Perhaps unsurprisingly, some celebrities with cool names were actually born with completely different names. (It is often interesting, however, how actors and singers find “new” names that fit their personas. For example, Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (...) It is utterly fascinating to imagine an alternate universe in which, for example, Michael Caine was known by his birth name, Maurice Joseph Micklewhite (...). If you're curious and want to go down the rabbit hole, keep scrolling to learn the 32 amazing real names of famous celebrities.

“Lizzie Grant” (Elizabeth Woolidge Grant) began her music career while still in college, but rebranded herself with a debut album named after Lana Turner and Ford Del Rey's sedan. Lana Del Rey was then “born” and began making waves musically.

Many people already know Eminem's real name (Marshall Mathers), as he literally released an album using his original name as the title. Contrary to what some people think, his name does not mean M&Ms candy, but is a phonetic spelling of his initials.

Perhaps we should not have been surprised that Vin Diesel is not Vin Diesel's real name. I was surprised, however, to learn that his real name is Mark Vincent, which he got from working as a bouncer as a teenager, and that his nickname is a shortened version of his last name, with “Diesel” added for general enthusiasm.

Caryn Johnson seemed a bit gassy early in her standup career and almost chose the stage name Whoopi Cushion, so she went from practically nothing to Whoopi Goldberg. This is because early in her standup career, she seemed to have a little bit of a gassy stomach and almost chose the stage name Whoopi Cushion. [Did you know that Bernice Frankel served in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve during World War II, where she met her husband, another Marine, Robert Alan Orser?

Amara Latona Zandile Dlamini loves cats and marijuana; in an email to Dazed magazine in 2018, she wrote, “I was so into marijuana and marijuana culture that when I started rapping,” doja “ the word and it sounded like a girls name I came up with the word doja “and the fact that it sounds like a girl's name,” she wrote.

Enrique Morales literally began touring with the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo as a teen. According to various theories, the band changed his name, according to Interview magazine; according to Entertainment Weekly, which reported the 1995 story, he changed his name because his father was not supportive of his career.

Katy Hudson (birth name Katherine Hudson), a gospel musician in Nashville, Tennessee, changed her name to her current name, Katy Perry. To avoid confusion with Kate Hudson, Katy took her mother's name and became the pop star we know.

Jerusalem-born Neta-Lee Hershlag took an Americanized version of her first name (Natalie) as a child. She was a star from an early age and chose to protect her privacy by using her grandmother's maiden name (Portman) as her stage name.

As much as we would like to believe that Chapel Lawn has fully emerged on the music scene as herself, Kaylee Rose Amstutz explained the origin of her stage name in 2022. 'My grandfather's name was Dennis K. Chappell, so I took the name Chappell in his honor. Before he passed away from brain cancer in 2016, I told my grandfather I would be Chappell for him, and Roan was taken from a song he liked, 'The Strawberry Roan,' an old western song (by Marty Robbins) about a pinkish-red horse.”

Peter Hernandez was nicknamed “Bruno” in his youth because of his resemblance to wrestler Bruno San Martino. He took on this last name when he officially entered the world of show business, a reference to his response when someone told him he was “out of this world.”

Fun fact: Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas. Yes, he had to change his name because there was already a famous actor named Michael Douglas. His last name came from Buster Keaton, whom Michael respected.

As for who gave Lady Gaga the now iconic name (herself or the producer at the time), there are actually many theories, but it comes from the Queen song “Radio Ga Ga”. Certainly, Stephanie Joanne Angelina Germanotta does not have the same catchiness.

Calvin Broaddus Jr. was named after his stepfather, Calvin Broaddus Sr. We probably remember when he briefly tried out longer versions of his stage name (Snoop Doggy Dog) and new names (Snoop Lion, Snoopzilla, etc.).

Megan Jovon Ruth Peet has a surprising reason for including her stallion in her stage name, and it stems from a strong sense of self-awareness. She is quite tall (5'10") and in response to people (mostly men) calling her a ‘stallion,’ she took the name and capitalized on its positive attributes.

Demi Gaines (her stepfather's last name) married musician Freddie Moore before she turned 20. The marriage was short-lived, but her stage name (Demi Moore) was the name she used throughout her career, even before they were married, until her career took off.

Destiny Hope Cyrus went through several name changes during her career. Her childhood nickname “Smiley” became the “Miley” we all know. He now goes by Miley Ray Cyrus as a tribute to his father, Billy Ray Cyrus, who legally took his name in 2008 at the age of 15.

Vera Mindy Chokalingam never took a first name. Her parents came up with the idea of giving her an Americanized middle name after the hit show Mork & Mindy when they decided to move to the United States, and shortened her name to Mindy Kaling when she turned professional.

I suppose I should have guessed that John Legend was not born with the last name, but I definitely was not. John Roger Stevens decided to live up to his name and make a big splash with his legendary (pun intended) last name.

Certainly, it makes sense that Rohde was not born primary, but in fact she has many names: she is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor. Of Rohde, she said, “I think it was a good thing that I chose voluntarily. Because if I had a cool, weird, hip name that I hate now, that would be super annoying.”

Eric Bishop is a very prominent name, but you would never guess it from the very charismatic Fox. He actually started out as a comedian and chose a gender-neutral first name because female comedians were often called to the stage earlier. His last name is after comedian Red Foxx.

As a child, Eileen Edwards took the last name of her new stepfather, Jerry Twain, an Ojibwe Native American, who married her mother (she had a rough childhood and lists Jerry as her father). She chose the name Shaniah for her stage name, noting that it had no particular meaning.

Ben Kingsley is an extremely British name, but this is intentional: Krishna Bunge tried to make his name British. Benji is his father's nickname, and King Clove is the name given to his spice merchant grandfather.

Melissa Vivian Jefferson's nickname was Lissa, but after hearing Jay-Z's “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” she changed it to the name we all know. For those who don't know, she studied flute and started rapping at a young age.

Margaret Mary Emily Ann Hila (wow) had already gained acting experience in commercials when she decided on her now-famous screen name and registered with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) after college. Ryan is derived from her grandmother's maiden name.

Many stage names derive from social media, including Lil Nas X. Born Montero Hill (reverting to his original name later in his career), “Lil Nas” was created as a parody of another “Lil” rapper. When the name stuck and he became a more established artist, an “X” was added.

Reginald Dwight certainly does not sound like Elton John (a stage name adopted from a cross between bandmate Elton Dean and blues singer Long John Baldry), yet that is how the singer began his life. When he became very successful as a songwriter, he changed his name to this one.

Ilyena Mironov anglicized both her first and last name (her original name came from her Russian ancestors). Her father changed his last name and she changed hers. Just as Ben Kingsley took an English name, so Helen Mirren is English.

Wait: Cardi B's name is the very cool Belcalis Almanzar; in 2024, Emma Stone revealed that her real name, Emily Stone, had already been given by another SAG actress and that she had to change her brand name early in her career, It caused quite a stir. “A few years ago, I panicked. Somehow, I said, 'I can't do this anymore. Call me Emily."

Rihanna's real name (Fenty) is what she uses professionally, especially for her beauty and lingerie lines, but her real first name (Robin) was already used independently by the Swedish singer. Rihanna is her middle name.

Maurice Joseph Micklewhite is 1) very British and 2) sounds quite classy. But I know that Michael Kane is much easier to say. The name Kane was actually taken from his father's name, and when he started acting in London, his first stage name (Michael Scott) was taken by another actor, so he pulled his new last name from “Mutiny on the Kane.”