Thread: Stage Surnames???

Over the last few months I've been busy thinking about and organzing the way I market myself as a dancer. I'm at the stage where I am planning to create a website and am struggling with my name and what the link should be. My real name is Angelica and I want to keep that. But it feels incomplete and Angelica.com takes you to a clinic's website anyway
So I'm thinking I would like to add a short last name (cause my name is already long enough!) but I'm having trouble coming up with something. Common ones I have seen are Gamal, Nour, Amar, etc. I have researched many Arabic baby names and have found a few more options but have not found love yet! I've even tried to look up common Arabic surnames but am unable to find their English meanings. Can anybody offer some guidance?

I kind of like Angelica Gamal....

http://genealogy.familyeducation.com.../origin/arabic

http://www.namesofamuslim.com/2009/0...ast-names.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2017846

And once you find a surname you like, you should probably research it heavily. What major figures/public people/etc associated with that name? Positive or negative overall notoriety? Better safe than sorry losing gigs because of an adopted name with accidentally negative associations.

I agree that care needs to be taken when choosing a stage name.

In the ME there are two naming systems, one is a 'Family name' and the other is the second name belonging to the father.

For example, a female may be called Shadiya but her surname will be Wael after her father.. Shadiya Wael.

On top of this there may also be a family name like El Refa3y, which is a meaning taken from the occupation of catching snakes, similar to we have the name 'Smith' from Blacksmith.

Some names have very strong religious associations so perhaps should be avoided, some names are taken after animals so you should know which animal is which! lol

You would never see two female names together.

I like Liza Laziza's name because it is based on her own name but her second name is an ordinary word meaning with many meanings.. if you taste something delicious then you might say 'laziza', these days it is also used to describe someone very attractive and 'nice'. It is also very in keeping with stage names in the West.. you can also have something like 'Candy El Bambi' (pink Candy!) ..big-grin, Bambi is also a family name.

Happy Holydays Sweety!

How about adding a word like "dance" or "bdance" at the beginning or the end of your name like: bdanceangelica.com or angelicadance.com, etc.

Just a though.

Dancers also occasionally use lineage names from within the dance community. If your teacher had a dance last name, sometimes she bestowed that on her students (e.g., if she was "Nadira Nour," and you were "Gameela," when you reached a point where she wanted to promote you as part of her dance family, she might let you start calling yourself "Gameela Nour"). Similarly, she might let you take her name as a matronymic designating you as her daughter ("Gameela Bint Nadira"). Most dancers don't study extensively under one dancer and their performing careers are not as tightly controlled by their teachers as they sometimes were in the old club days, so this is not as common as it once was, and in some areas, it was never a very common practice. Also note that these ad hoc naming schemes were usually improvised by dancers who were not fluent speakers of Arabic, so sometimes they manifested themselves as very clumsy--if not inadvertently comical--Arabic. In other words, even if you want to go this route, run it by a native speaker first.

if you become Angelica Gamal we can be dance sisters! lol :)

I chose a surname for privacy/safety reasons as a performer. I decided to go with Gamal because of Samia Gamal (she actually isn't one of my favs, but I thought it sounded nice enough). I wish I had chosen a different one, but too late now as most of the dance community/arab community knows me as Melissa Gamal. Take your time to make sure you loooovvee the name you choose because it will stick.

like mentioned above, you could do AngelicaDance.com or AngelicaRaks.com or something like that to fill out the website name, and then decide on a surname after.

I like Angelica Amar or Angelica Aziz... I like alliteration in names

Interesting,here in Europe it´s not common to use stage surnames...can´t remember seen it even once here.

Originally Posted by sabrinabellydancer

http://genealogy.familyeducation.com.../origin/arabic

http://www.namesofamuslim.com/2009/0...ast-names.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2017846

And once you find a surname you like, you should probably research it heavily. What major figures/public people/etc associated with that name? Positive or negative overall notoriety? Better safe than sorry losing gigs because of an adopted name with accidentally negative associations.

Yes! Thank you for the links, I will check them out. And I plan to at least quadruple check their meanings with native speakers. I would not want to offend anyone, nor choose a name that doesn't make any sense! I appreciate the help!

Originally Posted by caroline_afifi

You would never see two female names together.

I like Liza Laziza's name because it is based on her own name but her second name is an ordinary word meaning with many meanings..

So would you recommend to look at male names instead of female for a last name? Or a word that isn't typically used as a name like "Hob" (not that one, but just using an example )

Originally Posted by Qamar60

Happy Holydays Sweety!

How about adding a word like "dance" or "bdance" at the beginning or the end of your name like: bdanceangelica.com or angelicadance.com, etc.

Just a though.

Happy Holidays Qamar! LOVE the costume you made for Amar by the way

I was thinking of using dance or raqs at first, but I really feel that I would prefer using something else. Either a last name or a word that describes me or how I dance, rather than that I dance... if that makes sense? For example, I think Lilianne's is really clever: Salomestar.com and I also really like the ring of Satinworships: Carraranour.com
I feel that they sound full with a second word but also very unique because they are describing their dance without using the word dance. By the way, I don't think there is anything wrong with using the word dance! Its just a personal preference to use another word

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

Dancers also occasionally use lineage names from within the dance community. If your teacher had a dance last name, sometimes she bestowed that on her students (e.g., if she was "Nadira Nour," and you were "Gameela," when you reached a point where she wanted to promote you as part of her dance family, she might let you start calling yourself "Gameela Nour"). Similarly, she might let you take her name as a matronymic designating you as her daughter ("Gameela Bint Nadira"). Most dancers don't study extensively under one dancer and their performing careers are not as tightly controlled by their teachers as they sometimes were in the old club days, so this is not as common as it once was, and in some areas, it was never a very common practice. Also note that these ad hoc naming schemes were usually improvised by dancers who were not fluent speakers of Arabic, so sometimes they manifested themselves as very clumsy--if not inadvertently comical--Arabic. In other words, even if you want to go this route, run it by a native speaker first.

You know, I think this is a wonderful idea. I am so thankful to my first teacher for having introduced me to this dance in such a loving way. I love the idea of honoring her and what she has given me. Unfortuantly her name wouldn't work at all because she doesn't use a stage name. But I might consider sending an email to see if she would be willing to make a few suggestions. Thank you for the idea and inspiration!!

Originally Posted by MellyBelly

if you become Angelica Gamal we can be dance sisters! lol :)

I like Angelica Amar or Angelica Aziz... I like alliteration in names

Dance sisters indeed! I do plan to make my way to visit Arabesque in the next year so maybe we'll get to meet!

I was thinking Angelica Amar had a nice ring to it. I'm a fan of alliteration in names as well but I hesitate because the last letter of my first name is also an "A".
Marilyn Monroe is a perfect example!

Originally Posted by emma-bessa

Interesting,here in Europe it´s not common to use stage surnames...can´t remember seen it even once here.

Really? I'm surprised to hear that!

Originally Posted by AngelicaDances

So would you recommend to look at male names instead of female for a last name? Or a word that isn't typically used as a name like "Hob" (not that one, but just using an example )

It is just a suggestion really. The names you mentioned like Amar is moon or Omar is a mans name, as is Amr or Amro and Aziz.

Yes, Angelica Hob!

or 'Terter'.. sequins! 'Dandesh' means bright and garish.

Of course, Angelica on it's own is just fine too.

Well here are some of the female names I was considering using as a last name. Of course I would have to check with a few native speakers to make sure they're correct, but do let me know what you think, like or don't like! And Happy New Year everyone!!!!

Angelica Farah (joy) Angelicafarah.com
Angelica Fereeda (unique) Angelicafereeda.com
Angelica Nour (light) Angelicanour.com
Angelica Zahra (white, flowers) Angelicazahra.com
Angelica Almas (diamond) Angelicaalmas.com
Angelica Asilah (noble origin, pure) Angelicaasilah.com
Angelica Janan (heart, soul) Angelicajanan.com
Angelica Hala (sweetness) Angelicahala.com
Angelica Nawal (gift) Angelicanawal.com
Angelica Amar (moon) Angelicaamar.com
Angelica Gamal (beauty) Angelicagamal.com


Ouffff... lot'sa choices!!

Can't say why exactly but I love the first two!

Originally Posted by AngelicaDances

I also really like the ring of Satinworships: Carraranour.com

You know, you might think I'm crazy, but I'm actually thinking about dropping the "Nour!" As if a 3-syllable name like Carrara isn't a mouthful in and of itself, the "Nour" is a bit too much for people to remember. So I usually just introduce myself as Carrara these days.

Honestly, I actually like just plain Angelica! While having a surname is nice, it does leave more room for people to butcher your name or ask you to repeat yourself. So if you do pick a surname, I'd go for something simple.

Originally Posted by _Maeva_

Can't say why exactly but I love the first two!

Noted
I like the ring of them too...

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

You know, you might think I'm crazy, but I'm actually thinking about dropping the "Nour!" As if a 3-syllable name like Carrara isn't a mouthful in and of itself, the "Nour" is a bit too much for people to remember. So I usually just introduce myself as Carrara these days.

Honestly, I actually like just plain Angelica! While having a surname is nice, it does leave more room for people to butcher your name or ask you to repeat yourself. So if you do pick a surname, I'd go for something simple.

Ohhh... don't change it! I find the names together sound very glamorous. It rings confident and it sounds like you are a movie-star belly dancer!!! Don't change it!!!

I would probably continue to introduce myself as Angelica. But for the website, Angelica.com, Angelica.ca, etc are all taken so I need another word. I would prefer not to use the word dance or raqs so a surname was my next option...

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

Honestly, I actually like just plain Angelica! While having a surname is nice, it does leave more room for people to butcher your name or ask you to repeat yourself. So if you do pick a surname, I'd go for something simple.

I agree with that!! people cannot say Arabic words very well anyhow.. My real surname is Afifi and I have many problems even spelling it out to people. It can turn into a comedy sketch in which I find no humour.

I like Angelica Amar. I think that the fact that the two names starts with the same letter, makes it sound nice to the ear. In poetry (french poetry anyway, I don't know english poetry really well, but I guess it's the same thing) what makes a poem beautiful isn't only the message or text, it's also about the phonetic of the words... in the same sentence words with similar sounds or syllables will often be used to create a nice resonance, as if it's not only a poem, but a piece of music as well. And I think Amar, which means the moon, has a beautiful romantic feeling to it!

Good luck!!!

Originally Posted by skydancer

I like Angelica Amar. I think that the fact that the two names starts with the same letter, makes it sound nice to the ear. In poetry (french poetry anyway, I don't know english poetry really well, but I guess it's the same thing) what makes a poem beautiful isn't only the message or text, it's also about the phonetic of the words... in the same sentence words with similar sounds or syllables will often be used to create a nice resonance, as if it's not only a poem, but a piece of music as well. And I think Amar, which means the moon, has a beautiful romantic feeling to it!

Good luck!!!

Bonjour Skydancer!

I like it too! Right now I'm debating Angelica Amar vs. Angelica Nour.
Thank you for your comments! I noticed you're from Montreal too! Do we know eachother??

I also think Angelica Amar sounds nicer in French than Angelica Nour does.... quest ce que tu pense?

Ohh, tu parles français aussi! Great
I don't think we know each other, but if you live in Montreal we probably know some of the same people!
I agree that Angelica Amar sounds better in french than Angelica Nour. I like Angelica Nour also, since you already have a beautiful name that is suitable for oriental dance, I think it's better if you chose a short last time. So Nour would be a good choice but for me it doesn't have the same ''punch'' as Amar, that kind of ''Whoa!'' that resonates when you hear it. Maybe it has something to do with my french ears, but if your public is mostly french it may be good to take that into consideration

I agree with Skydancer!


Marilyn Monroe...Brigitte Bardot...Angelica Amar....ouiiiii!

Merci les filles!!

1 week later and I'm still really feeling Angelica Amar. Looks like I'm on the right track, I hope!!

I have a dance surname (as you can see). My surname is an homage to my mother. Maysá means "walks with a proud and swinging gait". I walk exactly like my mother - lots of "swish" in my behind. Heh.

I'm always introduced as Makeda Maysá, but when people talk to me/when I introduce myself, it's just "Makeda". So, pick a name you love, as you'll hear it announced whenever you dance, but know that you'll always be just Angelica to people.

duplicate post

Another possibility is to take a descriptive "Title". Zorba, "The Veiled Male" is mine; Zarah, "The Untouchable" is my wife's, etc.