Stars Who Switched Names: Why and How?

Some changed them for career reasons, while others did it for personal ones. Let's look at why and how they did it.

Actresses and Actors

Reese Witherspoon

• Real Name: Laura Jeanne Reese
• Stage Name: Reese Witherspoon
• Note: Uses her middle name, Reese, as her first name. Surprised Jennifer Aniston, who didn't know her real name until recently.

Rihanna

• Real Name: Robyn
• Stage Name: Rihanna
• Note: Uses her middle name, Rihanna, as her first name. Close family and friends still call her Robyn.

Keke Palmer

• Real Name: Lauren
• Stage Name: Keke Palmer
• Note: Got her stage name, Keke, from her family. Prefers to be called Lauren.

Millie Bobby Brown

• Real Middle Name: Bonnie
• Stage Name: Millie Bobby Brown
• Note: Changed her stage name for fun. Revealed this in an interview with Chris Pratt.

Kat Dennings

• Real Last Name: Litwack
• Stage Name: Kat Dennings
• Note: Changed it when she was nine years old. Stands by this decision.

Brandon Sklenar

• Real Last Name: Feakins
• Stage Name: Brandon Sklenar
• Note: Changed it to his mother's maiden name because people always mispronounced Feakins.

Emma Stone

• Real First Name: Emily
• Stage Name: Emma Stone
• Note: Changed it because there was already another Emily Stone in the actors' union. Wishes she could be called Emily.

Sam Neill

• Real First Name: Nigel
• Stage Name: Sam Neill
• Note: Changed it to Sam because he was teased for his name. He and his best friend both changed their names to avoid being teased.

Kirk Douglas

• Real Name: Issur Danielovitch
• Stage Name: Kirk Douglas
• Note: Changed it because his given name was too Jewish for Hollywood at the time. Wishes he had kept his original name.

Jennifer Aniston

• Real Last Name: Anastassakis
• Stage Name: Jennifer Aniston
• Note: Her father changed the family's last name to Aniston when he went into show business.

Jon Bon Jovi

• Real Name: John Francis Bongiovi Jr.
• Stage Name: Jon Bon Jovi
• Note: Changed it because his band was named after him. Kept the name Bon Jovi as his stage name.

Dove Cameron

• Real Name: Chloe Celeste Hoffman
• Stage Name: Dove Cameron
• Note: Changed her name as a tribute to her late father, who called her Dove. Responds to both names.

John Legend

• Real Name: John Roger Stephens
• Stage Name: John Legend
• Note: Got his stage name from a childhood nickname that stuck. More people in his circle know him by that name than by his real name.

Meg Ryan

• Real Name: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
• Stage Name: Meg Ryan
• Note: Began using her grandmother's maiden name, Ryan, as a surname when she joined the Screen Actors Guild.

Audrey Hepburn

• Real Name: Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston
• Stage Name: Audrey Hepburn
• Note: Her name is shrouded in mystery, but sources agree that her mother was the Dutch baroness Ella van Heemstra and that her British father's surname was Ruston.

Vin Diesel

• Real Name: Mark Sinclair
• Stage Name: Vin Diesel
• Note: Changed his name because he thought Mark Sinclair didn't sound tough enough. Got the nickname Diesel from friends who said he was always full of energy.

Nicki Minaj

• Real Name: Onika Tanya Maraj
• Stage Name: Nicki Minaj
• Note: Uses her middle name, Nicki, as her first name. She is a Trinidadian-born rapper.

Calvin Harris

• Real Name: Adam Richard Wiles
• Stage Name: Calvin Harris
• Note: Changed his name because he thought it sounded more racially ambiguous. He is a Scottish musician.

Martin Sheen

• Real Name: Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez
• Stage Name: Martin Sheen
• Note: Never legally changed his name but regrets not standing up for what he believed in. He is the son of a Sp