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See Portia de Rossi, Whoopi Goldberg and 10 More Stars With Stage Names — and Find Out Their Real Monikers!

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Updated: May 16, 2017 1:09 pm·

By Julia Birkinbine

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Some celebrities were given names perfect for showbiz — and some just weren't as lucky!

Click through the gallery to reveal 12 stars' — including Portia de Rossi, Whoopi Goldberg, Elton John and more! — real monikers and find out the meanings behind their interesting stage names!

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Portia de Rossi

At age 15, Ellen DeGeneres' wife changed her name from Amanda Lee Rogers to Portia de Rossi. The switch was later made legal in 2010.

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Julianne Moore

Long before she was a five-time Oscar nominee, Julianne merged her first and middle names — Julie and Anne — and swapped her last name with her father's middle name, Moore!

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Whoopi Goldberg

Born Caryn Johnson, The View star adopted Whoopi because she thought it was a funny nod to her favorite gag gift, a whoopee cushion. Her mother later suggested Goldberg as her last name — and it stuck!

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Elton John

The singer was named Reginald Kenneth Dwight, but switched to a different moniker early on in his career. Elton John — which became his legal name in 1967 — is a combination of Bluesology band members' Elton Dean and Long John Baldry's names.

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Jamie Foxx

When Jamie was trying to land stand-up gigs in LA during the late 1980s, he realized women often had a better chance of scoring stage time at comedy clubs. So, the actor switched his name from Eric Bishop to the more androgynous moniker Jamie Foxx!

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Reese Witherspoon

Though her given name is Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, the mom-of-three decided to simplify her name by going by just Reese (her mother's maiden name) Witherspoon.

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Bono

Bono's given name is Paul David Hewson, but he adopted his quirky nickname in the 1970s after a friend reportedly started calling him Bonavox, a Latin phrase meaning "good voice."

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Tina Fey

The comedienne shortened her name from Elizabeth Stamatina Fey when she started off in showbiz.

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Ben Affleck

Ben's real name is Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt. When he began acting, he chose to drop Géza (a family friend's name) and Boldt (his mother's maiden name).

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Sting

Sting reportedly gained his stage name after a fellow musician spotted him wearing a black and yellow sweater and thought he resembled a bee.

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Helen Mirren

When Helen — born Helen Lydia Mironoff — was five-years-old, her father anglicized the family's Russian surname to Mirren and the actress legally adopted the new last name.

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Woody Allen

The iconic film director was born Allan Stewart Konigsberg, but later legally changed his name to Heywood Allen at age 17. He's gone by "Woody" ever since!