How have authors chosen their "pen names"? Why do they choose that particular one?

Question

So I know that a lot of authors dont write under their real names for whatever reason.
But Im curious as to how they come to their pen name...what makes them choose that?
Like why George Orwell? or why Stephen King?

I have come across some explanations for some names but most are a mystery to me and Im wondering if anyone else knows more.

Thanks

lol sorry for any grammatical errors...that would be the ultimate mistake in a literature section, would it not?
Im sorry for them but Im just entirely out of energy (today was my LSAT and there are 2 midterms waiting for me)...I need energy!!

Answer 1

Samuel Clemens was a pilot on Mississippi River boats, where they used to drop weights on ropes into the water to measure the depth. If the depth was two fathoms, (12 ft.) the man would call, "Mark twain!" So Clemens adopted Mark Twain as his pen name.

Karen Dinesen of Denmark married Baron Bloor Blixen, thus becoming the baroness Karen Blixen. She wrote short stories under the pen name Isaak Dinesen.

Aurore Dudevant was an 18-year-old French girl about 1830. In those days, decent women could go to the opera or to plays, but it was unacceptable to go to the Folies Bergere. She wanted to see what it was like, but the management would throw her out if she tried to get in. Men friends lent her a set of man's clothes to get her in. She put her hair up and wore a top hat to hide it. In those places, men did not remove their hats. The trouble was her high, female voice. If she spoke, the management would know she was a woman. So the men friends gave it out that she was a visiting Englishman named George Sand. George Sand didn't know French. So if it were necessary for George Sand to speak, "he" would whisper to a friend, and the friend would "translate" George Sand's "English" into French. During the 19th century, Aurore Dudevant wrote several dozen novels under the name of George Sand.

Answer 2

I am writing a novel, and will be using a pen name. I want to do so for personal reasons. I choose mine by using a bit of family history. My first name is the name I was going to be given, my [2] last name[s] are translations of love and hope. The translations are in German and Italian as that is where my heritage is.

Answer 3

It can be anything. Some honor family members by using portions of their names. Some just pull names out of the air. Some use nicknames. Whatever. I am currently writing a book that is so far out of my genre, I am going to have to use another name for it. I have had some pretty dorky ones suggested to me. I am considering honoring my late grandmother by using her name.
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They're, Their, There - Three Different Words.

Careful or you may wind up in my next novel.

Pax - C

Answer 4

Sometimes it is just an in joke to the author, sometimes it is to deliberately hide their true identity.

Andre Norton changed her name to sound like a guy because editors believed that no one would buy science fiction books from a woman.

Answer 5

I was given my pen name of "poe" when I started publishing poetry. Sometimes someone else gives you a hand, and sometimes it is like the others stated. Most of the time it is a matter of privacy.

Answer 6

There are times they want to be normal but also have a secret identity, i would def. do it...and usually they think of a name that makes them think or they are attracted to the name thinks it better to be a writers name then what they have