15 Celebrities Who Ditched Their Real Names for Stage Names
Jun 13, 2014 17:14
Every celebrity needs a marketable name. Which is why sometimes, their real names just don't make the cut. Here's a list of some 13 celebrities who decided to either cut short their name or used a different one altogether. And it works!
His real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. Which makes it hard to remember, so he went along and shortened the whole thing to just Tom Cruise.
Katy Perry wouldn't be as sexy and wouldn't be able to sell as many records as she does right now if she used her birth name: Kathryn Elizabeth Hudson.
Demi was born Demetria Gene Guynes. And we're sure it would be incredibly hard to remember. She married Freddy Moore in her first marriage, and decided to shortened her name to Demi and hold on to her first husband's name.
Fergie's real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson. Which sounds like a clerical worker somewhere in a post office. After marrying Josh Duhamel, she changed her name to Fergie Duhamel.
Dakota became the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. But would she have been able to do it if she used her real name: Hannah Dakota Fanning?
You'll never remember Lady Gaga's real name. Which is why she had to use a stage name that soon became a cultural icon. She was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
Nicki was born Onika Tanya Maraj. Thank goodness for stage names.
Meg Ryan's real name is lengthy: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. That doesn't sound like a famous movie star, so she had to use a stage name.
Lana del Rey was born as Elizabeth Grant, which actually isn't that bad. But that probably suited the career of an actress more than a singer.
Like Gaga, you'll never remember her real name. She was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor.
Helen Mirren's name already sounds regal, but she was born with an equally regal one: Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironoff. Sounds like some Russian Czar royalty doesn't it?
Tina Fey wouldn't be half as funny if she used her real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey.
Miley Cyrus has the worst real name on this list. She was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. Now, you wouldn't expect Destiny Hope to be doing all that twerking without associating that with porn now would you? So she used Billy Ray Cyrus's nick name as a small child - "Smiley", and cut out the S.
Olivia Wilde has a pretty normal last name - Jane Cockburn. Okay, so that's not quite normal. Cockburn wins an Oscar. Doesn't sound right does it? She shed her family name after being inspired by her high school role of Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest".
We all know this can't possibly be someone's real name. But she couldn't possibly use her real one either: Amethyst Amelia Kelly. No star power.
1. Tom Cruise
His real name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. Which makes it hard to remember, so he went along and shortened the whole thing to just Tom Cruise.
2. Katy Perry
Katy Perry wouldn't be as sexy and wouldn't be able to sell as many records as she does right now if she used her birth name: Kathryn Elizabeth Hudson.
3. Demi Moore
Demi was born Demetria Gene Guynes. And we're sure it would be incredibly hard to remember. She married Freddy Moore in her first marriage, and decided to shortened her name to Demi and hold on to her first husband's name.
4. Fergie
Fergie's real name is Stacy Ann Ferguson. Which sounds like a clerical worker somewhere in a post office. After marrying Josh Duhamel, she changed her name to Fergie Duhamel.
5. Dakota Fanning
Dakota became the youngest person ever to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award. But would she have been able to do it if she used her real name: Hannah Dakota Fanning?
6. Lady Gaga
You'll never remember Lady Gaga's real name. Which is why she had to use a stage name that soon became a cultural icon. She was born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
7. Nicki Minaj
Nicki was born Onika Tanya Maraj. Thank goodness for stage names.
8. Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan's real name is lengthy: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. That doesn't sound like a famous movie star, so she had to use a stage name.
9. Lana Del Rey
Lana del Rey was born as Elizabeth Grant, which actually isn't that bad. But that probably suited the career of an actress more than a singer.
10. Lorde
Like Gaga, you'll never remember her real name. She was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor.
11. Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren's name already sounds regal, but she was born with an equally regal one: Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironoff. Sounds like some Russian Czar royalty doesn't it?
12. Tina Fey
Tina Fey wouldn't be half as funny if she used her real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey.
13. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has the worst real name on this list. She was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. Now, you wouldn't expect Destiny Hope to be doing all that twerking without associating that with porn now would you? So she used Billy Ray Cyrus's nick name as a small child - "Smiley", and cut out the S.
14. Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde has a pretty normal last name - Jane Cockburn. Okay, so that's not quite normal. Cockburn wins an Oscar. Doesn't sound right does it? She shed her family name after being inspired by her high school role of Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest".
15. Iggy Izalea
We all know this can't possibly be someone's real name. But she couldn't possibly use her real one either: Amethyst Amelia Kelly. No star power.
