Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
The entertainment industry is a tough place to be. If you’ve got a name that can stick up on people’s tongue easily you certainly have a leg up. Take a look 20 celebrities who changed their names:
1KATY PERRY
Real name: Katheryn Elizabeth HudsonWhy she changed it: The pop icon started using her mother’s maiden name so she wouldn’t be mistaken for the already established actress Kate Hudson.
2OLIVIA WILDE
Real name: Olivia Jane CockburnWhy she changed it: Born as Olivia Cockburn, TheHouseactress changed her last name because she became a big Oscar Wilde fan after starring in one of his plays in high school.
3ELTON JOHN
Real name: Reginald Kenneth DwightWhy he changed it:Reginald as a name was too British for Elton. He picked the name “Elton” from Elton Dean, a jazz musician.
4JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Real name: Joaquin Rafael BottomWhy he changed it: It was the idea of his parents change their family’s surname to Phoenix in order to represent a new beginning.
5JOHN LEGEND
Real name: John Roger StephensWhy he changed it: “John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name.”
6AARON PAUL
Real name: Aaron Paul SturtevantWhy he changed it: Aaron dropped his last name after he noticed casting directors failing to pronounce it.
7BRUNO MARS
Real name: Peter Gene HernandezWhy he changed it: Bruno Mars in an interview with GQ, said that he had to change his name because he was being stereotyped in a Latin artist by record labels.
8JENNIFER ANISTON
Real name: Jennifer Linn AnastassakisWhy she changed it: It was the idea of her father who was an actor himself to change his Greek last name to get more work. Jennifer followed in his footsteps.
9NINA DOBREV
Real name: Nikolina Konstantinova DobrevaWhy she changed it: Nina’s Bulgarian birth name was quite difficult for many people to speak.
10MILEY CYRUS
Real name: Destiny Hope CyrusWhy she changed it: The name “Miley” has its origin from the pop icon’s childhood. Apparently, Miley smiled a lot as a kid so she was nicknamed “Smiley”. The name later evolved to Miley.
11NICOLAS CAGE
Real name: Nicolas Kim CoppolaWhy he changed it: Nic Cage wanted to disassociate himself from his uncle Francis Ford Coppola’s name. His uncle directedGodfather.
13IGGY AZALEA
Real name: Amethyst Amelia KellyWhy she changed it: She had a dog named Iggy. Her last name originates from the street she grew up on with her family.
14ALICIA KEYS
Real name: Alicia Augello CookWhy she changed it:Alicia explains that her last name “Keys” is a little is associated with piano keys and “It can also open a lot of doors.”
15LANA DEL REY
Real name: Elizabeth Woolridge GrantWhy she changed it: “I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue.”
16JAMIE FOXX
Real name: Eric Marlon BishopWhy he changed it: Back when he was starting out his career in comedy, Jamie noticed that female comics were called first to perform during open mic nights. So he decided to go with a gender-neutral name.
17VIN DIESEL
Real name: Mark Sinclair VincentWhy he changed it:Vin wanted a tougher-sounding name for his occupation so he picked this intimidating name.
18NATALIE PORTMAN
Real name: Natalie HershlagWhy she changed it: She decided to use her grandmother’s maiden name to have a separate public image when she started acting as a teenager.
19LIAM NEESON
Real name: William John NeesonWhy he changed it: Liam extracted his name from his first name William. Sort of like a nickname.
20NICKI MINAJ
Real name: Onika Tanya MarajWhy she changed it:Nicki even tells in her song “Starships”, “My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki.”
Follow us for more updates on entertainment and celebrities onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram, andLetterboxd
Articles Published :535
Muneer is an Indian writer at FandomWire who plans to visit all countries in this world to eat the food on their streets. Obsessed with joggers, he sings and plays the strings too.
More from Muneer
Did You Spot The 10 Easter Eggs That Ms. Marvel Episode 5 Had?
Everything That Is Known About Stranger Things Season 5 So Far
15 Times Costume Designers Hid Clever and Subtle Easter Eggs in Movies
Recommended
Toei Animation May Have Lost Its Touch After ‘One Piece’s Hiatus
You Can Finally Watch Brad Pitt’s ‘F1’ Blockbuster at Home: Digital Release Date Revealed - Report
Top 5 Best Time Skips in Anime
Dark Crime Shows With Mike-Like Antiheroes to Watch Before Mayor of Kingstown Season 4
Did Dustin Hoffman Really Slap Meryl Streep in Kramer vs Kramer – Entire Fight Explained
Helldivers 2 Major Order Update: Arrowhead’s Last-Minute Assist Helps Complete Impossible Charger Challenge
Aaron PaulAlicia KeysBruno MarsElton JohnIggy AzaleaJamie FoxxJoaquin PhoenixJohn LegendKaty PerryLana Del ReyLiam NeesonMiley CyrusNatalie PortmanNicki MinajNicolas CageNina DobrevOliva WildeVin Diesel
