20 A-Listers We Had No Idea Completely Changed Their Name (& Why)

There's a bit of a trend in the entertainment industry with celebrities naming their children something really exotic and at times downright strange, like Rocket Zot, Pilot, and Apple. These people are extremely creative, but also have a penchant for the peculiar, which is why so many of their own names are so catchy and unusual. And perhaps, it should then not come as much of a surprise that some of these celebrities were not actually born with names like P Diddy and Drake.

But those are far too obvious, and most people realize when someone has simply taken on a stage name, the really interesting name changes are those that seem as though they could actually have been an actor's real name. Take Tom Cruise and Kit Harington as an example, both of these names are nothing too odd or out-there, but they are also not the names that these actors were born with.

Whether they changed up their names because they felt their new name was better suited, or they were asked to change their names by agents who thought their birth names just didn't have the ring to it that a mega-star needed, these 20 A-listers all have different birth names.

20 Kit Harington Only Discovered His Real Name When He Was Aged 11

Kit Harington has a pretty unique name, and interestingly, it's not the one he was born with, although he has been using it since he was a child. The Game of Thrones star's birth name is actually Christopher Catesby Harington, and he only discovered that his name was Christopher when he was aged 11, Glamour reports.

The publication asked Harrington why his parents had never told him his real name, to which he responded, “I haven't got a clue! I think they could see that I wanted to be Kit, but Christopher was a bit of a tradition. My brother's name is Jack, but his real name is John. Kit is traditionally an offshoot of Christopher, it's just not used that often.”

19 Elton John's Name Is A Mixture Of Two Blues Legends

Elton John chose his name, which he has gone by for a long time, after taking inspiration from two blues legends, singer Long John Baldry, and saxophonist Elton Dean, Radio Times reports. As for the musician's real name? Well, that is Reginald Kenneth Dwight.

Although Elton John is a name that is much shorter and easier to pronounce, some people may have known it wasn't his original name, so the best part about this name change is that John actually changed his middle name to “Hercules.”

18 Bruno Mars Didn't Want His Music To Be Determined By His Last Name

Bruno Mars' name is actually Peter Gene Hernandez, but he decided to change up his name because of the reactions he was getting to his music, telling GQ the responses were like this: "Your last name's Hernandez, maybe you should do this Latin music, this Spanish music… Enrique's so hot right now. "

As for how he got the nickname Bruno? He told Latina magazine, “My dad nicknamed me Bruno since I was 2 years old. I was going to go by 'Bruno,' one name. Mars just kind of came joking around because that sounds bigger than life. That was it, simple as that.”

17 Miley Cyrus Legally Changed Her Name To Her Childhood Nickname

Miley Cyrus' birth name is actually Destiny Hope Cyrus, but she changed her name because of her childhood nickname “Smiley.” This was a name that was reportedly given to her by her dad when she was a baby because she used to smile a lot, and then in 2008, when she was aged 15, she legally changed her name to Miley.

According to People, Cyrus changed her name legally and changed her middle name to Ray to honor her father, Billy Ray Cyrus.

16 Confusion At School Let To Model Gigi Hadid Becoming Gigi

Gigi Hadid was born Jelena Noura Hadid and didn't change her name because she thought she'd slay in the modeling world, but because of a very simple reason; name confusion at school. Interestingly, her name was once also her mother, Yolanda Hadid's nickname.

Gigi told Vogue, “I was called that around the house when I was really young. In first or second grade, there was a girl named Helena and it got confusing with the teacher who had to call out our names, and so the teacher asked my mom, 'If I needed to call Jelena a nickname, what would it be?' And my mom was like, 'I call her Gigi sometimes,' and the name stuck.”

15 Suki Waterhouse's First Name Is Far More Traditional

English actress Suki Waterhouse has a unique sounding name, but her real name is actually Alice. But despite her birth name, she has always been called Suki, so it seemed a natural change.

According to Glamour, Waterhouse had this to say about her decision. She said, "I've always been called 'Suki,' but my actual first name is Alice." Strangely enough, when she was dating Bradley Cooper, he called her Alice, and would introduce her to everyone by her birth name, not that this bothered Waterhouse, because she said, “It's nice having a more traditional name as an option - I can be Alice or I can be Suki."

14 Emma Stone Was Asked By SAG To Change Her Name When She Was A Teen

Emma Stone is one of the celebrities on this list whose name is actually extremely similar to her birth name, except she changed her name from Emily to Emma. It's not that she didn't like her real name, it's that she was asked by SAG to change it when she was aged 16.

Speaking to W magazine, Stone revealed that initially she didn't know what to change her name to, and thought “Riley” would be a great option. But that only lasted six months because when she was being called on set she had no idea they were referring to her.

“So then I changed it to Emma because you know it's closer to Emily, but most people call me 'M,' that know me well," she explained.

13 Calvin Harris Opted For A Name That Was More Ambiguous

Calvin Harris sounds a bit more like the name of a mega-famous DJ's name than Adam Richard Wiles does, and the musician revealed that his decision to change his name was because he wanted to be more "racially ambiguous."

He told Shortlist (via Harper's Bazaar), "My first single was more of a soul track, and I thought Calvin Harris sounded a bit more racially ambiguous. I thought people might not know if I was black or not. After that, I was stuck with it."

12 John Legend Is A Name The Singer Would Not Have Initially Chosen For Himself

John Legend is such a perfect name, but the R&B crooner's real name is actually not Legend but John Roger Stephens. He spoke to MTV News about why he decided to change up his last name, and his reason makes perfect sense.

He said, "John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. Legend is something that I never would have chosen for myself originally. It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name."

11 Joaquin Phoenix's Parents Gave Him A Name To Represent Nature

Joaquin Phoenix had an unusual upbringing, and it was not just his childhood that was different but also his birth name. His parents were hippies, who were part of a counter-culture movement (which turned out to be a cult) and they named their son Leaf, The Guardian reports.

His brothers and sisters also had names that represented nature, and these included River, Rain, and Summer. But when the family moved to Los Angeles to start a new life, Joaquin's parents changed their last name to Phoenix to represent a new beginning.

10 Jennifer Aniston's Father Is Of Greek Heritage

It's hard to imagine Jennifer Aniston having any other name, but she was actually born Jennifer Linn Anastassakis. Aniston has Greek heritage, but her father, John Aniston, who is also an actor, decided to change his last name when he joined the entertainment industry, People reports.

Aniston seems to really like her last name, too. When she married Justin Theroux in 2015 (they split in 2017), Theroux explained to Extra TV his then-wife would be keeping her maiden name, Marie Claire reports.

9 Tom Cruise Rolls Off The Tongue, But Mapother IV Does Not

Tom Cruise is a name that really just rolls of the tongue, but his real name is not quite as cool sounding; Cruise was actually born Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, People reports. It wasn't the actor's decision to initially change his name either, but his agent, who obviously felt Mapother IV was a little bit too fancy (and hard to pronounce) for an actor.

Now, his name is so well known that there is even an official day dedicated to him in Japan. According to The Independent, Oct. 6 is known as Tom Cruise Day in honor of the actor, who has reportedly also visited the country more times than any other Hollywood A-lister.

8 Carmen Electra Has Prince To Thank For Her Interesting Name

Tara Leigh Patrick changed her name to Carmen Electra in 1991, and her name change was actually thanks to the singer, Prince. The actress reflected on how her name came about in an interview with The Yo Show, saying, "I auditioned for an all-girl group that [Prince] was putting together and he ended up signing me to his label Paisley Park. After I danced for him he said, 'You look like Electra. That should be your name.'”

Despite being hesitant to take on a name she thought sounded like it belonged to a superhero, Electra admits it stuck.

7 Michael Caine's Issues With Airport Security Led To Him Officially Become Mr. Caine

Michael Caine is an English actor and one of Hollywood's icons. His name may be well-known in the entertainment industry, and he has more than 100 film credits, according to IMDB, but what many people don't know about the actor is that he was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite.

He had used the name Michael Caine since 1954, but never legally changed it until the airport security checks became too rigorous. He explained to The Sun, that handing a passport with a different name made things complicated, adding, “He would say, 'Hi Michael Caine,' and suddenly I'd be giving him a passport with a different name on it. I could stand there for an hour. So I changed my name.”

6 Portia De Rossi Was Inspired By Shakespeare

Australian-born actress Portia De Rossi chose her new name based on her love for Shakespeare, and fans of the English poet and playwright may recognize it's based on the character Portia from the play, The Merchant of Venice.

De Rossi's birth name is Amanda Lee Rogers, and she spoke to The Advocate about her decision to change it, saying, “When I was 15, I changed it legally. In retrospect, I think it was largely due to my struggle about being gay. Everything just didn't fit, and I was trying to find things I could identify myself with, and it started with my name.” She also added that her last name was because she thought an exotic Italian name would suit her.

Then in 2010, she legally changed her name to DeGeneres to honor her marriage to Ellen DeGeneres.

5 Iggy Azalea Found Inspiration From A Road And A Pet Pooch

Many musicians and actors choose a stage name, something which is catchy and sets them apart from everyone else, but imagine naming yourself after a dog, and a street?

Well, Iggy Azalea, whose birth name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, is definitely different because she revealed the unusual origins of her name in an interview with New York Daily News. She said, "I had a dog called Iggy, who I loved very, very much."

As for her last name? This was "because that is a street name that my mom and family live on, and it sounds very feminine and I thought it would balance out Iggy being so masculine."

4 Lorde Much Prefers Her Real Name, But Her Stage Name Needed Something More Demanding

Lorde is a mysterious sounding name, but the New Zealand songstress' real name isElla Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor. And if you plan on addressing her legally, well, she prefers her birth name and still goes by it when she's not performing.

She spoke to ABC News Radio about her name change, revealing, "I much prefer being called Ella. I basically chose Lorde because I wanted a name that was really strong and had this grandeur to it. I didn't feel that my birth name was anything special. I always liked the idea of having, like, a one-named alias."

3 Elizabeth Banks Had To Change Up Her Last Name To Avoid Confusion

Elizabeth Irene Mitchell isn't quite as punchy as Elizabeth Banks, something which the actress realized because she felt it would be better to have a single-syllable last name. She made a list of her options and decided on Banks. According to Glamour, Banks said, “And I called SAG and they said it was avail-able, so I said, 'I'll take it!' I just wanted it over with!”

However, her decision to change her name at all was because The Screen Actors Guild suggested she do it to avoid confusion with another actress named Elizabeth Mitchell (you may remember her from Lost).

2 Lana Del Rey Needed A Glamorous Name To Shape Her Music, And She Found It

Lana Del Rey is such a beautiful and feminine sounding name, and the singer chose it so she could shape her music around a name that was glamorous. Del Rey's real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (she previously used the name Lizzy Grant before becoming the well-known singer she is today), and she spoke to Vogue UK about how the name came about.

She said, "I wanted a name I could shape the music toward. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba. Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue."

1 Whoopi Goldberg Was Inspired By A Whoopee Cushion, Of All Things

A-listers sometimes get inspiration from the strangest things for their names, but none more so than comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg, whose real name is Caryn Elaine Johnson. Goldberg revealed to The New York Times that her name comes from the whoopee cushion, saying, “Here's the thing, when you're performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So if you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me, 'You are like a whoopee cushion.' And that's where the name came from.”

References: Glamour, Radio Times, GQ, People, Marie Claire, People, Vogue, Glamour, W magazine, Harper's Bazaar, MTV, The Guardian, The Guardian, People, The Independent