There are some celebs out there who find their given name so damn embarrassing, that they actually had to go ahead and make up a fun new one that came with a whole*** new personality. Below you’ll find a list of 15 famous celebrities and their stage names.
1. David Bowie
The Verge
Originally names David Jones, he changed it to ‘Bowie’ which was inspired by the American pioneer Jim Bowie so that he wouldn’t be confused with Davy Jones.
2. Jamie Foxx
Screen Daily
Here’s a rather funny story. Comedian Eric Marlon Bishop gave himself the name “Jamie”, so that he’d be mistaken to be a women. The hope was that he’d get better time slots as he thought women usually bagged the earlier pockets of the show.
3. Bono
Wikipedia
Paul Davidson Hewson always wanted to pay homage to a hearing aid shop in his hometown called, ‘Bonavax Shop’, in Dublin, hence the name, Bono.
4. Keanu Reeves
Elle
Welll…. that’s actually his real name and it means ‘cool breeze’ in Hawaiian. The crazy part is that his agent once tried to get his name changed to Chuck Spadina. Weirrrddd…right?
5. Ringo Star
Wikipedia
Truth is Richard Starkey was always and extraordinary drummer and his pals used to call his solos ‘Starr time’. As for ‘Ringo’, well he has a gold ring that he loves a little too much. What doe we now get? Voila! Ringo Starr.
6. Lady Gaga
Wikipedia
There was once a producer who thought the singer’s voice sounded like the Queen song “Radio Ga-Ga”. The name caught on as Lady Gaga. Later on the producer went on to sue her saying he should’ve gotten credit for it. Cute right?
7. John Legend
YouTube
A poet named J.Ivy once told the singer then, John Stephens that his soul was a bit ‘old-school’ with a ‘legendary’ sound. When Chrissy Teigen was once asked why she didn’t take her husband’s name, she comically retorted by saying ‘Even my husband didn’t take his own name’.
8. Vin Diesel
Gamespot
His birth name was Mark Sinclair, but it transformed into Vin Diesel when a young bouncer at a nightclub noticed how was always so jacked out of his mind as if he was fueled with diesel. Huh, funny.
9. Calvin Harris
Music Essentials
Adam Wiles otherwise famously known as DJ Calvin Harris claims that he landed on the name because it was “racially ambiguous” and won’t annswer to the latter if he’s not behind the booth. Because that’s just his stage alter ego.
10. Miley Cyrus
Popsugar
Singer Destiny Hope Cyrus a.k.a Miley Cyrus said she wanted a stage name when she started her acting career and decided to base it off of her childhood moniker, ‘Smily’. Now ain’t that pretty damn cute!
11. Carmen Electra
Delish
When young Tara Leigh Patrick was trying out for a musical group, she was told none other than Price that she looks like “Electra”. Since then the stage name has stuck and honestly, good for her!
12. Iggy Azalea
MN2S
When Amethyst Amelia Kelly’s dog was recovering from a snake bite, she made a tag with her dog’s name ‘Izzy’ and wore it around her neck so much so that people started calling her by the name. As for ‘Azalea’, that was just the street’s name she grew up in.
13. Nicolas Cage
Milwaukee Magazine
The young actor Nicolas Kim Coppola kept getting razzed by his classmates ’cause of famous uncle Francis Ford. So he vowed to change his name and raise to fame by his own merit hence Nicolas Cage, his stage name.
14. Woody Allen
SALESmanago
According to one of his childhood friend’s young Allen Stewart Konigsberg was obsessed with a girl’s dog whose name was, what do you have it, ‘Woody’!
15. Whoopi Goldberg
The New York Times
Back in the day, Caryn Elaine Johnson worked at theatres so small that the audience could even hear the cast fart, lol! She admitted, that her name is a whoopee cushion joke, “I am Caryn, but I was a bit of a farter”.
Do you know pf anyone with a funny name and an origin? Tell us in the comments below.