14 Reasons For Celebrity Name Changes

“Bruno Mars” is half “aww!” and half “UGH”
14 Reasons For Celebrity Name Changes

There are a lot of celebrities out there who go by stage names. It's usually to help them distance themselves from their regular lives or to help make a fresh start in their careers. But sometimes, these celebrity name changes end up flying under the radar, and we don't even know about them! Here are some notable examples of celebs who changed their names. Keep an eye out for them the next time you're watching your favorite movie or TV show!

It seems like almost every day; there's a new celebrity name change that we have to start getting used to. Some of them, like Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson to Katy Perry, make sense, and we can understand why they made the switch. But other times, it seems like the celeb has just changed their name for no reason at all! Here are some celebrity name changes that you might not have even known happened. Keep your eyes peeled because more celebs may be changing their names soon!

Winona Ryder CRACKED.COM A young Winona Horowitz was asked how she wanted her name to appear in the credits of her first film. She knew she wanted to change up the last name, but hadn't landed on a new one yet. An album by Mitch Ryder happened to be playing at that moment.
Bruno Mars CRACKED.COM The story behind Peter Gene Hernandez's stage name is half aww and half UGH. His dad called him Bruno, because he was a chunky little baby. He called himself Mars, because girls say I'm out of this world.
OI' Dirty Bastard CRACKED.co Russell Tyrone Jones made it big as the Wu-Tang Clan's OI' Dirty Bastard. He later put out three solo albums under a whole new name: There's no more ODB no more. From now on, my name is Big Baby Jesus.
Lana Del Rey CRACKED.COM Elizabeth Woolridge Grant went through several names Lizzy Grant, May Jailer, Sparkle Jump Rope Queen - before landing on this one, inspired by 1940's starlet Lana Turner.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise CRACKED.com Okay, it's not exactly a surprise that the most famous man in Hollywood changed his name to make it big, but buckle up for this one: Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. There were already three of those, and they thought the world neded more?
Sugar Ray Robinson CRACKED.CO At an amateur fight early in his career, some lady told a young Walker Smith Jr. he was as sweet as sugar. At another amateur bout, he forgot his ID, and needed to use one that belonged to his friend, Ray Robinson.
Cat Stevens CRACKED Steven Demetre Georgiou's girlfriend once told him he had eyes like a cat, a comment that would inspire a decades-long stage name. But he now goes by Yusuf Islam, having had a religious experience while almost drowning, and later converting to Islam.
Sinead O'Connor CRACKED.COM She's gone through two name changes in recent years: she inexplicably billed herself as Magda Davitt on her 2018 tour, and changed it again to Shuhada' Sadagat after converting to Islam that same year.
Mark Super Duper CRACKED.COM A clerical error caused his father, Walter Dupas, to become Walter Duper upon joining the army. Bizarrely, the change applied to every other member of his family, leaving Mark the only Dupas. At the peak of his career, the Dolphins wide receiver legally changed it to Mark Super Duper: Everything is correct now, I'm Mark Super Duper.
Prince CRACKED.com Everyone knows about the time Prince Rogers Nelson changed his name to an symbol, but it was more than a publicity a stunt. He was trying to thread a loophole in a sh*tty Warner Bros. contract, while also raising awareness that pop artists were getting hosed by the industry- a fact that wasn't really common knowledge yet.
Chad Ochocinco CRACKED.COM Wide receiver Chad Johnson was more attached to his jersey number, 85, than most athletes. He had the Bengals stitch OCHOCINCO where his last name should have been, which got him fined by the NFL. But when he legally changed his name to Ochocinco, there was nothing the league could do. He actually went back to Johnson in 2012, to reconnect with his former self.
Metta World Peace CRACKED.COM Inspired by Chad Ochocinco, Ron Artest legally changed his name in order to inspire and bring youth together all around the world. In 2020, he added his wife's name to the and now goes by Metta Sandiford-Artest.
Engelbert Humperdinck CRACKED.COM A young Arnold George Dorsey actually changed his name in his 20s, to Gerry Dorsey. His career stagnated for a decade, before his roommate suggested he recycle the name of 19th century German composer Engelbert Humperdinck.
Joaquin Phoenix tim society lincoin center CRACKED.co Joaquin and his siblings, River and Rain, were all born with the surname Bottom. But they didn't change their name to appease Hollywood producers - their parents changed it, to signify their collective rebirth after escaping from The Children of God, a notorious cult.
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