Already have an account?

I agree to the terms of the Terms and Conditions
and the Privacy Policy

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

News

Updated: May 16, 2017 1:09 pm·

By Julia Birkinbine

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!

1 of 12

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.

2 of 12

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!

3 of 12

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!

4 of 12

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.

5 of 12

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!

6 of 12

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.

7 of 12

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."

8 of 12

Tina Fey

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

9 of 12

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).

10 of 12

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.

11 of 12

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.

12 of 12

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!