We Could Never Thought These 16 Celebrities’ Names Are Not Real

Much of show business remains shrouded in mystery. While the public often speculates about various aspects, one aspect that rarely comes to light is the original names of celebrities. Many of today’s stars were actually born with entirely different names. Not just minor changes, but rather dramatic transformations like Vin Diesel’s rebranding or the classic switch from middle to first name, as seen with Meghan Markle and Reese Witherspoon. Some of these name changes are really surprising.

1. Nina Dobrev

The actress from Bulgaria shortened her name from Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva.

2. Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus legally changed her name back in 2008 from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Cyrus. The name Miley is a rendition of her childhood nickname “Smiley” in honor of her paternal grandfather.

3. Charlie Sheen

The actor decided to shorten his name from the longer Carlos Irwin Estevez.

4. Victoria Beckham

Prior to becoming known as the fashion diva, Victoria Beckham, back in the early days of the iconic group we love, Victoria Adams was the name used for her records. However, when the Spice Girls became rising stars, she changed her name to Posh Spice. Years later, she become the famous Victoria Beckham we know today.

5. Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt has had many titles in his life, from “Sexiest Man Alive” to “Best Supporting Actor”. But when he returns home to Springfield, Missouri, locals might just call him William — and only William. That’s because Pitt’s real name is William Bradley Pitt. He was named after his father, William Alvin Pitt. When Pitt first arrived in Los Angeles, he decided to give his name a Hollywood makeover. He thought “Brad Pitt” was short, sweet, and to the point.

6. Vin Diesel

At the age of 17, Mark Sinclair was a rather big guy. He even used to work as a bouncer at a nightclub called The Tunnel. Around that time he took the name Vin Diesel and started to shave his head regularly.

7. Natalie Portman

It was in 1994 when a very young Neta-Lee Hershlag auditioned for Leon and landed her first role in a major production. While filming, the actress changed her name to “Natalie” and took her mother’s maiden last name. Apparently, she wanted to maintain her privacy because some scenes in the movie were polemical.

8. Jamie Foxx

Eric Marlon Bishop, now known as Jamie Foxx, tried out a couple of different names when he first started doing open mic nights. When he’d sign up to the open mic lists, he used the names Tracy Brown and Stacy Green but eventually landed on Jamie Foxx.

9. Iggy Azalea

Her birth name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, and she ended up with Iggy Azalea because she has a dog named “Iggy,” and it became her nickname. She came up with the surname Azalea, as she explained, “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.”

10. Nicolas Cage

In a move to set himself apart from his famous uncle, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas changed his original surname to the more straightforward yet memorable “Cage.”

11. Lana Del Rey

The singer’s real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, but she’s now known as Lana Del Rey. When she began singing, she went by the name, “Lizzy Grant,” and also performed as “Sparkle Rope Jump Queen” until she landed on Lana Del Rey.

12. Tom Hardy

Before becoming Tom Hardy, his birth name was Edward Thomas Hardy, and he only used his first name before deciding to go by his middle name instead. Even though the Internet was aware of his true identity, it was not widely publicized.

13. Blake Lively

After Blake became an actress she decided to take the surname of her mother, Elaine Lively as her stage name.

14. Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle wasn’t originally named Meghan. Her given name is actually Rachel, which interestingly enough is also the name of her character on Suits.

15. Aaron Paul

His full name is Aaron Paul Sturtevant, but when he went to auditions, no one could pronounce his surname, “Sturtevant,” so he had to change it so that everyone could say it, and then he shortened it when he entered Hollywood.

16. Gigi Hadid

Gigi, the supermodel we all know, was actually born Jelena Noura Hadid. However, her mother, Yolanda Foster, began calling her Gigi when she was still a child.

Celebrities often embrace changes and transformations, whether they like them or not. Sometimes, they do it for their roles in movies or TV shows, while other times, it’s for their public image.