10+ Celebrities Who Revealed Reasons Why They Changed Their Real Names

Have you ever wondered why celebrities' names just roll off the tongue? Believe it or not, many stars were born with strange and weird monikers. Traditionally, celebrities have forsaken their birth names for sorts of reasons. Some names are difficult to pronounce or lack a certain pizazz, so it's hard for everyone to remember who they are. For celebs, they change their name to give themselves a jazzier stage name, and make celebs even more popular.
Many might not know that Gigi has a real name, Jelena Noura Hadid. However, her biological name changed when she was just a child. Kanye West is also worth introducing. He has legally changed his name to Kanye West, which means the only one, to just being a reflection of good. They are just two typical examples. If you want to see more, keep scrolling down.

#1 Charlie Sheen – Carlos Irwin Estevez

Source: Vianney Le Caer / Invision / AP / East News

Charlie Sheen changed his birth name, Carlos Irwin Estevez when turning 4 years old. He did it just because he didn’t want to prevent confusion with his uncle, Carlos. When becoming an actor, he took the name Charlie Sheen to start his career.

#2 Miley Cyrus - Destiny Hope Cyrus

Source: © mileycyrus / Instagram

In 2008, Miley Cyrus switched her middle name from Hope to Ray to honor her grandfather Ronald Ray Cyrus, a Democratic politician from Kentucky.

#3 Bruno Mars - Peter Gene Hernandez

Source: © brunomars / Instagram

Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez but he changed his real name. He worried about his surname Hernandez which would make music producers assume he wanted to make Latin records.

#4 Michael Keaton - Michael John Douglas

Source: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP / East News

Michael Keaton assumed his name wasn’t catchy so he decided to change his name from John Douglas to Keaton but keep his first name.

#5 Demi Moore - Demetria Gene Guynes

Source: © demimoore / Instagram

Demi is a shortened form of the name Demetria. While flipping through a magazine, her mom saw a shampoo, and her name was inspired by it. Her last name was taken from a man who she believed to be her dad.

#6 Jessie J - Jessica Ellen Cornish

Source: Joe Sutter / East News

The “Price Tag” singer revealed that “J” in Jessie J stands for different things, which depend on the day and her mood. However, “Jessica J” wasn’t her real name, but Jessica Ellen Cornish.

#7 Elsa Pataky - Elsa Lafuente Medianu

Source: © elsapataky / Instagram

Professional model Elsa Pataky is known for her role as Elena Neves in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. She switched her surname Lafuente Medianu into Pataky in honor of her maternal grandma: Rose Pataky, but keep her first name, Elsa.

#8 Wiz Khalifa - Cameron Jibril Thomaz

Source: PacificCoastNews / East News

The well-known rapper was born Cameron Jibril Thomaz but named himself Wisdom. At the age of 15 years old, Wiz Khalifa shortened his name to Wiz. His friend called him Wiz because he was good at everything.

#9 Gene Simmons - Chaim Witz

Source: 0000554 / Reporter / East News

Gene Simmons was born with the name Chaim Witz. When growing up, he changed it to Gene Simmons in honor of legendary rockabilly performer Jumpin' Gene Simmons.

#10 Lorde - Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor

Source: ROBYN BECK / AFP / East News

Lorde was signed to a contract with the Universal Music Group when turning 12. It was the time when she changed her birth name. She chose the name Lord but added an “e” because she felt Lord sounded too strong.

#11 Marilyn Monroe — Norma Jean Mortenson

Source: Charles K Feldman Group / East News

It took her around a decade to legally change her name, Norma Jean Mortenson, to Marilyn Monroe. Although she’d been known publicly by the moniker since 1946, after 10 years, she took her name officially.  According to Time, she decided to take on a stage name to have a better start in the film industry.