With names like Lana Del Rey, Bruno Mars and Frank Ocean, you're destined to be a star in the entertainment business. But these three recording artists weren't always referred to by their cool and catchy names.
It's not uncommon for entertainment stars to change their names before they get famous. In fact, celebrities often change their name because they share a similar one to someone who's already famous, their birth name is too difficult to pronounce or else it's just too ordinary and unmemorable.
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And for their new names, celebrities often choose a shortened version of their real name, use their middle name or come up with something completely original. Have you ever wanted to change your name and start a new identity? Well, here are 50 celebrities who did just that.
50 Celebrities and Their Real Names
The celebrity name is given first, followed by the real name.
- Ben Kingsley: Krishna Pandit Bhanji
- Bob Dylan: Robert Allen Zimmerman
- Bono: Paul Hewson
- Bruno Mars: Peter Gene Hernandez
- Calvin Harris: Adam Richard Wiles
- Cardi B: Belcalis Almanzar
- Carmen Electra: Tara Leigh Patrick
- Cher: Cherilyn Sarkisian
- Drake: Aubrey Drake Graham
- Doja Cat: Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini
- Elton John: Reginald Dwight
- Elvis Costello: Declan MacManus
- Eminem: Marshall Mathers III
- Frank Ocean: Christopher Edwin Breaux
- Freddie Mercury: Farrokh Bulsara
- George Michael: Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
- Halsey: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
- Helen Mirren: Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov
- Hulk Hogan: Terry Gene Bollea
- Iggy Azalea: Amethyst Amelia Kelly
- Jamie Foxx: Eric Bishop
- Jay-Z: Shawn Carter
- John Wayne: Marion Robert Morrison
- Judy Garland: Frances Gumm
- Kodak Black: Dieuson Octave; changed to Bill K. Kapri
- Lady Gaga: Stefani Germanotta
- Lana Del Rey: Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
- Lil Nas X: Montero Lamar Hill
- Lil Wayne: Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr
- Lil Yachty: Miles Parks McCollum
- Logic: Sir Robert Bryson Hall II
- Lorde: Ella Yelich-O'Connor
- Ludacris: Christopher Bridges
- Marilyn Monroe: Norma Jeane Mortensen, later Norma Jeane Baker
- Mark Twain: Samuel Langhorne Clemens
- MF DOOM: Daniel Dumile
- Mindy Kaling: Vera Mindy Chokalingam
- Nicki Minaj: Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty
- Nipsey Hussle: Ermias Asghedom
- Notorious B.I.G: Christopher Wallace
- Pink: Alecia Beth Moore
- Queen Latifah: Dana Owens
- Rihanna: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
- Snoop Dogg: Calvin Broadus, Jr.
- Stevie Wonder: Stevland Morris
- Sting: Gordon Sumner
- T-Pain: Faheem Rasheed Najm
- The Weeknd: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
- Travis Scott: Jacques Berman Webster II
- Whoopi Goldberg: Caryn Johnson
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Originally Published: Sep 12, 2007
