Pseudonyms are practically synonymous with Hollywood. The music industry? Good luck getting a musician NOT to have a stage name.
Check out this list of 67 celebrities who don’t use their real names.
Lorde
Musical sensation Lorde was given the name Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor at birth. We’d probably go with Lorde, too.
Courtney Love
Courtney Love’s birth name was Courtney Michelle Harrison. Courtney Harrison sounds way too straight-laced for the Hole rocker.
Emma Stone
Emma Stone’s birth name? Emily Jean Stone. The slight variation on her given name adds to her appeal.
Hulk Hogan
Professional wrestler and reality TV star Hulk Hogan was born Terry Gene Bollea. That just didn’t have the right ring to it.
Pink
Rocker-musician Pink was born Alecia Moore but picked up her moniker after watching the film Reservoir Dogs.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj, who might actually be crazy, was born Onika Tanya Maraj.
Bruno Mars
Does it make Bruno Mars more or less awesome to learn that his name is actually Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez?
Faith Hill
Faith is actually Faith Hill’s middle name, but we’re not sure where she got Hill from. Her given name at birth was Audrey Perry, which is quite pretty.
Portia de Rossi
Portia de Rossi was born Amanda Lee Rogers. Talk about going with something totally different.
Adele
The beautiful, talented, amazing Adele didn’t change her name so much as adopt the Madonna-persona by dropping the rest of her name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins.
Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen was born Ramon Antonio Gerard Estevez. Only one of his sons built a professional career with the family name.
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen followed in his father’s footsteps and changed his name from Carlos Irwin Estevez.
Drake
Before he was on DeGrassi, before he was rapping, BEFORE he was dating Rihanna, Drake was Aubrey Clark Graham.
Rihanna
Rihanna and Drake have more than just a love of basketball and music in common. They also use stage names. Sort of. Rihanna was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty.
French Montana
Before he was schmoozing with the Kardashians, French Montana was Karim Kharbouch.
50 Cent
Rapper 50 Cent’s stage name is no surprise. He was born Curtis James Jackson III.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman was born Natalie Hershlag. Her birth name is a lot less pretty than her chosen one.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey, who performed for Kimye’s wedding, was born Elizabeth Grant.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix would still be an Oscar-worthy actor if we knew him as Joaquin Rafael Bottom. Probably.
Carmen Electra
Playboy model Carmen Electra was born Tara Leigh Patrick. Her given name is perfectly suitable for a girls next door issue of the skin mag.
Bono
U2 frontman Bono was born Paul Hewson. whether he’s Paul Hewson or Bono, he’s still dissing Diddy.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg/Lion/Diggity Dogg was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus. That’s just not as easy to rhyme.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus. With a name like that, everything she’s become is because of her parents.
Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning was born Hanna Fanning which is a little too close to Hannah Montana and Dakota is definitely not a Disney star.
Jay Z
It’s no secret that Jay Z’s name is Shawn Carter, but did you know his stage name comes (in part) from a subway line he took as a kid? Yep. It’s true.
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel adopted his stage name when he was a bouncer. His real name is Mark Vincent and he’s appeared on the stage.
Steven Tyler
Rock god Steven Tyler was born Steven Victor Tallarico. His birth name lacks a little sex appeal.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys’ name is Alicia Augello Cook, but Keys suits her skills at tickling the ivories.
Chuck Norris
Would Jack Bauer be Jack Bauer by any other name? No. And Chuck Norris wouldn’t be Chuck Norris if we knew him as Carlos Ray Norris.
Joan Rivers
What’s Joan Rivers hiding under all that plastic surgery? Her age. And her name: Joan Alexandra Molinsky.
Katy Perry
Katy Perry was born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. She also got her start as a Christian pop singer.
Tina Fey
Funny girl Tina Fey took her stage name from her given name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey. That middle name’s kind of a mouthful.
Jack Black
Jack Black is such a good stage name we’re SHOCKED it’s not the actor’s real name, which is actually Thomas Jacob Black.
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken was born Ronald Walken. We would love this guy no matter what name he used.
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx, superstar, was born Eric Marlon Bishop. Foxx sounds way more star-like.
Flavor Flav
It’s hard to believe, we know, but Flavor Flav’s name isn’t actually FLAVA-FLAAAAAV. Let’s try William Jonathan Drayton, Jr.
Olivia Wilde
New mom Olivia Wilde was born Olivia Jane Cockburn. We’re definitely not wild about that.
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren’s given name makes her sound a wee bit like a spy: Ilyena Vasilievna Mironoff.
Cee Lo Green
Before he was Cee Lo Green and a judge on The Voice, he was Thomas Callawy. We’re unsure about the wigs.
Sean Kingston
Sean Kingston was born Kisean Jamal Anderson in Miami, Florida. He hit the scene in 2007 with the song “Beautiful Girls.”
T.I.
T.I. was born Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. Where did T.I. come from? Q-Tip, one of his label mates when he was getting started in the industry.
Bruce Willis
And we just thought Bruce Willis was his real name. Say hello to Walter Willis everybody.
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage couldn’t get lucky enough to be born with a cool last name like that. Nope. But he IS a Coppola, so there’s that. (Nicholas Kim Coppola, to be exact.)
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson but adopted the name Whoopi due to her love of…fart jokes.
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta is better known as Lady Gaga.
Diddy
Sean John Combs has had many names throughout his musical career: Puffy, Puff Daddy, Diddy, P. Diddy., Diddy Dirty Money, and the list goes on.
Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne’s arrest records read Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr.
Gotye
Wouter De Backer or Gotye? Which is easier to say? Which is COOLER?
Ludacris
Ludacris aka Christopher Bridges is a rapper who loves fast cars. He starred in several Fast & Furious films with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker.
T-Pain
Rapper T-Pain hit the music scene in 2005 after changing his name from Faheem Rasheed Najm.
Trey Songz
Trey Songz was a self-proclaimed shy kid who changed his name from Tremaine Neverson when he started singing.
Jason Derulo
Before becoming Jason Derulo, Jordin Sparks’ boyfriend was known as Jason Desrouleaux. His name change was just a simple drop of some letters.
Jon Bon Jovi
The frontman for a band of the same name, Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi.
LL Cool J
The ladies do love James Todd Smith, but they know him better as LL Cool J.
Marilyn Manson
Marilyn Manson’s identity has been cloaked in mystery with rumors abounding about his life before music. His name is Brian Hugh Warner to get you started.
Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa tweets selfies from jail where he’s booked under the name Cameron Jibril Thomaz. Jail selfies.
Gene Simmons
Before he was a part of KISS, Gene Simmons was known as Chaim Witz.
Lil Jon
Yeah, yeah, yeah…Lil Jon was born Jonathan Mortimer Smith. John Smith was way too plain for him, though.
Queen Latifah
Before she was officiating mass weddings at the Grammys, Queen Latifah was known as Dana Elaine Owens. Queen Dana? Queen Elaine? Yeah, Latifah works.
Shakira
Shakira and Rihanna share more than a steamy video. Yep! Stage names! Shakira was born Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.
Prince
The artist formerly, and now once again, known as Prince was born Prince Rogers Nelson.
Sting
Something tells us Sting wouldn’t be quite as sexy if he went by Gordon Sumner.
Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise shortened his name to match his stature. His given name is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas, father of Michael Douglas, was born Issur Danielovitch Demsky. Spartacus was definitely a Kirk and not an Issur.
Michael Keaton
From Batman to Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas but changed his name to avoid confusion.
Avicii
Avicii is a way cooler name than Tim Bergling. Tim Bergling sounds like…not a DJ.