Celebrities Who Have Changed Their Names

It might surprise people to learn just how many celebrities have changed their names. In fact, a good portion of today’s A-List is comprised of these individuals, who go by monikers that were not given to them at birth. The public tends to believe that this practice is simply the result of actors and musicians disliking their original names and wanting to be called by something better-sounding, i.e. titles “fit for a movie star”. However, it turns out there are legitimate reasons for doing this, and they’re tied to professional requirements. According to Did You Know?, acting organizations such as the British Actors' Equity Association and The U.S. Screen Actors Guild both lay down rules that specifically prevent more than one member from having the same name. When such a situation does arise, the new member must modify his or her name or change it completely.

Directors and producers sometimes ask up-and-coming actors to change their names if they feel that it would increase their appeal. They may also request this if the name is difficult to pronounce. In the case of long names, people in entertainment usually use a shortened version when working.

Of course a celebrity can choose to change their name for their own reason(s). Alicia Keys, for example, was born Alicia Cook. According to IMDB, the singer changed her last name to reflect her passion for playing the piano, a talent she developed at just seven years of age.

The following is a list of some famous people and their birth-given names. (Note:  These do not include obvious nicknames like “Bono” or “Eminem”)

Jennifer Aniston - Jennifer Anastassakis
Tom Cruise - Thomas Mapother IV
Charlie Sheen - Carlos Irwin Estevez
Demi Moore - Demetria Guynes
Nicolas Cage - Nicolas Coppola
Bruce Willis - Walter Willison
Wynona Ryder - Wynona Horowitz
Mel Gibson - Columcille Gibson
Natalie Portman - Natalie Hershlag
Whoopi Goldberg – Caryn Johnson
Mariah Carey - Maria Nuñez
Jamie Foxx – Eric Bishop
Elton John - Reginald Dwight
Chad Ochocinco - Chad Johnson
Tiger Woods - Eldrick Woods
Portia De Rossi - Amanda Rogers
Meg Ryan - Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
Christian Slater – Christian Michael Leonard Slater
Kevin Spacey – Kevin Fowler
Goldie Hawn - Goldie Studlendgehawn
Jon Stewart - Jonathan Leibowitz
Helen Mirren - Ilyena Vasilievna Mironov
Eric Bana - Eric Banadinovi
Alicia Keys – Alicia Cook
Shania Twain - Eileen Edwards
Erykah Badu – Erica Wright
Kid Rock – Robert Ritchie
Ben Kingsley - Krishna Bhanji
Carmen Electra – Tara Patrick
Olivia Wilde - Olivia Cockburn
Vin Diesel – Mark Vincent
Bret Michaels - Bret Sychak
Gene Simmons - Chaim Witz
Jason Alexander - Jay Scott Greenspan
Katy Perry – Katy Hudson
Kim Cattrall – Clare Woodgate
Mark Twain - Samuel Clemens
Tim McGraw - Samuel McGraw
Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry
Elle MacPherson - Elenor Gow
Nicole Richie - Nicole Escovedo
Steven Tyler - Steven Tallarico
Susan Sarandon - Susan Tomaling
Liv Tyler - Liv Lundgren
Bo Derek - Mary Cathleen Collins
Kirstie Alley - Gladys Leeman
James Brolin - James Bruderlin
Cher - Cherilyn Sarkisian La Piere
Jodie Foster - Alicia Foster
Luke Perry - Coy Perry III
Joaquin Phoenix - Joaquin Bottom
Mickey Rourke - Philip Rourke Jr