A nom de guerre (French pronunciation: [nɔ̃ də ɡɛʁ] , 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when he or she is involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war.
In ancien régime France it would be adopted by each new recruit (or assigned to them by the captain of their company) as they enlisted in the French army. These pseudonyms had an official character and were the predecessor of identification numbers: soldiers were identified by their first names, their family names, and their noms de guerre (e. g. Jean Amarault dit Lafidélité). These pseudonyms were usually related to the soldier's place of origin (e. g. Jean Deslandes dit Champigny, for a soldier coming from a town named Champigny), or to a particular physical or personal trait (e. g. Antoine Bonnet dit Prettaboire, for a soldier prêt à boire, ready to drink). In 1716, a nom de guerre was mandatory for every soldier; officers did not adopt noms de guerre as they considered them derogatory. In daily life, these aliases could replace the real family name.
Noms de guerre were adopted for security reasons by members of World War II French Resistance and Polish resistance. Such pseudonyms are often adopted by military special-forces soldiers, such as members of the SAS and similar units of resistance fighters, terrorists, and guerrillas. This practice hides their identities and may protect their families from reprisals; it may also be a form of dissociation from domestic life.
Some well-known men who adopted noms de guerre include Ilich Ramírez Sánchez (Carlos the Jackal); Willy Brandt, Chancellor of West Germany; and Subcomandante Marcos, spokesman of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN).[citation needed] During Lehi's underground fight against the British in Mandatory Palestine, the organization's commander Yitzhak Shamir (later Prime Minister of Israel) adopted the nom de guerre "Michael", in honour of Ireland's Michael Collins. Pseudonym was also stylized as suedonim in a common misspelling of the original word so as to preserve the price of telegrams in World War I and II.
Revolutionaries and resistance leaders, such as Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Golda Meir, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, and Josip Broz Tito, often adopted their noms de guerre as their proper names after the struggle. Georgios Grivas, the Greek-Cypriot EOKA militant, adopted the nom de guerre Digenis (Διγενής). In the French Foreign Legion, recruits can adopt a pseudonym to break with their past lives. Mercenaries have long used "noms de guerre", sometimes even multiple identities, depending on the country, conflict, and circumstance.[citation needed] Some of the most familiar noms de guerre today are the kunya used by Islamic State's mujahideen and Al Qaeda members. These take the form of a teknonym, either literal or figurative.
Such war names have also been used in Africa. Part of the molding of child soldiers has included giving them such names. They were also used by fighters in the People's Liberation Army of Namibia, with some fighters retaining these names as their permanent names.
References
- "nom de guerre". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- "nom de guerre". Cambridge Dictionary. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
- "Home | Historica – Dominion". Historica. Archived from the original on 29 December 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- Mironova, Vera; Alhamad, Karam (14 July 2017). "The Names of Jihad". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
- Pender, Sam (2005). Saddam's Ties to Al Queda. Virtualbookworm Publishing. p. 563. ISBN 9781589396845.
- Mastey, D. (2018). "Child Soldier Narratives and Their War Names." English Studies 99(2), 166-182.
- Nepunda, Lucia. "The significance of Oshiwambo combat names for the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) fighters during the armed liberation struggle of Namibia (1966-1989)." PhD diss., University of Namibia, 2020.
A nom de guerre French pronunciation nɔ de ɡɛʁ war name is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when he or she is involved in a particular activity especially fighting in a war In ancien regime France it would be adopted by each new recruit or assigned to them by the captain of their company as they enlisted in the French army These pseudonyms had an official character and were the predecessor of identification numbers soldiers were identified by their first names their family names and their noms de guerre e g Jean Amarault dit Lafidelite These pseudonyms were usually related to the soldier s place of origin e g Jean Deslandes dit Champigny for a soldier coming from a town named Champigny or to a particular physical or personal trait e g Antoine Bonnet dit Prettaboire for a soldier pret a boire ready to drink In 1716 a nom de guerre was mandatory for every soldier officers did not adopt noms de guerre as they considered them derogatory In daily life these aliases could replace the real family name Noms de guerre were adopted for security reasons by members of World War II French Resistance and Polish resistance Such pseudonyms are often adopted by military special forces soldiers such as members of the SAS and similar units of resistance fighters terrorists and guerrillas This practice hides their identities and may protect their families from reprisals it may also be a form of dissociation from domestic life Some well known men who adopted noms de guerre include Ilich Ramirez Sanchez Carlos the Jackal Willy Brandt Chancellor of West Germany and Subcomandante Marcos spokesman of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation EZLN citation needed During Lehi s underground fight against the British in Mandatory Palestine the organization s commander Yitzhak Shamir later Prime Minister of Israel adopted the nom de guerre Michael in honour of Ireland s Michael Collins Pseudonym was also stylized as suedonim in a common misspelling of the original word so as to preserve the price of telegrams in World War I and II Revolutionaries and resistance leaders such as Lenin Stalin Trotsky Golda Meir Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque and Josip Broz Tito often adopted their noms de guerre as their proper names after the struggle Georgios Grivas the Greek Cypriot EOKA militant adopted the nom de guerre Digenis Digenhs In the French Foreign Legion recruits can adopt a pseudonym to break with their past lives Mercenaries have long used noms de guerre sometimes even multiple identities depending on the country conflict and circumstance citation needed Some of the most familiar noms de guerre today are the kunya used by Islamic State s mujahideen and Al Qaeda members These take the form of a teknonym either literal or figurative Such war names have also been used in Africa Part of the molding of child soldiers has included giving them such names They were also used by fighters in the People s Liberation Army of Namibia with some fighters retaining these names as their permanent names References nom de guerre Merriam Webster Dictionary Merriam Webster Retrieved 1 February 2025 nom de guerre Cambridge Dictionary Cambridge University Press Retrieved 1 February 2025 Home Historica Dominion Historica Archived from the original on 29 December 2010 Retrieved 14 October 2012 Mironova Vera Alhamad Karam 14 July 2017 The Names of Jihad Foreign Affairs Retrieved 3 February 2025 Pender Sam 2005 Saddam s Ties to Al Queda Virtualbookworm Publishing p 563 ISBN 9781589396845 Mastey D 2018 Child Soldier Narratives and Their War Names English Studies 99 2 166 182 Nepunda Lucia The significance of Oshiwambo combat names for the People s Liberation Army of Namibia PLAN fighters during the armed liberation struggle of Namibia 1966 1989 PhD diss University of Namibia 2020
