10 Celebrities Who Got Their Stage Names Changed After Rising to Fame

From Katy Perry to Tina Fey, These Celebrities Have Changed Their Stage Names

Image Source: Getty Images | Photos By (L) Dimitrios Kambouris; (M) Kevin Mazur; (R) Stefanie Keenan

Our birth name plays a very important role throughout our lifetime. However, when success approaches, several prominent personalities choose to change their names. This is most commonly done to make their names shorter, and more memorable, and also to protect their privacy. In any case, the new names include both their previous and their changing social identities, adding an interesting twist to their career. Below are 10 such celebrities who have changed their birth names on their journey to stardom.

1. Katy Perry

Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson changed her name to Katy Perry, worrying that her birth name might be confused with actress Kate Hudson. After using her original name for quite some time, she changed her name to avoid the mix-up. Interestingly, with this, she also honored her family by taking up her mother’s maiden name, Perry. During an interview with The Guardian in 2017, Perry said, "I created this wonderful character called Katy Perry that I very much am and can step into all the time, but I created that character out of protection."

2. Emma Stone

Emma Stone was born as Emily Jean Stone but used the name Riley Stone earlier in her career. After it didn't work for her, she settled with Emma, a name similar to her original one. However, in April, Emma announced her desire to go back to her birth name again. She said, "That would be so nice. I would like to be Emily." She also revealed that several people in the industry address her as Emily. She said, "When I get to know them, people that I work with do. I freaked out a couple of years ago. For some reason, I was like, 'I can't do it anymore. Just call me Emily.'" During an appearance on The Tonight Show by Jimmy Fallon, she said, "My real name is Emily but I wanted to be called Emma because of Baby Spice," as reported by E! News.

3. Reese Witherspoon

Named Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon at birth, the actress changed it to Reese Witherspoon when her acting career began. In a Vanity Fair interview, the actress, joined by Nicole Kidman, explored her habit of referring to their co-star, Laura Dern, exclusively by her last name. “I hate how you call her Dern. It sounds weird,” Kidman said. “I’m gonna tell you why. Because my name is Laura, and her name is Laura, and it’s confusing to me. My real name is Laura Jeanne,” Witherspoon said, as reported by HOLA Magazine. Now, her name combines her mother's maiden name with her father's last name.

4. Meg Ryan

The popular actress Meg Ryan was originally named Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra at birth. However, when signing up for the Screen Actors Guild, she opted for a name change. She added Ryan to her name which is her maternal grandmother's maiden name. As reported by Entertainment Weekly, a person's name tells a lot about an individual’s public identity, and Ryan understood this as she began her acting journey. Her name also reflects the reputation she has built in the industry.

5. Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars was originally named Peter Gene Hernandez, but his stage moniker has an interesting origin. He got the nickname Bruno during his childhood, honoring wrestler Bruno Sammartino. His sister revealed, “Bruno was always so confident, independent, really strong-willed and kind of a brute—hence the name Bruno—and it kind of just stuck.” Mars said, “I was going to go by 'Bruno,' one name. Mars just kind of came joking around because that sounds bigger than life. That was it, simple as that.” He also claimed, “I never once said I changed my last name to hide the fact that I'm Puerto Rican. Why would I f**** say that?" as reported by The Things.

6. Olivia Wilde

Her original name was Olivia Jane Cockburn but she adopted the name Olivia Wilde to honor Irish writer Oscar Wilde. Talking about the name change, she said, "My mother thought it was a good idea for me as well, so I could have my own identity outside of my family." The actress added, "She suggested I pick something Irish and something that I'd always be inspired by. At the time, I was doing 'The Importance of Being Earnest' ... and I was so in love with it." She added, "Oscar Wilde is someone who I respect for so many reasons — a revolutionary, a comedian, and a profound thinker," as reported by Nicki Swift.

7. Jamie Foxx

Jamie Foxx changed his stage name to have a more feminine impression than his birth name, Eric Marlon Bishop. He noticed that female comedians seemed to be getting more stage time. So he chose a gender-neutral name in the hope that it might increase his chances of being popular. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Foxx said, "Having a stage name is like having a Superman complex. I go into the telephone booth as Eric Bishop and come out as Jamie Foxx." Changing his name has helped him to be a well-known personality today, as per Nicki Swift.

8. Martin Sheen

Martin Sheen was named Ramón Estévez at birth but opted for a different stage name. He thought that a more Caucasian-sounding name would bring him more opportunities. However, over time, he started regretting this decision. “That’s one of my regrets. I never changed my name officially. It’s still Ramon Estévez on my birth certificate. It’s on my marriage license, my passport, driver’s license. Sometimes you get persuaded when you don’t have enough insight or even enough courage to stand up for what you believe in, and you pay for it later. But, of course, I’m only speaking for myself,” he said during a 2022 interview with Closer Weekly.

9. Julianne Moore

When Julie Anne Smith joined SAG-AFTRA, she needed to select a new stage name. She chose Julianne Moore, blending her mother's name, Anne, with her father's middle name, Moore. "When I went to join SAG as Julie Smith, they were like, 'There's a Julie Smith, there's a Julie Anne Smith. You have to choose another name,'" she said, as reported by HuffPost. She added, "My dad's name was Peter Moore Smith, and my mother's name was Anne Smith, and I used both their names so I wouldn't hurt anybody's feelings."

10. Tina Fey

Actress Tina Fey was named Elizabeth Stamatina Fey at birth, but she changed it to Tina during her elementary school years. As reported by The List, she said, "My first name is Elizabeth, but I've always gone by Tina even in, you know, from elementary school on." She also claimed that Tina seemed to go well in the entertainment world when compared to her original name. In her full name, her middle name pays tribute to her mother’s Greek heritage, as highlighted by Little Things. Additionally, her character Liz on 30 Rock also hints at her real name.