I've recently had a flurry of e-mails asking advise about burlesque
names and help on choosing one.

Your stage name has to do quite a lot for a name. You have to like it,
it should be memorable and above all it should be unique (please google
every combination in a variety of spellings - as you can be assured that
fans won't always remember how to spell your name and you'd be amazed at
what could come up). 

Some ground rules:

1) There are a lot of performers out there and it is very easy for the
public to get confused among all the newbies calling themselves ' Kitty,
Dolly and Rose" same goes for wannabe Scarletts, Cherry, Rubys and most
variations on the colour Red. Sure you can use them, but you'll have to
work four times as hard to stand out with your acts. 

2) An homage? More like straightforward rip off - and not a bright move.
Calling yourself after a famous performer from the past is a bad idea.
You're not going to compare favourably - no matter how good you are.
They may well still be alive (and you do not want to piss those ladies
off). And anyone typing the name into search engines is going to be
easily confused by the variation in results.
Same goes for anyone even thinking of 'borrowing a name'. One of the easiest 
ways to piss off a promoter, and audience and the rest of the scene. 
Always google & facebook to double check it really isn't already being used.

So much comes into finding the right name, the personality you
want to project, the type of performances you want to do, they way you
look and act. E-mailing me and asking if it's a good name isn't really
the way to go about finding your perfect one. I can tell you which one I
prefer but without meeting you I can't tell you if it suits you or your
style. 

One piece of advice I can give, is play with word association. Think of
the character your creating and then brainstorm words & descriptions.
Take a break and when you return see which ones jump out at you. Grab a
thesaurus and comb through if you need help. Then add in your favourite
names and see which ones work together. A glass of wine and a friend
with a sense of humour will help, 

It is hard to find 'your name'. Some people  find their name -
and know that's the one. Others try out names and then grow into them
and others find they've been given the perfect name.
Plenty of performers have started out with one name and ended with another
 so don't feel that you have to live with the one you chose.

Oh and my last piece of advice - the one I wish I'd known? Ask a drunk guy to pronounce it.
If it passes then you should be safe from most compares renaming you.

For more tips on finding your name visit http://resources.ministryofburlesque.com/questions/27/How+Do+I+Choose+A+Burlesque+Name%3F