Celebrities Who Changed Their Names
Stage Names
We have become so accustomed to knowing celebrities by their stage names that we become quite amazed when we discover what's really on their legal birth certificates.
Many names have been changed by the individuals themselves, but many celebrities have been asked to change their names for various reasons.
Reasons Celebrities Change Their Names
Managers, directors, or producers might ask celebrities to change their names for more appeal and to make them easier to pronounce and spell.
Some long names are made shorter and some first names are dropped and some celebrities go by their middle names.
If a name has a negative connotation or unintentional humor, there is no question that the name will be changed.
Long Name
| Short Name
|
---|---|
Clayton Holmes Grissom
| Clay Aiken
|
Allen Stewart Konigsberg
| Woody Allen
|
Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg
| Jean-Claude Van Damme
|
Doris von Kappelhoff
| Doris Day
|
Eric Marlon Bishop
| Jamie Foxx
|
John Elroy Sanford
| Redd Foxx
|
Reginald Kenneth Dwight
| Elton John
|
Demetria Gene Guynes
| Demi Moore
|
Issur Danielovitch Demsky
| Kirk Douglas
|
Caryn Elaine Johnson
| Whoopi Goldberg
|
Christopher Ashton Kutcher
| Ashton Kutcher
|
Norma Jean Baker
| Marilyn Monroe
|
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
| Meg Ryan
|
Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg
| Jane Seymour
|
Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins
| Christian Slater
|
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
| Reese Witherspoon
|
Eric Marlon Bishop found that female stand-up comedians were put at the head of the list to perform so he changed his name to Jamie Foxx because Jamie could be either a male or female name.
Spelling Foxx with two xx's was a tribute to Redd Foxx who also changed his name. His name was John Elroy Sanford. It appeared that Redd Foxx couldn't get the name Sanford out of his mind as evidenced by his long-running television show, "Sanford and Son."
Redd Foxx got his first name because of the reddish tone in his hair.
Shorter Names Made Longer
There are not many shorter names made longer with these exceptions:
- Jacob Cohen became Rodney Dangerfield; still two names but more syllables.
- Lou Upchurch changed his name to Lou Diamond Phillips.
Names Similar to Real Names
Real Name
| Stage Name
|
---|---|
Julie Wells
| Julie Andrews
|
David Jones
| David Bowie
|
Nicolas Coppola
| Nicolas Cage
|
Sally Mahoney.
| Sally Field
|
Diane Hall.
| Diane Keaton
|
Wynona Horowitz.
| Wynona Ryder
|
Ronald Walken
| Christopher Walken
|
William Bradley Pitt
| Brad Pitt
|
Celebrities Who Use All Three Names
-
Neil Patrick Harris
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Michael Philip Thomas
Celebrities with a Middle Initial
Sometimes celebrities will use the entire time to be identified. Some of those celebrities include the following:
- Mary J. Blige
- Sterling K. Brown
- Former President George W. Bush
- Michael J. Fox
- Vivica A. Fox
- David S. Goyer
- Taraji P. Henson
- Samuel L. Jackson
-
Michael B. Jordan uses his middle initial to set himself apart from the basketball icon Michael Jordan.
- William H. Macy
- President Harry S. Truman used a middle initial even though he had no middle name.
- Courtney B. Vance