Definition of "pen name"

pen name

noun
plural pen names
1. A fictitious name used by an author in place of their actual name; a writer's pseudonym.
  Quotations
  Within a week of King's acknowledging the Bachman pen name, several sources —publishers, book dealers, readers, and fans—had mentioned a number of possible other pseudonyms; obviously, if King admitted to two pen names, John Swithen and Richard Bachmann, there might be others.
  1998, Bill Munster, Discovering Dean Koontz, Wildside Press LLC, page 64
  In their time, it was fashionable to sign letters using a pen name. These pen names were borrowed from characters in classical literature.
  2002, Jacqueline Ching, Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary Woman, The Rosen Publishing Group, page 19