what’s in a name?
For everyone, it is a way to get to know oneself as a unique person. For celebrities, whose names are known all over the world, the name is everything.
Some stars have chosen to use another nickname instead of their birth name for various reasons. However, there are some celebrities that not many are aware of using a stage name in their career.
Here are 10 celebrities you didn’t know using stage names.
1. Jamie Foxx
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Born Eric Marlon Bishop, Fox chose his stage name when he first broke into comedy in the late ’80s and early ’90s. After his girlfriend dared to take the microphone, he realized he needed a name that caught the eye.
Foxx noted that comedic actresses are often given priority over their male counterparts, so he chose Jamie because of her gender ambiguity. Foxx’s title was chosen as a tribute to Redd Foxx, a black comedian known for his role on the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son.
2. Brie Larson
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Larson, born Brian Sidonie Dessolnier, adopted her stage name after she was tired of people struggling to pronounce her birth name. She chose her first name as an acronym for her first birth name, adding that she “never went to Brian” anyway.
The last name Larson chose has a double meaning behind it. The first meaning is simply to honor her grandmother, whose last name was also Larson. The second is because of her favorite childhood doll, an American girl doll named Kirsten Larson.
“I’m sick of it, and as a result, I’m like, ‘I’m changing my name! Larson told People in 2016. “I changed her to Larson, so Kirsten can be in our family.”
3. Nicki Minaj
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Minaj, who was born Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, adopted her stage name later in her career. She started using the name after signing with Dirty Money Entertainment in 2007.
She originally chose the stage name for Nicki Maraj, but Fendi, the company’s CEO, suggested she go with Minaj instead.
“My real name is Meadow,” Minaj told Rap Industry. “Fendi upset when he met me because I had such a bad flow!”
4. Natalie Portman
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Portman was named Natalie Herschlag when she was born in Israel. After making her first feature film role, Leon: The Professional in 1994, she adopted her paternal grandmother’s name Portman to help protect her family’s privacy.
5. Jay Fieri
Ferry’s birth last name, Ferry, is actually a variation of his current last name.
Vieri changed his last name to his original spelling when he married his wife Laurie in 1995 in honor of his Italian immigrant grandfather Giuseppe Vieri.
6. Olivia Wilde
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Wilde, born Olivia Jane Cockburn, adopted her stage name when she was in high school. She chose to honor many writers in her family, many of whom used pseudonyms. She chose the name Wilde out of respect for Irish author Oscar Wilde.
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“My mother thought it was a good idea for me too, so I could have my own identity outside of my family. She suggested I pick something Irish and something that has always inspired me,” Wilde told the New York Observer in 2007.
“Oscar Wilde is someone I respect for many reasons – a revolutionary, comedian and a deep thinker.”
7. Katy Perry
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Perry, born Katherine Elizabeth Hudson, has gone by some stage names throughout her career.
She first adopted the name Katy Hudson when she released her self-titled debut album, but soon changed it to Katheryn Perry to avoid confusion with actress Kate Hudson.
She finally settled on Katy Perry, with the surname honoring her mother’s maiden name.
8. Michael Keaton
Like Perry, Keaton, born Michael John Douglas, chose to adopt a stage name to avoid confusion with other stars.
When he began auditioning for television roles, he used the name Michael Keaton to distinguish himself from actor Michael Douglas and daytime host Mike Douglas, according to the Screen Actors Guild.
Some have speculated that Keaton chose the nickname due to actress Diane Keaton’s attractiveness, but he denied those rumours. He said in interviews that he chose the name by flipping through the phone book.
“I feel bad! She’s probably very touched by this story! The truth is I’m trying to figure out how John Cougar Mellencamp did it, because I love my name, and I’m proud of my name. Douglas, you know, it’s my father’s name,” Keaton told Grantland in 2012.
9. Elton John
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John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, wanted to create a one-of-a-kind stage name. To achieve this, he drew inspiration from two of his fellow band Bluesology, which he founded in 1962.
“The band’s saxophonist was called Elton Dean, he’s a very good saxophonist,” John said in an interview, “and he was the only Elton Hayes who recorded ‘The Owl and the Pussycat.’” for his CD collection.
“So I took ‘Elton’ from Elton Dean and ‘John’ from Long John Baldry. I wanted to pick a name that no one else had, and it was that fast.”
10. Miley Cyrus
Photo: Cathy Hutchins/Shutterstock
Born Destiny Hope Cyrus with the hope to accomplish great things, Cyrus took her stage name from a childhood nickname given to her by her parents. They called her “Smiley” due to the number of times she smiled in her childhood, eventually shortening her to Miley.
Cyrus legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus in 2008. Her middle name honors her grandfather Ronald Ray Cyrus, a Kentucky politician.
“His name was Ronald Ray Cyrus, and a lot of people say Miley changed her name to Miley Ray because of Billy Ray, but that’s not true,” Miley’s father, Billy Ray Cyrus, told CNN in 2009.
“I did it in honor of my parents, because the two of them loved each other to pieces.”
No matter how these stars chose their stage names, there is no doubt that they have cemented them as icons all over the world.
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Jonathan Alfano is a writer focusing on news and entertainment topics. follow him Twitter to keep up with its content.
