Popular celebs who don't go by their real names

Updated on August 04, 2022 15:56 PM by Dhinesh

In recent decades, Hollywood celebrities have captured the attention of millions of people around the world. In addition to their incredible talent, many actors and actresses are also known for their style quotients. Many people around the world have been inspired by the lives and achievements of these celebrities.

The mannerisms of these celebrities are even emulated by many in everyday life. It has even been reported that some Hollywood fans have named their children after their favorite celebrities. There are some Hollywood stars with completely different identities in real life that a lot of people don't know about.

Some people may be surprised by this news after worshipping these names for years without knowing their real names. Many celebrities opt to abbreviate the lengthy names they were given by their parents instead of adopting catchy screen names.

Demi Moore

The real name of Demi Gene Guynes is Demi Gene Guynes. Changing her last name wasn't arbitrary for ghost star Demi Moore. Before being linked to Bruce Willis or Ashton Kutcher, she was briefly married to a singer named Freddy Moore. Even before their relationship was official, she borrowed his last name for professional reasons. Even though their relationship didn't last, that moniker did.

Cardi B

The real name of this person is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar. During her childhood in the Bronx, New York, rapper Cardi B acquired the nickname she now uses as a stage name. Her family often referred to her as Barcardi, another boozy beverage, since her older sister is named Hennessy.

Mahershala Ali

Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore is his real name. According to the Guardian, Mahershala Ali was named by his pastor's mother after a Scripture passage. Several years later, he shortened his first name in the hopes it would enhance his career, changing his last name from Gilmore to Ali after converting from Christianity to Islam in 2000.

Diane Keaton

Diane Hall is the real name of the person. There's nothing more fascinating than actress Diane Keaton was born Diane Hall, and, to this very day, she continues to play characters in movies with the same last name as her original one. Her mother's name was Keaton, which she opted to call herself before she became famous while beginning her career as a child.

Billie Eilish

Her real name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell. As impressive as her catalog, her full name includes both names of her parents as well as Finneas O'Connell (Pirate), her older brother and collaborator. Other people, a music star named Billie Eilish, know her professionally as her first and middle names.

Stevie Wonder

Steveland Judkins is his real name. The musician's stage name was born when Berry Gordy began referring to him as "Wonder." Steveland Judkins' name was legally changed to Steveland Morris when Stevie Wonder signed with Motown for the first time.

Tina Fey

Elizabeth Stamatina Fey is her real name. She goes by Tina instead of Fey because Tina is her middle name, Stamatina. Her character Liz Lemon was named after her given name, Elizabeth, which she used to inspire her 30 Rock character.

Bono

Paul David Hewson is his real name. While Bono has just one name now, Paul David Hewson was the name he was born with. A hearing aid shop in Dublin sparked the musician's cognomen, which he found in his hometown.

Kit Harrington

The real name of Christopher Catesby Harington is Christopher Catesby Harington. At 11 years old, Harington discovered that his real name was not Kit Harrington but Christopher Catesby Harington.

He told Glamour that Kit is a traditional offshoot of Christopher, but it's less commonly used. My middle name is Catesby. See 15 Onscreen Couples You Forgot Dated in Real Life for more couples like Harrington and Rose Leslie.

Vin Diesel

The real name of this person is Mark Sinclair. Your jaw will drop when you learn that Vin Diesel's birth certificate doesn't list his name. It was originally called Mark Sinclair, a much more traditional name. It's rumored that Vincent was derived from his mother's last name after remarriage and his energetic nature, but the actor hasn't confirmed this.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman was an Israeli American actress best known for her acting work under the stage name Natalie Hershlag for many years. She only took on her paternal grandmother's maiden name during the early 1990s when she starred in Luc Besson's Leon. The real name of the person is Natalie Hershlag.

Mindy Kaling

Vera Chokalingam is her real name. Even before becoming a star, Mindy Kaling went by her middle name, Mindy, although she was born Vera Chokalingam. Mindy shortened her last name to Kaling when she started landing big roles, giving her the moniker, she uses today.

Winona Ryder

She goes by the name Winona Laura Horowitz. However, Winona Laura Horowitz chose to take the surname Ryder even though the name Winona Laura Horowitz was not inherently wrong. Her agent asked her how she wanted to be credited in the 1986 film Lucas while her father was listening to an album by Mitch Ryder.

Bruno Mars

What is his last name? I was originally named Peter Gene Herandez. In an interview with the Associated Press, Bruno Mars, born Peter Gene Herandez, said the stage name Bruno originated with Bruno Sammartino, a big, fat wrestler. My dad called me that due to my chunky body size when I was a baby. Girls say I'm out of this world because many think I'm from Mars.

Shania Twain

Eileen Edwards is her real name. It is in honor of her Ojibwe stepfather, Jerry Twain, that Eilleen Edwards adopted the name, Shania Twain. Although she has neither confirmed nor denied that the name "Shania" means "on my way," the singer has never confirmed or denied its meaning.

Ben Kingsley

Name in real life: Krishna Pandit Bhanji. He goes by Krishna Pandit Bhanji, the name he gave in the movie Schindler's List. His moniker was created by using both the nicknames of his father and grandfather, which he got from his grandfather many years before he became an A-list star.

Portia de Rossi

Although Portia De Rossi was born Amanda Lee Rogers when she was fifteen, she officially changed her name at the age of 15 to become an actress. She is also known as Amanda Lee Rogers.

As she stated in an interview with The Advocate, she chose the name Portia after the Shakespeare character Portia in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice and for de Rossi because she felt that, as an Australian, someone with an exotic name from Italy would somehow have a more natural fit for me than Amanda Rogers, who she felt was an Australian name and not something unique to her.

Michael Caine

Name in real life: Maurice Micklewhite. Since 1954, Caine has gone by the stage name Michael Caine instead of his real name, Maurice Micklewhite. As a result, he recently announced the name change, claiming that two separate names were too much trouble for airport security.

How did his name come about? It's true that he originally wanted to be Michael Scott. Still, he changed his name after spying on a poster for The Caine Mutiny by Humphrey Bogart, which had already taken center stage in London, where his career began.

Whoopi Goldberg

Caryn Elaine Johnson was once known to friends and family as this comedienne. She was originally named Caryn Elaine Johnson. Caryn changed her name entirely after making a move to Hollywood, with Whoopi referring to her fondness for flatulence and Goldberg to her Jewish ancestry.

Carmen Electra

The real name of the person is Tara Patrick. Carmella Electra's career began in 1991 with Tara Patrick. According to her report on The Yo Show, Prince told her she looked like an Electra that year. The name was initially a challenge, as she was hesitant to use it. In Hollywood history, Carmen Electra became synonymous with superheroes.

Martin Sheen

The real name of this person is Ramon Gerard Estevez. Upon entering the acting world and realizing that he was being typecast, Ramon Gerard Estevez adopted the professional moniker of Martin Sheen.

Martin is named for the agent who represents him, while Sheen honors Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. To clarify, Charlie Sheen has the same last name as Martin's other son, Emilio Estevez. Martin Sheen is his father's only child.

Emma Stone

The real name of the person is Emily Stone. Emma Stone explained to W Magazine that she had to come up with a different name because her real name is Emily Stone. She originally wanted to call herself Riley, but after hearing the name out loud on Malcolm in the Middle, she decided it wasn't right.

Gene Simmons

Chaim Witz is his real name. Gene Simmons changed his name from Chaim Witz to Gene Klein once his family emigrated from Israel to the United States. Klein ultimately decided to work with Simmons professionally.

Gigi Hadid

She goes by the name Jelena Hadid. Although she is Jelena Hadid, she has been known as Gigi since she was a child. It got confusing when the teacher called our names when a girl named Helena was in first or second grade. To call Jelena a nickname, her teacher asked my mom, 'What would you call her? ' My mom said she calls her Gigi sometimes, and the name stuck.

Julianne Moore

The real name of the author is Julie Smith. It was like. There's a Julie Smith. There's a Julie Anne Smith when I was going to join the Screen Actors Guild. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actress explained that she would have to pick another name. I used my parents' names: Peter Moore Smith and Anne Smith, to avoid hurting anyone.

Lorde

The real name of the person is Ella Yelich-O'Connor. She goes by the stage name Lorde, even if you're not close friends with her or a classmate of hers. Just 16 years old, the singer came up with the moniker by adding an e to Lord after loving the sound of it as a child.

Jamie Foxx

He goes by the name Eric Marlon Bishop. Bishop didn't have a problem using his name when he wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys or become a professional pianist.

Bishop only took on the name Jamie Foxx in 1989 when he began performing at comedy clubs, hoping to resemble a woman. As you see, Foxx didn't have the patience to wait until a later slot since women were usually called to the stage before the male comics.

Jonah Hill

Jonah Feldstein is the name he goes by in real life. Despite having a Feldstein last name, actor Jonah Hill does not use his own given surname. Hill replied, "Can we just not?" to a journalist from The Guardian when asked about his decision. His actress sister Beanie Feldstein uses the same name, which may have led to you not realizing they are related.

Meg Ryan

The full name of the person is Margaret Hyra. Her maternal grandmother's maiden name, Ryan, is the name Margaret Hyra chose to use when registering for SAG instead of her last name.

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello's stage name carries some significance in the context of the King of Rock and Roll. The real name of this individual is Declan Patrick McManus. His last name, Day Costello, comes from his father, Day McManus, whose name he was born Declan Patrick McManus. In his solo career, he changed the name D.P to Elvis.

Jennifer Aniston

She goes by the name Jennifer Linn Anastassakis. Telly Savalas, Jennifer's godfather, advised her family to change their name to "Aniston Anastassakis became Aniston somewhere along the line."

Larry King

Lawrence Zeiger is his real name. As a radio personality at a Miami Beach station, Larry King became known as Lawrence Zeiger. He borrowed the surname King from an advertisement in the newspaper for King's Wholesale Liquor because the station's general manager told him his last name was too ethnic.

Ringo Starr

The real name of the person is Richard Starkey. Ringo Starr may be a household name, but Richard Starkey is his real name. As for the origins of his nickname, Ringo's gold ring inspired the title, and Starr was inspired by his former colleagues, who nicknamed his drum solos "Starr Time" after his name.

Olivia Wilde

Olivia Cockburn is a real name that she goes by. The actress Olivia Cockburn decided to change her last name to Wilde after playing Gwendolen in the high school play The Importance of Being Earnest, written by Oscar Wilde, which she did in high school.

Elton John

Elton John is a tribute to former Bluesology bandmates Elton Dean and Long John Baldry, who played with Reginald Dwight in the band Bluesology from 1970 to 1972. A recently released biopic about the legend, Rocketman tells the story as the legend himself told it. In real life, he is known as Reginald Dwight.

Frank Ocean

Christopher Edward Breaux is his real name. He changed his name to Christopher Francis Ocean in 2014 after he changed his name to Christopher Edwin Breaux. The singer's name was a short version of Frank Ocean, which he later shortened.

According to him, the decision was just something that felt cool to him at the time. We are not our names. We are who we are. The best thing you can do is to change your name if you don't like it.

Katy Perry

The real name of this person is Katheryn Hudson. Katheryn Hudson adopted the moniker, Katy Perry, to avoid confusion with Kate Hudson. The name Perry is derived from the maiden name of her mother.

Nicki Minaj

Originally known as Onika Tanya Maraj. Her name change to Nicki Minaj was not the idea of Onika Tanya Maraj. It has always bothered me. Minaj told The Guardian that when she signed her first production contract, she fought tooth and nail to keep her name as Minaj. However, he convinced me otherwise.

Tom Cruise

Name in real life: Thomas Mapother IV. When Tom Cruise rechristened himself Tom Cruise, he shook off his estranged father's last name to adopt his middle name instead. Due to this, his first cousin, Lost actor William Mapother, may not have been apparent to you.

Rihanna

Rihanna is the middle name of this soulful singer, born Robyn Fenty. She is also known by her real name, Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her last name is the name of her cosmetics and lingerie lines, so if you're a fan, you probably already knew it.

Ludacris

The real name of the person is Christopher Brian Bridges. In honor of the name his parents chose for him, Christopher Brian Bridges took the stage name, Ludacris. I have a first name called Chris, and if you look up the word ludicrous in the dictionary, it means 'crazy, wild, ridiculous'-which pretty much sums me up. A Reddit AMA answered a question about his stage name by saying, "I am quite crazy."

Future

The real name of the person is Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn. Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn is the real name of this Atlanta-based rapper, but he goes by Future. G-Rock, a musical collective Dungeon Family member, gave him the name as part of an interview with MTV. Your age makes you a young man. Your energy is contagious. Your ambition is admirable. The Dungeon Family is in good hands with you.

Miley Cyrus

She is known by her real name, Destiny Hope Cyrus. She was called Smiley when she was a baby by her family. Her parents gave her the name Miley Ray Cyrus and, by doing so, kept her family name and honored her father, singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She and Liam Hemsworth divorced in 2010 after she legally changed her name again.

Snoop Dogg

The rapper's name isn't Snoop Dogg, as you might have guessed. The real name of this individual is Calvin Broadus Jr. Calvin Broadus, Jr. was given the nickname "Snoop Dogg" by his mother because they were compared to Snoopy from Charlie Brown's cartoons as a child. My favorite cartoon character when I was a kid was Snoopy from Peanuts and Charlie Brown. My appearance resembled his after watching so much.

Calvin Harris

They were originally known as Adam Wiles. The reasoning behind Calvin Harris' stage name has drawn quite a bit of criticism. 'Calvin Harris' is a bit more racially ambiguous than my first single, which was more of a soul track. There was a possibility that people would not know whether I was Black or not. As a result, it became a permanent part of my life.

Nina Dobrev

The real name of the actress is Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva. Nina Dobrev was born Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva in Bulgaria but shortened it to Nina Dobrev while establishing herself in Hollywood.

David Tennant

David John McDonald is his real name. Because there was another actor with the same name, the Doctor Who and Good Omens star could not use his given name of David McDonald. He turned to a music magazine for inspiration. He told James Corden on The Late Show. Neil Tennant was a member of Pet Shop Boys when he was 16, so he named himself after him. I could be anything, he joked.

Alicia Keys

The real name of this person is Alicia Augello-Cook. The writer and performer were born Alicia Augello-Cook and considered using the stage name "Wild" at first. Newsweek reported that her mother thought Alicia Wild sounded like a stripper, so she moved on. Not surprisingly, Alicia Keys adopted such a musical stage name given her incredible talent.

Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Rafael Bottom is his real name. His first name, Leaf, was taken after his artist siblings River and Rain when he was still a teen, but he changed it later as an adult. As a toddler, he and his family changed the surname of his given name to the symbolic Phoenix after leaving a rigid religious sect.

Lana Del Rey

There's nothing quite as old Hollywood about Elizabeth Woolridge Grant as Lana Del Rey. She is known by her real name, Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. The musician told Vogue he wanted a name he could shape his music around.

Lana Del Rey reminded me of the glamour of the seaside when I was frequently in Miami with my Cuban friends speaking Spanish. The sound was gorgeous when it came out of my mouth.