Hollywood/Celebrity Name Changes

Can a name change affect the complete image of a person? Here are some famous Hollywood or other celebrity examples that illustrate the power of a name change.

Hollywood / Celebrity Name
Given Birth Name
Birthplace
Jane Seymour (Same as King Henry VIII’s 4th wife) Joyce Penelope Wilhelmina Frankenberg Middelsex, England
John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. Roswell, New Mexico
Dean Martin Dino Paul Crocetti Steuben, Ohio
Doris Day Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Cincinatti, Ohio
George Michael Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou East Finchley, London, UK
Gretta Garbo Greta Lovisa Gustafsson Stockholm, Sweden
Hulk Hogan Terry Gene Bollea Atlanta, GA
Angelina Jolie (Pitt) Angelina Voight Los Angeles, CA
Buddy Hackett Leonard Hacker Brooklyn, NY
Mars Bruno Peter Gene Hernandez Honolulu, HI
Kirk Douglas Issur Danielovitch Amsterdam, NY
Natalie Wood Natalia Nikolaevna Zakharenko San Francisco, CA
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta New York City, NY
Snoop Dog
Cordozar Calvin Broadus Long Beach, California
Alice Cooper
Vincent Damon Furnier Allen Park, Michigan
Cat Stevens – Now –> Yusuf Islam
Steven Demetre Georgiou London, England
Miley Cyrus
Destiny Hope Cyrus Nashville, Tennessee
Woody Allen
Allen Stewart Konigsberg Brooklyn, New York
John Wayne
Marrion Morrison Winterset, Iowa
Tom Jones
Thomas Jones Woodward Pontypridd, Wales
Cary Grant
Archibald Alec Leach Bristol, England
Lauren Bacall
Betty Joan Perske New York City, NY
Audrey Hepburn
Edda Van Heemstra Hepburn Ixelles, Belgium
Tiger Woods
Elridge Tiger Woods Cypress, California
Fred Astaire
Frederick Austerlitz Omaha, Nebraska
Richard Burton
Richard Walter Jenkins Jr. Pontrhydyfen, Wales
Marilyn Monroe
Norma Jean Baker Los Angeles, California
Michael Caine
Maurice Micklewhite South London, England
Charles Bronson
Charles Buchinsky Ehrenfeld, Pennsylvania
Queen Latifah
DanaElaine Owens Newark, New Jersey
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes Hope Eltham, London, England
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey Dingle, Liverpool, England
Rodney Dangerfield
Jack Roy Babylong, NY
Kid Rock
Robert (Bob) James Ritchie Romeo, Michigan
Larry King
Lawrence Zeiger Brooklyn, NY
Bono
Paul David Hewson Dublin, Ireland
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Johnson New York, New York
Madonna
Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Bay City, Michigan
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III St. Joseph, Missouri
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag Jerusalem, Israel
Samuel Goldwyn
Samuel Goldfish Warsaw, Poland
Lewis Carroll
Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson Daresbury, Cheshire, UK
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick Sharonville, Ohio
Stewart Granger
James Leblanche Stewart London, England
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges Champaign, Illinois
Ice Cube
O’Shea Jackson Los Angeles, California
The Rock
Dwayne Douglas Johnson Hayward, California
Gene Simmons (of KISS)
Chaim Witz Haifa, Israel
Anne Rice (author)
Howard Allen OBrien New Orleans, Louisiana
David Bowie
David Jones Brixton, London, UK
John Le Carre
David John Moore Cornwell Poole, Dorset, UK
Mark Twain
Samuel Longhorne Clemens Florida, Mo
Yakon Smirnoff
Yakoff Naumovich Pokhis Odessa, Ukraine
Mike Wallace Myron Leon Wallace Brookline, Massachusetts
Bob Dylan
Robert Zimmerman Duluth, Minnesota
Demi Moore
Demetria Guynes Roswell, New Mexico
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Anastassakis Sherman Oaks, California
Buffalo Bill William F. Cody Le Claire, Iowa
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair Vincent New York, New York
Joan Rivers
Joan Molinksy Brooklyn, New York
Olivia Wilde Olivia Cockburn New York, New York
Omar Sharif Michael Shaloub Alexandria, Egypt
Mel Brooks Melvin Kaminsky New York City, USA

And the famous exceptions: The two big stars who refused to change their names: Arnold Schwarznegger and Raquel Welch. And the one big star who didn’t have to: Sylvester Stallone, though his full given name is actually Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone.

Test your naming knowledge right here – and send us others you may know about.

StingGordon Matthew Thomas SumnerWallsend, England
Elton JohnReginald Kenneth DwightPinner, England
Nicolas CageNicolas Kim CoppolaLong Beach, CA USA
The VenturesThe VersatonesOregon, USA
Tony CurtisBernard SchwartzEast Harlem, NY
Rita HayworthMargarita Carmen CansinoNew York, NY

<– Return to Naming and Branding Articles

All data copyright Brighter Naming. You are welcome to link to this page, but not to copy it in any manner whatsoever.

© 2002-2022 Brighter Naming®     650-960-0411    The Power of ®

Recent Naming Articles

Brand insider articles from an experienced marketing team.

Mar 2023: Pricing your naming project

Oct 2021: The devil is in the trademark details

Mar 2019:The Power and Value of a Trademark

Jan 2019:4 common branding mistakes

Oct 2018: You named it What?

Linked In

Share this page on LinkedIn:


See his industry naming commentary (where he takes a critical look at names) via the blog on this site