What is alias assumed name?

An alias or assumed name is when a person uses another name that is not their own. This can be as simply as John Edward Jones going by Edward Jones, his middle name, this would be an alias. The more common use of alias is that which is shown on television crime dramas, is when a criminal takes on a completely different identity to avoid prosecution. Basically they take the name and identification of a person who is deceased and about the same age as themselves. They then live as this person to avoid being found.