Real names of celebrities
We are all influenced to some degree by what celebrities do and say or what they name their babies. The stars are often famous for giving their children unique, uncommon names.
But not all celebrities are born with the perfect showbiz name. Some birth names are too long, sound silly or just lack that certain Hollywood pizzazz needed for stardom.
We compiled a list with the real birth names and stage names (pseudonyms) of several famous people:
| Real names of celebrities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stage name | Real Name | |
| Ashanti | Singer | Ashanti Shaquoya Douglas |
| Woody Allen | Actor, Filmmaker | Allen Stewart Konigsberg |
| Tori Amos | Singer, Songwriter | Myra Ellen Amos |
| Beyonce | Actor, Singer | Beyonce Giselle Knowles |
| Bjork | Singer | Bjork Gudmundsdottir |
| Antonio Banderas | Actor | Jose Antonio Dominguez Bandera |
| Brigitte Bardot | Actor | Camille Javal |
| Jon Bon Jovi | Actor, Singer | John Bongiovi |
| David Bowie | Actor, Singer | David Robert Hayward-Jones |
| Mel Brooks | Actor, Filmmaker | Melvin Kaminsky |
| George Burns | Actor, Comedian | Nathan Birnbaum |
| Cher | Actor, Singer | Cherilyn Sarkasian La Pierre |
| Coolio | Rapper, Songwriter | Artis Ivey Jr. |
| Nicolas Cage | Actor | Nicholas Kim Coppola |
| 50 Cent | Rapper | Curtis Jackson |
| Jackie Chan | Actor, Martial Artist | Kong-Sang Chan |
| Julia Child | Chef, Author | Julia Carolyn McWilliams |
| Alice Cooper | Singer, Songwriter | Vincent Damon Furnier |
| David Copperfield | Magician | David Kotkin |
| Tom Cruise | Actor | Thomas Cruise Mapother IV |
| Ice Cube | Actor, Rapper | Oshea Jackson |
| Taylor Dayne | Singer | Leslie Wonderman |
| John Denver | Actor, Singer | Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. |
| Danny DeVito | Actor, Director | Daniel Michaeli |
| Snoop Doggy Dogg | Actor, Rapper | Cordazer Calvin Broadus |
| Kirk Douglas | Actor | Issur Danielovitch Demsky |
| Dr. Dre | Singer, Rapper | Andre Young |
| Bob Dylan | Singer, Songwriter | Robert Zimmerman |
| Eminem | Rapper, Songwriter | Marshall Bruce Mathers III |
| Enya | Singer, Songwriter | Eithne Ni Bhraonian |
| Carmen Electra | Actor, Model | Tara Patrick |
| Gloria Estefan | Singer, Songwriter | Gloria Maria Fajardo |
| Sally Field | Actor | Sally Mahoney |
| Jodie Foster | Actor, Director | Alicia Christian Foster |
| Andy Garcia | Actor | Andres Arturo Garcia Menendez |
| James Garner | Actor | James Scott Bumgarner |
| Boy George | Singer, Songwriter | George Alan O'Dowd |
| (MC) Hammer | Rapper, Songwriter | Stanley Kirk Burrell |
| Benny Hill | Actor, Comedian | Alfred Hawthorn Hill |
| Harry Houdini | Magician | Erich Weiss |
| Ice-T | Actor, Rapper | Tracy Morrow |
| Vanilla Ice | Rapper, Songwriter | Robert Van Winckle |
| Billy Idol | Singer, Songwriter | William Broad |
| Elton John | Singer, Songwriter | Reginald Kenneth Dwight |
| Don Johnson | Actor | Donald Wayne |
| Michael Keaton | Actor | Michael Douglas |
| Larry King | TV Host | Larry Zeigler |
| Tommy Lee | Musician | Tommy Lee Bass |
| Jay Leno | TV Host | James Douglas Muir Leno |
| Meat Loaf | Actor, Singer | Marvin Lee Aday |
| Sophia Loren | Actor | Sophia Scicoloni |
| Courtney Love | Actor, Singer | Love Michelle Harrison |
| Madonna | Actor, Singer | Madonna Louise Ciccone |
| Moby | Singer, Songwriter | Richard Melville Hall |
| Shirley MacLaine | Actor | Shirley Beaty |
| Marilyn Manson | Singer, Songwriter | Brian Warner |
| Garry Marshall | Director, Filmmaker | Garry Maschiarelli |
| Ricky Martin | Actor, Singer | Enrique Jose Martin Morales |
| Freddy Mercury | Singer | Farouk Bulsara |
| George Michael | Singer, Songwriter | Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou |
| Joni Mitchell | Singer, Songwriter | Roberta Joan Anderson |
| Marilyn Monroe | Actor, Singer | Norma Jean Baker |
| Demi Moore | Actor | Demetria Gene Guynes |
| Chuck Norris | Actor, Martial Artist | Carlos Ray |
| Gary Oldman | Actor | Leonard Gary Oldman |
| Ozzy Osbourne | Singer, Songwriter | John Michael Osbourne |
| Pink | Singer, Songwriter | Alecia Moore |
| Prince | Actor, Singer | Prince Rogers Nelson |
| Luke Perry | Actor | Coy Luther Perry III |
| Brad Pitt | Actor | William Bradley Pitt |
| Robert Redford | Actor, Filmmaker | Charles Robert Redford, Jr. |
| Axl Rose | Singer, Songwriter | William Bruce Rose |
| Meg Ryan | Actor | Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra |
| Sting | Singer, Songwriter | Gordon Matthew Sumner |
| Sylvester Stallone | Actor | Michael Sylvester Enzio Stallone |
| Ringo Starr | Musician | Richard Starkey |
| Jon Stewart | TV Host | Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz |
| Barbra Streisand | Actor, Singer | Barbara Jean Streisand |
| Tiffany | Singer | Tiffanie Renee Darwish |
| Tina Turner | Singer | Anna Mae Bullock |
| Shania Twain | Singer | Eileen Regina Edwards |
| Vangelis | Composer | Evangelos Odessey Papathanassiou |
| John Wayne | Actor | Marion Michael Morrison |
| Bruce Willis | Actor | Walter Bruce Willison |
| Stevie Wonder | Singer, Songwriter | Steveland Hardaway Judkins |
Shakespearean Names
Soap Opera Names
Reality Show Names
Celebrity Names
Top US baby names in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Other countries:
England and Wales,
Scotland,
Northern Ireland,
Ireland,
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
Hungary,
Austria,
Italy,
Spain,
Norway,
Sweden,
Finland,
Denmark,
Netherlands,
Belgium