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"Moniker" (or "monicker") is another term for a "nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
", "pseudonym
Pseudonym

A pseudonym, , is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name. In some cases, pseudonyms are adopted because it is part of a cultural or organizational tradition, as in the case of Religious names used by members of some religious orders and "cadre names" used by Communist party leaders such as Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin....
", or "cognomen
Cognomen

The cognomen was originally a middle name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary ....
."

Typically, the title is used as a personal or professional name, instead of the person's given name, for works of art, music, books, or performances.

Monikers are commonly used in small subcultures such as in railroad tramping (i.e.,"Baltimore Red") and on Internet message boards.

ough there are various theories about the origin of the word, the most widely accepted is that it comes from Shelta, the cant
Cant (language)

Cant is an example of an argot or cryptolect, a characteristic or secret language used only by members of a group, often used to conceal the meaning from those outside the group....
 language of Irish travellers.






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Encyclopedia


"Moniker" (or "monicker") is another term for a "nickname
Nickname

A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
", "pseudonym
Pseudonym

A pseudonym, , is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name. In some cases, pseudonyms are adopted because it is part of a cultural or organizational tradition, as in the case of Religious names used by members of some religious orders and "cadre names" used by Communist party leaders such as Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin....
", or "cognomen
Cognomen

The cognomen was originally a middle name of a citizen of Ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. The cognomen started as a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary ....
."

Typically, the title is used as a personal or professional name, instead of the person's given name, for works of art, music, books, or performances.

Monikers are commonly used in small subcultures such as in railroad tramping (i.e.,"Baltimore Red") and on Internet message boards.

Origin of the word

Although there are various theories about the origin of the word, the most widely accepted is that it comes from Shelta, the cant
Cant (language)

Cant is an example of an argot or cryptolect, a characteristic or secret language used only by members of a group, often used to conceal the meaning from those outside the group....
 language of Irish travellers. The word is believed to have derived from the Irish
Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic languages of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people....
 word ainm, and became munik in Shelta. It had spread to London as an English slang
Slang

Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's dialect or language....
 word for "name" by 1851. The first line of the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. On Easter Sunday 2007 it was estimated that 2 billion Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Christians read, recited, or sang the short prayer in hundreds of languages in houses of worship of all shapes and size...
 translated into a modern version of Shelta is: "Our gathra, who cradgies in the manyak-norch, we turry kerrath about your moniker."

Monicker in clowning

The word "monicker" or more rarely, "monikker" is, among clowns, most often intentionally misspelled, with a 'c' in accordance with clown
Clown

Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, Cosmetics, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion....
 tradition that some words are inherently funny
Inherently funny word

The claim that words are inherently funny, for reasons ranging from onomatopoeia to phonosemantics to sexual innuendo, is well documented among people who work in humor....
 (and hence to be preferred over 'unfunny' words). The "clown world" has widely embraced "monicker" as equivalent to a stage name
Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musician, and professional wrestling....
 or pseudonym
Pseudonym

A pseudonym, , is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name. In some cases, pseudonyms are adopted because it is part of a cultural or organizational tradition, as in the case of Religious names used by members of some religious orders and "cadre names" used by Communist party leaders such as Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin....
. A monicker is considered by a professional clown to be sacrosanct by the traditional code of non-infringement
Code of non-infringement

The Code of Non-Infringement refers to the accepted business practice and convention among certain performance art, particularly clowns, that an artist's unique performance attributes are proprietary and cannot be used or claimed by another....
. The monicker is considered to be an attribute of the character of the clown and not of the performer. Monicker, in clown usage, can generally be considered synonymous with the terms "clown name" and "Professional name." In declining use, it may mean a clown performer's personal nickname, (e.g., Joseph Grimaldi
Joseph Grimaldi

Joseph Grimaldi , the most celebrated of English clowns Grimaldi's performances made the Clown character the central character in British harlequinades....
's monicker was Joey) rather than the name of the performer's clown.

See also

  • Athletic nickname
    Athletic nickname

    The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a university or college within the United States is the name officially adopted by that institution for at least the members of its athletic teams....
  • Bardic name
    Bardic name

    A bardic name is a pseudonym, used in Wales, Cornwall and Brittany, by poets and other artists, especially those involved in the eisteddfod movement....
  • Clown
    Clown

    Clowns are comical performers, stereotypically characterized by their grotesque appearance: colored wigs, Cosmetics, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, etc., who entertain spectators by acting in a hilarious fashion....
  • Clown face
    Clown face

    The terms clown face and clownface can refer to:*specifically, the design and facial characteristics unique to a given clown*generally, the make-up and costuming of a clown, as in "Bubbles arrived first, in clownface, and ready to greet the crowd"...
  • Code of non-infringement
    Code of non-infringement

    The Code of Non-Infringement refers to the accepted business practice and convention among certain performance art, particularly clowns, that an artist's unique performance attributes are proprietary and cannot be used or claimed by another....
  • Nickname
    Nickname

    A nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. Another class of nickname is the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, such as Bob, Bobby, Rob, Robbie, and Bert for Robert, more properly called a short name....
  • Nom de guerre
  • Pseudonym
    Pseudonym

    A pseudonym, , is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name. In some cases, pseudonyms are adopted because it is part of a cultural or organizational tradition, as in the case of Religious names used by members of some religious orders and "cadre names" used by Communist party leaders such as Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin....
  • Sobriquet
    Sobriquet

    A sobriquet is a nickname or a fancy name, usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a pseudonym assumed as a disguise, but a nickname which is familiar enough such that it can be used in place of a real name without the need of explanation....
  • Stage name
    Stage name

    A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, comedians, musician, and professional wrestling....