Celebrities Who Changed Their Names

From shortened last names to childhood nicknames that stuck, these celebrities made a major switch before entering Hollywood.

Whether it be to shorten their name or make it more memorable to stand out in Hollywood, many celebrities choose to tweak or adapt an entirely new name when they start rising in fame. From Gigi Hadid to legendary Marilyn Monroe, here are all the celebrities who have changed their name:

Tom Cruise

He might be the only Tom Cruise in Hollywood, but not in his family! The actor’s birth name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.

He began using his middle name as a surname at the behest of an agent.

Brad Pitt

Well, his real name is William Bradley Pitt.

Marilyn Monroe

It’s hard to imagine the iconic actress by any other name, but Monroe went by several different monikers throughout her life, even before she landed in Hollywood. Monroe was baptized Norma Jeane Baker, but the name on her birth certificate was Norma Jeane Mortenson. It changed again after she married James Dougherty and adopted his surname.

She later went by Marilyn Monroe Miller after marrying author Arthur Miller in 1956.

She didn’t legally change her name to Marilyn Monroe until 1956, although she had been publicly known by the moniker since 1946. Ben Lyon, a 20th Century Fox executive, gave her the name Marilyn because she reminded him of actress Marilyn Miller. She picked Monroe after her mother’s maiden name.

Jennifer Anniston

No, Aniston’s real name is not secretly Rachel Green — it’s Jennifer Linn Anastassakis!

Her Greek father, actor John Aniston, changed the family’s last name when he went into show business.

Katty Perry

This famous pop star was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson but changed her name so she wouldn’t be confused with actress Kate Hudson (though Perry released her self-titled first album under the name “Katy Hudson” in 2001).

Perry is her mother’s maiden name.

Miley Cyrus

The optimistically named Destiny Hope Cyrus legally switched to Miley (a reference to her childhood nickname, “Smiley”) in 2008.

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

Nicki Minaj

Minaj’s stage moniker is a shortened version of her real name, Onika Tanya Maraj.

The rapper’s nom de plume is a truncated version of her original moniker, Onika Tanya Maraj.

Demi Moore

Born Demetria Gene Guynes, the actress shortened her first name to just Demi. The star’s last name is a holdover from her first marriage to singer Freddy Moore.

Less is Moore according to Demi..

Gigi Hadid

Gigi was born as Jelena Noura Hadid, however, Yolanda Foster started calling the supermodel Gigi when she was just a child.

Today she is famous with her reel name globally.

Audrey Hepburn

The origins of Hepburn’s true name are shrouded in mystery. Sources have disagreed on the exact birthname of the Belgian-born actress, but The New York Times reported she was born Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston.

The names Edda, Audrey (the English form of the Dutch name Edda) and Andrey (a feminine form of Andrew) can be found in different biographies, although Edda is found most frequently, according to Britannica.

Sources do agree, however, that Hepburn’s mother was the Dutch baroness Ella van Heemstra and that her British father’s surname was Ruston, though he went by the more aristocratic-sounding name Hepburn-Ruston, believing he was a descendant of Mary, Queen of Scots, the encyclopedia reports.

Natalie Portman

The Israeli-American actress took her paternal grandmother’s maiden name, “Portman,” as her stage name for privacy reasons.

She was born Neta-Lee Hershlag,

Joaquin Phoenix

The Joker actor was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom, but rose from the ashes to claim his showbiz suffix: Phoenix.

The actor’s parents changed the family’s last name from Bottom to Phoenix in the late 1970s to represent a new beginning.

Bruno Mars

Mars was named Peter Gene Hernandez before he became a singing sensation.

Born Peter Gene Hernandez, he later told Latina magazine, “My dad nicknamed me Bruno since I was 2 years old.” “I was going to go by ‘Bruno,’ one name. Mars just kind of came joking around because that sounds bigger than life. That was it, simple as that.” Mars would later reveal that his father nicknamed him “Bruno” after professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.

Lana Del Rey

She was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant.

John Legend

Born John Roger Stephens, the singer’s stage name comes from a childhood nickname that stuck.

“John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name,” he told MTV in 2008. “It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name.”

Vin Diesel

Apparently, the name Mark Sinclair didn’t sound tough enough for the actor when he worked as a New York City bouncer before his big break.

The action star shortened his mother’s maiden name Vincent to get his new first name.

As for “Diesel,” he once revealed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien that he got the nickname from friends who said he was always full of energy.

Nina Dobrev

The Bulgarian-born actress shortened her name from Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva.

Today Nina is loved for her film performances.

Jamie Foxx

The Oscar-winner was born Eric Marlon Bishop.

He chose “Foxx” in honor of Sanford and Son star Redd Foxx.

Meg Ryan

Ryan’s moniker might sound short and sweet, but her real name is quite a mouthful: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra.

The veteran actress is now famous with her reel name.

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

Bella Hadid

Just like her elder sister Gigi, Bella wasn’t born as Bella either. Her real name is actually Isabella Khair Hadid.

Meghan Markle

Prince Harry’s leading lady wasn’t actually born a Meghan.

That is the actress’s middle name — her given moniker is really Rachel ― the same name as her character on show Suits.

Charlie Sheen

Martin Sheen’s youngest son, Carlos Irwin Estevez, adopted his father’s stage name when he began acting using the name Charlie. In contrast, Charlie’s siblings — Emilio, Ramón and Renée — who are all actors, continue to use their Spanish last name, Estévez.

The actor shortened his name from the lengthier Carlos Irwin Estevez.

Olivia Wilde

Olivia entered into this world with her last name being: Cockburn.

Paying tribute to Oscar Wilde, one of her favorite authors, actress Olivia Jane Cockburn legally changed her last name to Wilde when she began acting.

Mindy Kaling

The famous comedian was born Vera Mindy Chokalingam.

Alicia Keys

The key to Alicia’s success in singing? Changing her name from Alicia Augello Cook (just kidding, her talent was definitely the ultimate factor).

Her name and impressive piano skills are no coincidence! Keys changed her name from Alicia Augello Cook to reflect her love of music.

Mila Kunis

She shortened her name from Milena Markovna Kunis.

Calvin Harris

Fans might have raised an eyebrow when Taylor Swift thanked her then-boyfriend “Adam” at the 2016 iHeartRadio Awards — but Harris goes by Adam Richard Wiles when he’s not spinning records.

The Scottish musician told the Shortlist in 2009 that he decided to change his name “to exploit the racial ambiguity of his stage name,” according to Esquire.

Offstage, the DJ goes by Adam Richard Wiles. Taylor Swift drew attention to Harris’s true name when she thanked her then “boyfriend Adam” at the 2016 iHeartRadio Awards in April of that year.

“My first single was more of a soul track, and I thought Calvin Harris sounded a bit more racially ambiguous,” he said.

“I thought people might not know if I was Black or not. After that, I was stuck with it.”

Helen Mirren

The actress’s true name just proves that she’s been royal from the start: Helen Lydia Mirren Hackford.

Reese Witherspoon

Everyone’s favorite bookworm was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon.

Michael Kors

The namesake designer was formerly known at Karl Anderson Jr.

Whoopi Goldberg

Born Caryn Elaine Johnson, the Oscar-winning actress explained that her stage name “Whoopi” comes from the whoopee cushion.

“If you get a little gassy, you’ve got to let it go. So people used to say to me, ‘You’re like a whoopee cushion.’ And that’s where the name came from,” she told The New York Times back in 2006.

Goldberg is her mother’s maiden name, which she opted to use in the hope of being taken more seriously.

“My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name, it’s part of my family, part of my heritage.

Just like being Black,” she revealed to The Jewish Chronicle in 2011.

Winona Ryder

The actress changed her last name from Horowitz when asked how she would like to have her name appear on the credits of her first role.

She suggested Ryder as Mitch Ryder’s album was playing in the background.

Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, the singer started going by the name Elton John in honor of two blues legends: saxophonist Elton Dean and singer Long John Baldry. As he grew to “dislike” his birth name, he legally changed his name in May 1972, adding the middle name “Hercules.”

“When I became Elton John, it was like a new lease on life,” he said in a 1987 interview, The Daily Express reported. “I didn’t particularly like being Reg Dwight. It had too many unhappy memories.”

He added, “I hated the word ‘Reg,’ anyway. It was just a horrible name.”

Rita Wilson

The 60-year-old actress was born Margarita Ibrahimoff.

Woody Allen

The famed director is no stranger to name change.

He was born Allen Stewart Konigsberg, changed his name to Heywood Allen when he was 17, and later adopted Woody as a memorable alternative.

Lorde

Surprise, surprise, Lorde is not the New Zealander’s birth name!

Before she crooned her way to the top of the charts, the 20-year-old was known as Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor.

Martin Sheen

Son of a Spanish immigrant father and Irish mother, the West Wing actor was born Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez. However, he never changed his birth name legally, revealing to Closer Weekly in June 2022 that the name change is one he “regrets.”

“That’s one of my regrets,” he said to the outlet. “Sometimes you get persuaded when you don’t have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later.”

He added, “I never changed my name officially. It’s still Ramon Estévez on my birth certificate. It’s on my marriage license, my passport, driver’s license.”

Lily James

Born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson, but she adopted the last name James in memory of her late father, James Thomson, who died of cancer in 2008.

Courtney Love

The punk star was born Courtney Michelle Harrison.

Jon Bon Jovi

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

Keeping with the name of his band, the musician began going professionally as Bon Jovi as well.

Diane Keaton

Keaton’s real surname is Hall, as in Annie Hall, the character she played in the Woody Allen film of the same name, which won her an Oscar in 1978.

The Marvin’s Room star originally changed her surname to Keaton, her mother’s maiden name, because there was another actress named Diane Hall in the Actors’ Equity Association, according to Vogue.

Keaton’s real surname is Hall, as in Annie Hall, the character she played in the Woody Allen film of the same name, which won her an Oscar in 1978. Allen wrote the role specifically for the actress, whom he had previously dated, taking her real last name and combining it with her nickname, Annie, according to Stig Björkman’s Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation with Stig Björkman.

Shania Twain

Twain was born Eileen Regina Edwards.

She changed her name to Shania, meaning “I’m on my way,” as a nod to her stepfather’s Ojibwa heritage.

Ice Cube

He was born O’Shea Jackson and adopted the stage name Ice Cube when his older brother commented that he was “too cool” for his age.

Antonio Banderas

He was José Antonio Banderas at birth and dropped the José to go by simply Antonio.

Tina Fey

The celebrated comedian started out as Elizabeth Stamatina Fey.

Later shortening her middle name to form her current moniker.

Nene Leakes

The Real Housewives of Atlanta star was born Linnethia Monique Johnson.

Nicolas Cage

In an attempt to distance his image from that of his famous uncle (Francis Ford Coppola), Nicolas abandoned his original surname for the simple yet memorable “Cage.”