Tommy Tune.
.. that would have been Di Nero… (which does look like it could be an actual Italian lastname meaning “Black’s”)
There’s a Mexican-Spanish singer / actress / presenter / you name it who usually goes by the pseudonym Alaska. While that is a pretty-evident pseudonym, I understand she used to have serious trouble getting people to believe that her real name really, really, really is Olvido (forgetfulness). People thought it was a pseudonym.
One of my favorites: Blossom Dearie.
Ironically, the family name was originally Tunesmith, which would have been even more unbelievable.
Ah, but as per the title of the thread, all that matters is how it sounds.
Mine, too, but it’s actually in the OP. I almost posted it, too, until I went back to check if anyone had brought it up.
Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however invent some toilet related items, including the ballcock.
Dick Hyman.
Can’t find him on the google, but back in the 70’s (I think) there was a college football player named Comodore Spears.
American idol winner Phillip Phillips
- Lance Armstrong is not a heroic athlete, he’s a fraud and a bully.
- Lance Armstrong was born Lance Gunderson. Much less glamorous, you’ll agree.
Well his mother married Terry Armstrong when Lance was three years old and his stepfather adopted him at that point. Lance considers Terry Armstrong to be his real father. So I’d have to say that Armstrong isn’t a pseudonym.
On the other hand, no argument about him being a fraud and a bully.
But there’s room for Stroumboulopoulos? 
Elvis Presley, of course.
True enough, Lance has been exposed as a fraud and a bully- but that doesn’t change the facts that:
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“Lance Armstrong” was a not a pseudonym. His parents named him “Lance” when he was a baby, and"Armstrong" has been his last name since he was a toddler.
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This is a very old thread- at the time I posted that name, he WAS widely perceived as a hero.
In guitar circles, there’s a well-respected, excellent slide player named Roy Rogers.
He was sued at one point by the Singing Cowboy’s estate, but the case was thrown out because it is the guitarist’s given name from birth.
A lot of porn stars use a celebrity name as their pseudonym: James Deen, Dru Barrymore, Darryl Hanah, Nicole Sheridan, etc. But you’ll notice they all change the name slightly from the celebrity’s name.
One exception is porn actress Cindy Crawford. She was sued by the model but she won because her legal name really is Cindy Crawford.
That didn’t stop Donald Trump from successfully suing a family who had called their grocery store “Trump’s,” even though it was their name.
There’s a difference between calling yourself by your birth name and calling your business by your name.
Can I author a book and put JOHN GRISHAM on the cover in big bold letters?