ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Artists Change Their Names

Updated on October 5, 2016

Musicians, artists, movie stars, and other celebrities often change their names. Why? I have often wondered that, and maybe you have too.

I mean, who would name their child Lady Gaga for Pete's sake? Personally, I use a different name for my visual art, as well as my writing, than I do for everything else. Am I a schizophrenic? Perhaps.

Actually there are some great reasons why people change their names as artists.


How many names are you known by?

See results

A few interesting name changes of artists:

  • Babyface - Kenneth Brian Edmonds
  • Chubby Checker - Earnest Evans
  • Nat King Cole - Nathaniel Adams Coles
  • Elton John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight
  • Woody Allen - Allen Stewart Konigsberg
  • George Burns changed his name from Nathan Birnbaum
  • Joan Crawford - Lucille La Sueur
  • Tom Cruise is the stage name for Tom Mapother
  • Frances Gumm changed her name to Judy Garland
  • Whoopie Goldberg’s - Caryn Johnson
  • Hulk Hogan’s real name is Terry Jene Bollea
  • Boris Karloff’s real name is William Henry Pratt
  • Michael Landon was born Eugene Orowitz
  • Marilyn Monroe was born Norma Jean Baker (you probably knew that)
  • Demi Moore was born Demetria Gene Guynes
  • Chuck Norris is really Carlos Ray
  • Tina Turner’s real name is Anna Mae Bullock
  • Connie Francis - Concetta Marla Franconero
  • Lady Gaga - Stefani Joanna Angelina Germanotta
  • MC Hammer - Stanley Kirk Burrel
  • Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry
  • Englebert Humperdinck - Arnold George Dorsey
  • Wynonna Judd - Christina Claire Ciminella
  • LL Cool J - James Todd Smith
  • Queen Latifah - Dana Owens
  • Liberace - Wiadziu Lee Valentino
  • Lulu - Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie
  • Barry Manilow - Barry Alan Pincus
  • Billy Ocean - Leslie Sebastian Charles
  • Puff Daddy/P Diddy - Sean John Combs
  • Sade - Helen Folasade Adu
  • Seal - Henry Olusegun Olumide Samuel

Mind you, some people do go by the name they were given as a child - more power to them. But here are some reasons why you or some other artist (self proclaimed or merited) may look for another name:

Uniqueness:

I suspect that is where Lady Gaga came from - I have never known another Lady Gaga - have you? Someone with a very common name will try to find one that stands out from the rest. People are less likely to forget a strange name.

Their given name is too hard to remember:

Some artists during the Renaissance Period in Italy had nicknames that stayed with them. For example, Donato di Niccolo di Betto Bardi is much better known as Donatello , Jacopo Comin is known as Tintoretto, and Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi is best known as Boticelli .

Their given name is too Common:

If your given name brings up thousands of people with the same name on Google search, you might want to stand out from all the rest by finding a name that no one else has.

Their given name is too hard to pronounce:

We have that problem in our family, because most people have difficult saying the name Kongaika (it means part fish BTW). We always have to tell people that you say it with a soft "g" like in singer, or King Kong, but most people say it with a hard "g" like in digger.

Privacy:

Some artists, actors or writers like to separate their private life from their public life. With social networking sites being so popular these days, many individuals like to remain anonymous so they can say what they like online.

What fits the genre of their art:

Personally, my given name does not suit the type of art that I do, but the name I have chosen to go by sounds more Polynesian. Much of my art and articles I write are Polynesian in nature - hence Elayne is a better fit.

To Switch Brain Modes:

Some artists claim they can think better with their right brain when they assume their "other" name. They can slip into a different personality to perform best. Sounds kind of weird, but I identify with this.

SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

If someone wants to appear on the front page of the Google results, one name would be easier to find than a longer name. Consider the name Picasso as opposed to Francis Bacon which could bring up a myriad of pages including recipes.

Other reasons: Other reasons that a performance or visual artist may change their name could include ethnicity (either wanting to be identified with or not, and also to avoid discrimination) or family connections (any skeletons in their closet?). Maybe they just feel that their name is dull, uninteresting, or sounds like a swear word in another language, or brings about an undesired image. Perhaps their name is just too long to write over and over - think of all those autographs!

Changing a name and committing to it is a very interesting process which should not be considered lighty. It is sort of a rebirth, a commitment with confidence of marking a change in your life.

Most performance artists call it a stage name . A well-thought-out name can make a big difference to the success of their career. Using their given name may inhibit their success.

For actors in the United States and The United Kingdom there are guilds that stipulate that no two members may have the same name. So do not try being another Lady Gaga - try to come up with something different. Often, agents choose a name for a rising star.

Writers call it a pen name .

Professional wrestlers call it a ring name .

I guess visual artists would call it their artist name or alter ego . Others feel that an artist is not authentic when they change their name. That is one way to look at it.

If someone else has the same name as you, at least you can be the BEST of them all by your reputation.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)