How did Mark Twain get his name?

Answer 1

Samuel Clemens changed his name to Mark Twain because of his experiences of being on a riverboat.

"Mark twain" was what the leadsman on a riverboat called when the water was two fathoms deep -- that's 12 feet, which is deep enough to be considered safe for most boats of the era.

In addition to a phrase commonly heard on the Mississippi, "Mark Twain" was the original pen name of Captain Sellers, an old steamboat pilot who wrote rather all-knowingly about river conditions for the New Orleans Picayune in the mid-1800s. In one of his early newspaper articles, Samuel Clemens parodied the first Mark Twain's writing. Captain Sellers read the parody and was offended, which Clemens regretted. As a tribute to the old man and steamboat traditions, Clemens started using the pen name of Mark Twain in 1863.

Mark Twain became both Clemens' writing name and a persona he affected in his works. Particularly in his travel books "Innocents Abroad" and "Roughing It," "Mark Twain" narrates as an excitable, naive fellow, quite unlike the real Clemens. In later years, the public figure of Mark Twain became known as a genial humorist, disguising Clemens' serious side.

Answer 2

Many authors use pen names for a variety of reasons. Samuel Clemon's pen name is Mark Twain. Clemons once worked on a steamboat. When deckhands were checking the depth of the river, they would shout "mark twain" to indicate when the sounding weight had struck bottom.

Answer 3

Mark Twain (aka Samuel Clemens) spent time on the riverboats going up and down the Mississippi River. He would watch the crew as they came around a bend or entered shallow water and they would shout out depth soundings in the form of "Marks" in an almost musical tone; "Mark One", Mark Twain", Mark Three".

Answer 4

If you didn't know, Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens. Authors usually give themselves pennames. So do famous people.
Mark Twain was a term they used to estimate the depth of water under the steamboat by sounding with a rope and weight. Mark Twain meant there were two fathoms (12 feet) of water under the hull. He worked on a steamship when he was young. When he heard "By the mark - Twain" he felt comfortable and that there was smooth sailing ahead. He used the term as his pen name to convey this feeling of comfort in his readers.

Answer 5

Mark Twain was one of Samuel Clemens later pen names. When Samuel Clemens was a young man, he worked on a steamboat. 'mark twain' is river slang for 'the river is 12 feet deep', which was the just safe depth for a steamboat.

Answer 6

Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens. Authors often give themselves pennames.

Mark Twain was a term they used to estimate the depth of water under the steamboat by sounding with a rope and weight. "Mark Twain" meant there were two fathoms (12 feet) of water under the hull. He worked on a steamship when he was young. When he heard "By the mark - Twain" he felt comfortable and that there was smooth sailing ahead. He used the term as his pen name to convey this feeling of comfort in his readers.

Answer 7

Mark Twain was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but he adopted the pen name "Mark Twain" when he began his writing career. He took the name from the Mississippi River term "mark twain," which indicated that the water was two fathoms deep and therefore safe for steamboats.

Answer 8

Samuel Clemens took the name Mark Twain from his experience on the Mississippi River boats. The old word twain means two. Mark twain means there are two fathoms of water under the boat.

Answer 9

He got his character from a riverboat in Mississippi.