17 Celebrities Whose Real Names Surprised Even Their Loyal Fans
Singer and actors use cool stage names to be more memorable. Some just shorten their real names, others use their childhood nicknames. And some stars change their stage names like gloves, looking for something truly unique and special.
We at CHEERY decided to find out the real names of our favorite celebrities. And at the end of the article, you will find proof that stars can even change their last names for very good and kind reasons.
Paul Wesley — Pawel Tomasz Wasilewski
Paul Wesley’s real name is Pawel Tomasz Wasilewski. The actor thought it would be too hard for people to pronounce, so, with the permission of the parents, he changed it in 2005.
Portia de Rossi — Amanda Lee Rogers
Amanda Lee Rogers started working at the age of 11: she was a model and actress to help her family. At the age of 15, she chose a stage name Portia de Rossi and changed her name officially.
A$AP Rocky — Rakim Athelaston Mayers
A$AP Rocky is the stage name of Rakim Athelaston Mayers. How did the rap singer choose it? A$AP is an acronym that stands for “Always Strive and Prosper.” And his mom called him Rocky.
Martin Sheen — Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez
Martin Sheen is still Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez in his papers. He was raised by a Spanish father and an Irish mother. He decided to have a stage name to get more offers. But years later, he says that he is sorry that he didn’t use his real name.
Travis Scott — Jacques Berman Webster II
Jacques Berman Webster II chose a stage name Travis Scott for a reason. There’s an important meaning: Travis was his beloved uncle, and Scott is after one of his idols, Kid Cudi, whose name is Scott Mescudi.
Machine Gun Kelly — Colson Baker
Colson Baker’s stage name is Machine Gun Kelly. He got this stage name thanks to a sudden development of his career and unique rap style. The name is also a reference to a famous criminal of the 20th century.
Georgina Cates — Clare Woodgate
The actress’ real name is Clare Woodgate. She became Georgina Cates after failing the audition for An Awfully Big Adventure. She nailed the audition at the second attempt when she changed her name. When she got the part, she decided to keep the new name.
Misha Collins — Dmitri Tippens Krushnic
Misha Collins is a stage name of Dmitri Tippens Krushnic. Collins is the maiden name of his great-grandmother. And he took the name Misha, after his mother’s ex-boyfriend. She dated a guy named Dmitri, but for some reason, everyone called him Misha.
Gigi Hadid — Jelena Noura Hadid
The real name of the model is Jelena Noura Hadid. And Gigi is her nickname her mom and later Jelena had when she was little.
Shania Twain — Eilleen Regina Edwards
When she was born, she was named Eilleen Edwards. When her mother got married for the second time, Eilleen got her stepfather’s last name — Twain. When she became a singer, she decided to change her name, too. She told, “I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born.”
Ben Kingsley — Krishna Pandit Bhanji
When he was born, his name was Krishna Pandit Bhanji. When he became famous in theatrical circles, he was worried that his foreign name would be a problem for his career, so he changed it to something easier to memorize.
Ornella Muti — Francesca Romana Rivelli
Francesca Romana Rivelli got her stage name when she was working on La moglie più bella. The director called the teenage girl Ornella Mutti because there was already another actress with the name Rivelli on the set.
Michael Caine — Maurice Joseph Micklewhite
Maurice Joseph Micklewhite started using the name Michael Scott. In 1954, he changed his last name to Cane when he saw a poster of Caine Mutiny. After some misunderstanding in airports, the actor officially changed his name to Michael Cane.
Queen Latifah — Dana Elaine Owens
When she was 8, Dana Elaine Owens was looking through a book of Arab names, and she really liked the name Latifah, which means tender, sensitive, kind, and cute. When it was time for her to choose a stage name, Dana remembered her mom’s words who taught the girl that all girls were queens, so she came up with Queen Latifah.
Halsey — Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane is known in the music world as Halsey. It’s an anagram of her name, inspired by the name of a street in Brooklyn. She spent a lot of time on Halsey street, where her friend lived.
Lisa Bonet — Lilakoi Moon
Lisa Bonet was married to Lenny Kravitz. In 1993, they got divorced, and in 1995, she changed her name to Lilakoi Moon. She said it was a desire for privacy and a way to heal after the divorce. But in her professional life, she still uses the name Lisa Bonet.
Bonus: Jennifer Lopez became Jennifer Affleck
After the wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, Jennifer Lopez changed her last name. Now, she is officially Jennifer Affleck.
Have you ever considered changing your name?