Along with desires to differentiate themselves from performers in similar fields, increase ease of spelling and pronunciation or convey a certain image, some performers do take a stage name for the purpose of making themselves more difficult to recognize. This might possibly have worked in the ’70s, but with easy access to enormous amounts of adult content on the Internet and the ease with which we can all find juicy tidbits of information about one another’s pasts online, I can’t see it having much effect anymore.

I am on the board of the Adult Performer Advocacy Committee, which offers peer-to-peer education and supports performers’ rights. In the introduction to its Porn 101 video, my colleagues explain: “There is a great likelihood that everyone you know will see these images, or at least find out,” and “You cannot expect your legal name to remain a secret, and a stage name will not fool people who recognize you.”

Her stage name is Stoya, and this is the most SFW picture I could find among SFW pictures of her.

You don't expect porn stars to have their own personalities - which is why I was so surprised, at the tender age of 19, to find out that Sasha Gray has something to say on women's rights when she came to Russia. It's something Stoya talks a little about down the article, too. Quite an eloquent woman.