30 Celebrities Who Changed Their Names Before They Became Stars

Kirk Douglas

The late Kirk Douglas was born Isser Danielovich in upstate New York, the son of poor, illiterate Russian immigrants, Hershel and Brina (who later became known as Harry and Bertha).

He told PEOPLE in 2015 that he changed his name before pursuing a career in show business because he thought it was too awkward and Jewish for Hollywood at the time.

“I wish we had kept the original name,” he said, reflecting on that time. “It's more interesting to keep the original name. But can you imagine seeing that name on a sign?”

The Douglas name was adopted by Kirk's son, Michael Douglas, and his name will force other actors on this list to change their names as well.

Dove Cameron

Born Chloe Celeste Hoffman, the actress legally changed her name to Dove in honor of her late father, who called her by that nickname.

“He called me Dove more often than he called me Chloe,” she said. Style watch.My dad died when I was 15 so I decided to legally change it, so now I have the Dove logo on my passport. Everything I have legally is Dove.”

However, she said on Twitter in September 2017 that she would respond to either name, Her friends and family still call her Chloe..

John Legend

Born John Roger Stevens, the singer's stage name was derived from a nickname he was given as a child.

“John Legend was a nickname that my friends started giving me and it became my stage name,” he told MTV in 2008. “More people in my circle know me by it than by my real name.”

Meg Ryan

While her nickname Ryan may sound short and cute, her real name is Margaret Mary Emily Ann Hyla, which is quite long.

She began using her grandmother's maiden name, “Ryan,” as her surname when she joined the Screen Actors Guild. Entertainment Weekly report.

Audrey Hepburn

The origins of Hepburn's real name are shrouded in mystery. Sources differ on the Belgian-born actress' exact birth name, but The New York Times She is reported to have been born Edda van Heemstra Hepburn Ruston.

The names Edda, Audrey (the anglicized form of the Dutch name Edda), and Andrei (the feminine form of Andrew) appear in various biographies, with Edda appearing most frequently. Britannica.

However, sources agree that Hepburn's mother was the Dutch Baroness Ella van Heemstra, and that her English father had the surname Ruston, but took the more aristocratic-sounding name Hepburn-Ruston, believing he was a descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots, the encyclopedia says.

Vin Diesel

Apparently, the name Mark Sinclair didn't sound too tough for the actor back when he was working as a bouncer in New York City before his big break.

The action star chose his new first name as a shortened version of his mother's maiden name, Vincent. Late Night with Conan O'Brien It's a nickname his friends gave him because he's always full of energy.

Nicki Minaj

Trinidad-born rapper Minaj's stage name is a contraction of her real name, Onika Tanya Maraj.

Calvin Harris

Fans may have raised their eyebrows when Taylor Swift thanked her then-boyfriend “Adam” at the 2016 iHeartRadio Awards, but Harris goes by the name Adam Richard Wiles when he's not spinning records.

Scottish musicians Shortlist In 2009, he decided to change his name “to take advantage of the racial ambiguity of his stage name,” he said. Esquire.

“My first single was a soul song, and Calvin Harris was more racially ambiguous,” he says. “I thought people might not know if I was black, and then I was stuck with that idea.”

Charlie Sheen

Martin Sheen's youngest son, Carlos Irwin Estevez, took on his father's stage name when he began his acting career under the name Charlie.

In contrast, Charlie's brothers Emilio, Ramon and Rene are all actors and continue to use the Spanish surname Estevez.

Diane Keaton

Keaton's real name was Hall, named after her character Annie Hall in Woody Allen's film of the same name, for which she won an Academy Award in 1978. According to Stig Bjorkman's book, Allen wrote the role for an actress he had previously dated, combining her real name with his nickname, Annie. Woody Allen's Woody Allen: A Conversation with Stig Bjorkman.

of Marvin's Room Starr initially changed her last name to her mother's maiden name, Keaton, because there was another actress named Diane Hall in the Actors Guild. trend.

Olivia Wilde

Actress Olivia Jane Cockburn legally changed her surname to Wilde when she began her acting career, in honour of one of her favourite authors, Oscar Wilde.

Katy Perry

The pop star was born Katherine Elizabeth Hudson, but changed her name to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson (though Perry released her first self-titled album under the name “Katy Hudson” in 2001). Perry is her mother's maiden name.

Miley Cyrus

Cyrus legally changed her name from Destiny Hope to Miley Ray (a play on her childhood nickname “Smiley”) in 2008.

Nina Dobrev

Bulgarian actress Dobrev shortened her name from Nikolina Konstancenova-Dobrevava.

Jamie Foxx

The Oscar-winning actor was born Eric Marlon Bishop but changed his name to the gender-ambiguous Jamie Foxx during his time as a stand-up comedian.

The actress-comedian chose a more feminine-sounding name because female comedians were often the first to be called onto the stage. Yahoo! I will report.

He chose the name “Fox.” Sanford & Son Starring Redd Foxx.

Joaquin Phoenix

The actor's parents changed the family's surname from Bottom to Phoenix in the late 1970s to represent a new beginning.

Bruno Mars

Born Peter Gene Hernandez, he later Latina Magazine: “My father gave me the nickname Bruno from the time I was two years old.”

“I was going to go by the name 'Bruno.' Mars said it as a joke because the name sounded pretentious. That's it, simple as that.”

Mars later revealed that his father gave him the nickname “Bruno” after professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.

Michael Keaton

The actor was forced to change his last name from Douglas to Keaton in order to join the actors' union, as his real name, Michael Douglas, was already taken by a future Academy Award-winning actor.

Tom Cruise

He may be the only Tom Cruise in Hollywood, but not in his family! The actor's real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, and he started using his middle name as his last name at the behest of his agent.

Demi Moore

Sometimes, less is more! Born Demetria Jean Guynes, the actress shortened her first name to Demi. The star's surname was a holdover from her first marriage to singer Freddie Moore.

Whoopi Goldberg

Born Caryn Elaine Johnson, this Oscar-winning actress goes by the stage name Whoopi. Whoopee Cushion.

“When I have a little bit of gas, I have to let it out, so people have told me, 'You're like a fart cushion,' and that's where the name comes from,” she said. The New York Times In 2006.

Goldberg is her mother's maiden name, and she decided to use it in the hopes of being taken more seriously.

“My mother didn't name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name and it's part of my family and part of my heritage, just like being black,” she said. Jewish Chronicles In 2011.

Marilyn Monroe

It's hard to imagine this iconic actress by any other name, but Monroe was known by several different names throughout her life, even before she made her way to Hollywood.

Monroe was baptized Norma Jean Baker, but the name on her birth certificate was Norma Jean Mortenson, a name that was changed again after she married James Dougherty and took his surname.

Although she was publicly known by that name since 1946, she did not legally change her name to Marilyn Monroe until 1956. 20th Century Fox executive Ben Lyon gave her the name Marilyn because she reminded him of actress Marilyn Miller; she chose Monroe after her mother's maiden name.

After she married writer Arthur Miller in 1956, she went by the name Marilyn Monroe Miller.

Natalie Portman

Born Neta Leigh Hershlag, the Israeli-American actress adopted her paternal grandmother's maiden name, “Portman,” as her stage name for privacy reasons.

Alicia Keys

After all, the singer's name and incredible piano skills are no coincidence! Keys changed her name from Alicia Augello-Cook to reflect her love of music.

Winona Ryder

When asked how she wanted her name to appear in the credits for her first film, the actress changed her last name from Horowitz to “Ryder,” and because a Mitch Ryder album was playing in the background, she suggested going by “Ryder.”

Jennifer Aniston

No, Aniston's real name isn't Rachel Green. It's Jennifer Lynn Anastasakis. Her Greek father, actor John Aniston, changed the family's surname when he entered showbiz.

Elton John

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, the singer began performing under the name Elton John in homage to blues legends saxophonist Elton Dean and singer Long John Baldry. He legally changed his name in May 1972, adding the middle name “Hercules”, because he “had grown to hate” his real name.

“When I became Elton John, it was like a new breath of life was breathed into my life,” he said in a 1987 interview. Daily Express “I never particularly liked being Reg Dwight. It brings up too many unhappy memories.”

He added: “I just hated the word 'Reg'. It was a horrible name.”

Martin Sheen

The son of a Spanish immigrant father and an Irish mother, West Wing The actor was born Ramon Antonio Gerardo Estevez. However, he never legally changed his birth name. Closer Weekly In June 2022, he said he “regrets” changing his name.

“That's one of my regrets,” he told the media, “that sometimes you get persuaded when you don't even have the insight or courage to stand up for your beliefs, and then you pay the price later.”

She added, “I have never legally changed my name. My birth certificate still says Ramon Estevez. It still says it on my marriage certificate, passport and driver's license.”

Lily James

of Pam & Tommy The star was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson but adopted the surname James in memory of her father, James Thomson, who died of cancer in 2008.

Jon Bon Jovi

Legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi Jr., but when he was looking for a name for his band, a friend suggested Bon Jovi, similar to Van Halen.

Keeping the band name, the musicians also began performing professionally as Bon Jovi.