Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise and Tina Fey have all changed their names. Photo / Getty Images
Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise and Tina Fey have all changed their names. Photo / Getty Images
In the world of showbiz, it has almost become a rite of passage to change your name.
Whether it’s to create a catchy stage name, one that will look good on movie posters, or simply for ease, when it comes to celebrities who are known by a name that isn’t on their birth certificate, the list is a mile-long.
Take Meghan Markle for example. While we know her as the Duchess of Sussex now, before she married Prince Harry in 2018 and became royalty, she was a Hollywood actress in a leading role in the hit show Suits. Born Rachel Meghan Markle, she decided to go by her middle name, previously telling Esquire her parents had always called her “Meghan” or “Meg” growing up.
And she isn’t the only one, Shania Twain has also had a name change. Born Eilleen Regina Edwards, the star’s last name was changed to Twain when she was adopted by her stepfather at 4 and changed again when she began to pursue a life in the music industry.
“I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born,” she previously told Apple Music’s Home Now Radio.
Named Thomas Cruise Mapother IV by his parents, Thomas Mapother III and Mary Lee Pfeiffer, the actor has previously spoke to Parade about his upbringing, stating his late father “was a bully and a coward”, and used to beat him.
Cruise’s mother decided to leave his father and take the actor and his three sisters, Lee Ann, Cass and Marian away from the abuse. The Top Gun star later dropped Mapother from his name to further distance himself from his father.
Jennifer/John Aniston
Jennifer Aniston and her father, John Aniston, who changed his last name from Anistasskakis. Photo / Getty Images
She’s one of the industry’s most famous actresses. After shooting to fame for her role as Rachel in Friends, she has gone on to star in many much-loved films, including Just Go With It, We’re The Millers and Horrible Bosses.
Now thriving in the leading role on The Morning Show, Jennifer Aniston is undeniably a household name, but once upon a time, that name could have been very different.
When the star’s father, who immigrated from the Greek island of Crete to the US, was pursuing his own career in Hollywood, he changed his name from Yannis Anistasskakis to John Aniston in the 1960s. He then passed on his revised last name to his daughter.
Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis' mother changed his name for a very logical reason. Photo / Getty Images
Like his We’re The Millers co-star, Aniston, Jason Sudeikis has also undergone a name change, making no secret of the fact that he hasn’t used his real name for years now.
Most well known for his role in the Apple TV original series, Ted Lasso, the actor, comedian and screenwriter first entered the entertainment industry in 1990 as an improv comedian, but his name change happened well before he ever hit the stage.
He told the Today show in 2021 that the change happened for a very logical reason: “I’m Daniel Jason, and my dad is Daniel Joseph, so my mom decided to call me Jason so we knew which one she was yelling at.”
Tina Fey
Tina Fey's real name was the inspiration for her 30 Rock character's name. Photo / Getty Images
She’s our favourite funny-girl on screen and behind many memorable witty banters behind the scenes thanks to her script writing, but it may surprise you to know, the former Saturday Night Live head writer uses an alias.
Inspired by her mum’s Greek ancestry, Tina Fey was born Elizabeth Stamatina Fey but has gone by the latter half of her middle name, Tina, since she was in primary school hoping to sound more hip.
That’s not to say she has forgotten about her real name, though. When writing 30 Rock, she paid tribute to her given name, Elizabeth, by naming her character, Liz Lemon.
Lorde
Lorde chose her stage name at the tender age of 16 before the release of her first album. Photo / Getty Images
The Auckland pop star, has been known internationally as Lorde since 2014, but the Grammy winner was actually born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor.
Speaking to Teen Vogue four years into her career, the star broke down the reasoning behind her name choice, revealing it was one that came quite easily and took only two days.
Noting that it was inspired by her “aristocracy obsession” she had as a teen, she added, “It was a good spontaneous choice, I think. I’m quite proud of my 16-year-old self for not messing that one up because if I’d given myself a cool, weird, hip name that I hated now that would be super annoying,” she told the news outlet.
Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin's stage name came after a fight with his father. Photo / Getty Images
He’s known for his hot hits like Livin’ la vida loca, but before he had us grooving to his music, the Puerto Rican singer was known by another name.
Enrique Morales was born to his father, who was also called Enrique, and his mother, Nereida Morales. The star revealed in a 1995 interview that he changed his name to Ricky Martin after things became tense with his father.
He said that when he started gaining recognition for his music, his parents weren’t getting along and his dad gave him an ultimatum to choose between the two. Martin chose his mother and changed his name to distance himself from his dad.
Helen Mirren
Helen Mirren is a household name after more than five decades in the industry. Photo / Getty Images
For more than five decades, Helen Mirren has dominated the big screen. From her early beginnings in the Royal Shakespeare Company where she played a number of lead roles, including Miss Julie in The Other Place to her Academy Award-winning role as the late Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen and all her memorable roles in between, the British star is a leading figure.
But she hasn’t always been known as Helen. In fact, her birth name links back to her Russian ancestry. Born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov, the star’s father decided to anglicise their family name to Mirren when she was 10.
Upon embarking on her stage career, she changed her name again, choosing to go by Helen, a form of her given name, Ilyena.
Lillie Rohan is a London-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things reality TV, films and music.
