Drag Name Generator

Drag names are stage names with a wink, and they follow a few well-worn traditions. The pun name is the oldest and most British-flavored: a plausible first name and surname that together sound like a phrase, as in Anita Bath, Ida Slapter, Eileen Dover or the endless Miss Demeanor family. Glamour and pageant names borrow from soap-opera heiresses, luxury houses and old Hollywood (Vivienne Vanderslay, Alexis Carrington-Colby, Chanel Aftershock), and often add a Von, Saint or Del to sound moneyed. Drag houses pass surnames down to their daughters, which is why real-world scenes have families of LaBeijas, Davenports and O'Haras; an invented house name works the same way for a troupe.

Since the club-kid era and modern TV drag, weirder registers have flourished: horror and camp references (Morticia Slaydams, Bloody Mary Poppins), food and drink (Peaches Christ, Miso Hungry), and abstract look-queen names like Glitch Kaleidoscope. Drag kings pull from rockabilly, cowboys, aristocrats and dad-joke masculinity, giving us Duke Manly, Sir Loin and Elvis Herselvis.

A good drag name is easy to shout across a bar, spells one clear joke or image, and leaves room for the persona to grow. All the names above are original constructions rather than the names of famous performers, so they are safe starting points for a new act.