{"id":270327,"date":"2019-03-30T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-30T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b1027869"},"modified":"2019-03-30T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-03-30T10:00:00","slug":"30-celebs-whose-real-names-you-will-never-guess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/music-news\/30-celebs-whose-real-names-you-will-never-guess\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Celebs Whose Real Names You Will Never Guess"},"content":{"rendered":"
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If some stars’ names sound too good to be true, that’s because it is. <\/p>\n

Believe it or not, a lot of celebs change their names when they enter the entertainment industry. Whether it be because it is crazy hard to pronounce, or because of a childhood nickname, plenty of stars choose to change things up. Some stars, like Miley Cyrus<\/a><\/strong> and Frank Ocean<\/a><\/strong>, make it official by legally changing the name on their birth certificate. <\/p>\n

The way Frank Ocean sees it is, “None of us are our names. If you don’t like your name then change your name.”<\/p>\n

And it seems like a lot of other singers and actors agree with him since they also took the same step that he did. <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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To find out which stars actually have a stage name, check out the gallery below!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Frank<\/div>\n

Jason Merritt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Christopher Edwin Breaux<\/h3>\n

In 2014, Frank Ocean<\/strong> legally changed his name because, why not? <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ESC:<\/div>\n

Chris Pizzello\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor<\/h3>\n

Turns out the “Royals” singer is really into learning about the aristocracy, hence the reason why she chose the name Lorde<\/strong>, but with a feminine ‘e.’<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Bruno<\/div>\n

Kevin Mazur\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Peter Gene Hernandez<\/h3>\n

Apparently the singer looked more like a Bruno than a Peter, so one day his dad started calling him Bruno. Ever since, he has been known as Bruno Mars<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"LACMA:<\/div>\n

Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant<\/h3>\n

Every artist has an alter ego, and Lana Del Rey<\/strong> just happens to be the persona of choice for the singer. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"ESC:<\/div>\n

Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jelena Noura Hadid<\/h3>\n

Oddly enough, Gigi Hadid<\/strong> got her stage name in school when the teacher would confuse her and a girl named Helena. Since her mom called her “gigi” as a term of endearment at home, she told the teacher to just call her Gigi and it simply stuck. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Calvin<\/div>\n

Matt Baron\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Adam Richard Wiles<\/h3>\n

Fans were confused when Taylor Swift<\/strong> thanked then-boyfriend Adam in an acceptance speech, which lead people to the discovery that Calvin Harris<\/strong> is simply a stage name. The DJ told Shortlist <\/em>magazine he chose the name because his first single was more soulful and wanted something a bit more “racially ambiguous.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Cardi<\/div>\n

Mike Coppola\/Getty Images for iHeartMedia<\/p>\n

Belcalis Almanzar<\/h3>\n

Cardi B<\/strong> took on the name Bacardi after family and friends started calling her sister Hennessy. Later on she shortened the name to something that suited her a lot more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Miley<\/div>\n

Chelsea Lauren\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Destiny Hope Cyrus<\/h3>\n

Miley Cyrus<\/strong>‘ bright smile is what inspired her childhood nickname, Smiley. Eventually the name was shortened to Miley and it stuck. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Tina<\/div>\n

Jordan Strauss\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Stamatina Fey<\/h3>\n

A little known fact about 30 Rock<\/em>‘s Tina Fey<\/strong> is that she is actually named Elizabeth. The comedian made a not so subtle tribute to her birth name by naming her character Liz Lemon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Reese<\/div>\n

Jim Smeal\/REX\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon<\/h3>\n

Turns out Reese isn’t even Reese Witherspoon<\/strong>‘s middle name. The actress chose the moniker in honor of her mother, whose maiden name is Reese.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Iggy<\/div>\n

Frazer Harrison\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Amethyst Kelly<\/h3>\n

It’s hard to believe that Iggy Azalea<\/strong> was born Amethyst Kelly!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Jennifer<\/div>\n

Tim P. Whitby\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Jennifer Anastassakis<\/h3>\n

Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend<\/em> Jennifer Aniston<\/strong> answered to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Alicia<\/div>\n

Jason Merritt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Alicia Augello Cook<\/h3>\n

Alicia Keys<\/strong> didn’t always have such a musical name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Tom<\/div>\n

INFphoto.com<\/p>\n

Thomas Mapother IV<\/h3>\n

Before he became arguably the<\/em> biggest movie star in the world, Tom Cruise<\/strong> went by this name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Jamie<\/div>\n

Paul A. Hebert\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Eric Bishop<\/h3>\n

True, Jamie Foxx<\/strong> just seems more fitting for an Oscar-winning Hollywood party guy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Lady<\/div>\n

Sultana \/ Splash News<\/p>\n

Stefani Germanotta<\/h3>\n

Before the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga<\/strong> was just an everyday girl from New York.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Natalie<\/div>\n

Kevin Lee\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Natalie Hershlag<\/h3>\n

Back when she was born in 1980, this was how the future bigtime actress Natalie Portman<\/strong> greeted the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Lil<\/div>\n

Gilbert Carrasquillo\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.<\/h3>\n

Wonder if his family calls the rapper by his real name or his stage name, Lil Wayne<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Jay-Z\"<\/div>\n

Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Shawn Carter<\/h3>\n

Jay-Z<\/strong> is definitely a more fitting name for a hip-hop impressario.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Nicole<\/div>\n

Jeff Vespa\/WireImage<\/p>\n

Nicole Camilla Escovedo<\/h3>\n

Check former Paris Hilton BFF Nicole Richie<\/strong>‘s birth certificate and this is the name you’ll see.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Portia<\/div>\n

Jason Merritt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Amanda Lee Rogers<\/h3>\n

Before she became a big-time TV star and married Ellen DeGeneres<\/strong>, this was the name Portia de Rossi<\/strong> answered to.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Snoop<\/div>\n

Jason Merritt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Calvin Broadus<\/h3>\n

This pioneer of West Coast rap would later go on to be known as Snoop Dogg<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Marilyn<\/div>\n

Greetsia Tent\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Brian Warner<\/h3>\n

If you want to work a ghoulish persona, we agree, a name like Marilyn Manson<\/strong> will work much better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Demi<\/div>\n

Courtesy Getty Images\/DVF<\/p>\n

Demetria Gene Guynes<\/h3>\n

Before she’d starred in dozens of huge Hollywood movies and married two Tinseltown A-listers, this was the name Demi Moore<\/strong> went by.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Bono,<\/div>\n

Jordan Strauss\/Invision\/AP<\/p>\n

Paul Hewson<\/h3>\n

All it took was a nickname from some high school friends, and U2 frontman Bono<\/strong>‘s famous moniker was born.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Ricky<\/div>\n

Laura Cavanaugh\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Enrique Morales<\/h3>\n

Before he started shaking his bonbon for the masses, music superstar Ricky Martin<\/strong> went by this everyday name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Tiger<\/div>\n

Stephen M. Dowell\/Orlando Sentinel\/MCT\/Sipa USA<\/p>\n

Eldrick Woods<\/h3>\n

Somehow, we don’t think the Tiger Woods<\/strong> scandal would have been as sensational had he gone by his birth name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sir<\/div>\n

John Shearer\/Invision for Academy of Television Arts & Sciences\/AP Images<\/p>\n

Reginald Dwight<\/h3>\n

Guess music superstar Elton John<\/strong> didn’t think his original name would be a hit with audiences.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Carmen<\/div>\n

Jason Merritt\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Tara Patrick<\/h3>\n

We agree. Carmen Electra<\/strong> is much more effective when it comes to selling a sexy Baywatch<\/em> persona.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Vin<\/div>\n

Nancy Kaszerman\/ZUMAPress.com<\/p>\n

Mark Vincent<\/h3>\n

If you’re looking for an explosive action-star name, how about Vin Diesel<\/strong> instead?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Article continues below<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who else feels like changing their name now?<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Don’t miss E! News<\/em> every weeknight at 7, only on E!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

via:: E! Online<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If some stars’ names sound too good to be true, that’s because it is.  Believe it or not, a lot of celebs change their names when they enter the entertainment industry. Whether it be because it is crazy hard to pronounce, or because of a childhood nickname, plenty of stars choose to change things up. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-270327","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-27 03:07:29","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIDN - The Lift FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270327\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kidn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}