Stage Names...what do you do when you find out someone else is using a similar name?

[Ms. Niki]

I just want to know cause recently I came accross another girl on here who is using a simliar name to mine I go by Ms. Niki, the other person goes by Miss Nikki....I dont know which of us has been using their name longer, but I have gone by this for over 3 years now and have won contests etc with my name. Any advice?

Thanks and XO,
Ms. Niki

[Edson Carlos]

I said bravo because of how well she responded =) Thats the attitude everyone should take on. Honestly i'm sure there were lots of Selenas, and lots of Madonnas, and lots of Princes, and lots of well...you know what I mean. It's a climb to the top, and when you get huge, trademark it and THEN its yours, until then its motivation to be the "Betty" everyone knows.

[Ms. Niki]

THanks everyone for the input. I think i could not bear to part with it...at least not now anyway, and i honestly dont know what a suitable name would even be...I have often thought of changing my name a while back, but never could come up with anything good!

[M.R. Borg]

okay well as far as i know, and thats not much lol. just kidding. but it is who ever has had it the longest and have gotten reconition for it such as a contest and what not. i know back in the day when actors signed up to the union and if some one already had your name you had to spell it different and or change your name. i am not sure if it is still like that. but just a thought. and well so who ever has had it the longest and uses it for contests and what not then you should keep it. am just saying. hope that helps.

[Soda Shop Sue]

why dont you change the Ms. to MADAM, or something kitchy.... you will always be NiKi... but Jazz it Up, if your concerned about it... it's all what you make of it!

[Raven Foxx]

My name actually was given to me by a Native American friend of mine after embarking on a vision quest of sorts. The raven for the mystical side and the fox for the crafty, tricky part of me. Hence the name ravenfox. It's funny how I will answer to the name Raven and not think twice about if it's my real name or not. Ravenfox is me as much as my birth name is. Many cultures believe as a person grows and milestones in life are reached that your name changes to reflect the "new" you. I would assume that if I was to go on another vision quest, now 15 years later, I'd come up with a totally different totem. So, chin up everyone! If your name resonates within you and reflects who you are, noone can take that from you.

[Ms. Niki]

That is awesome! I have been wanting to go on a "vision quest" of sorts for ages to find out what animal my spirit guide is!

Raven Foxx said:

My name actually was given to me by a Native American friend of mine after embarking on a vision quest of sorts. The raven for the mystical side and the fox for the crafty, tricky part of me. Hence the name ravenfox. It's funny how I will answer to the name Raven and not think twice about if it's my real name or not. Ravenfox is me as much as my birth name is. Many cultures believe as a person grows and milestones in life are reached that your name changes to reflect the "new" you. I would assume that if I was to go on another vision quest, now 15 years later, I'd come up with a totally different totem. So, chin up everyone! If your name resonates within you and reflects who you are, noone can take that from you.

[SammieSoon]

I agree with everyone else.
My name is Sammie Soon, and I highly doubt anyone else has that name since that's my actual name. However, I've been considering renaming to Sammie Swoon, since everyone thinks the Soon is my name is referring to the word Soon, not a name. my mom's name is Soon, and she gave me that as my middle name.

Anywho, You should pick another name, probably. Like Daddy cool said, try to look up on google different names and mix them together to make them your own. :D

[Ms. Niki]

Yep, i am considering it. I like that...sammie swoon! That would be very cute!

[Edson Carlos]

On the topic of names. You can't do s*** unless you own a trademark, and you aint trademarking a common name =)

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/10/sex-journo-viol.html

[Kitten K'Boom]

I too searched high and low on the web to make sure there was no one else using my name. Which, was given to me by my love actually. Everyone knows me as Kitten Kaboom, I have pin striped shoes with my name on them, I like to think that I'm building myself up pretty good. (I'm no Sabina Kelley, Bernie Dexter or anything like that. But still!)
Just recently, I have discovered another woman using my name on all the same sites as me, Model Mayhem, Myspace, and a few others she even tried getting on Atomic Pin-up with it!
It wasn't until after some publications with my name that I started finding her. I'm not to fond of it!

[Tiger Tiger]

I think changing to Sammie Swoon would be awesome! sounds adorable!!

SammieSoon said:

I agree with everyone else.
My name is Sammie Soon, and I highly doubt anyone else has that name since that's my actual name. However, I've been considering renaming to Sammie Swoon, since everyone thinks the Soon is my name is referring to the word Soon, not a name. my mom's name is Soon, and she gave me that as my middle name.

Anywho, You should pick another name, probably. Like Daddy cool said, try to look up on google different names and mix them together to make them your own. :D

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

*This is an old thread, but I think it's a good topic and should be bumped up.*

I did a ton of research (google, yahoo, ask, etc) for my name, and found nothing. I've been using it for 6(ish) years and am published and very well known. More importantly, I have a very big internet presence. If another girl in this scene was to start using my name, I'd send her a message and explain that it's quite rude to try to use someone else's success to start a carrier or reputation. An easy google search brings up many sites with my name on them, so there is no reason for someone else to use it.

All that being said, there is another Roxy Tart out there. She is a drag queen in the UK. She is older then me, and has been preforming a bit longer, but when I did a search nothing came up. She didn't have an internet presence at the time, no website, no myspace, nothing. Because we are in different countries, in different fields, and look so different, neither of us feels the need to go after the other. She's also not very active on social media, and as far as I can tell, doesn't preform much anymore. 

The topic of the same/similar name is tricky, but my advice is this::

1. Choose a name that is not common sounding. This is pinup, try to stay away from Betty, Cherry, Monroe, Marilyn, etc. Chances are, a girl who has been in the scene longer, has that name. 

2. Do your research. Google, facebook, twitter, search EVERYWHERE before you chose your name. If you find someone with a name close to what you want, check her out. Has she not been active in 5 years? Then you might be ok, because she might have decided this was not for her and moved on. Maybe send her a message or email and ask. For example, in this thread there were two Miss Nikki's. But you can see that one changed her name to Knockout Nikki, and now she goes by Ruby... so you just never know.

3. If someone who is extremely successful and/or popular has a name like the one you want, just don't! It's rude. You are trying to gain popularity off their hard work. Dottie Von Teese, Sabrina Keli, Betty Dexter.... names like these are just not ok! 

4. If you choose a name and someone messages you and tells you it is their name, and they can prove that they have been using it (website, published work, etc), be gracious and choose another name. This scene is smaller then you think, and if you steal someones name; that person, her friends and her fans will find out.   

Bottom line, do your research first and if you choose the same thing as someone else, and they don't like it, be polite.