Celebrities who don’t use their real names

Celebrities use stage names for a number of reasons. Firstly, they want to create a persona. Their real name might not represent the desired persona. So, they opt for a stage name. A very important reason why celebrities use stage names is that they want to protect their identity.

Whatever their reason, some celebrity stage names have catapulted some stars into immense stardom.

Here are some celebrity stage names Hollywood stars use:

Marilyn Monroe

Real name: Norma Jeane Mortenson

Monroe was a name on her mother’s side while the studio exec handed her “Marilyn,” because she reminded him of 1920s Broadway starlet Marilyn Miller.

Alicia Keys

Real name: Alicia Augello-Cook

On why she took the name Keys, Alicia said: “It’s like the piano keys.”

The Weeknd

Real name: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye

The Weeknd was born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye.

Meghan Markle

Real name: Rachel Meghan Markle

Meghan Markle’s real first name is Rachel. Though her birth name doesn’t much matter, she’s now a Duchess.

Gigi Hadid

Real name: Jelena Noura Hadid

The model explained that her mom used to be called Gigi when she was little. So, her mom called her that when Gigi was little. Although, Gigi is now widely used as her recognition, it was only used as a household nickname before.

Lady Gaga

Real name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Germanotta adopted her now-famous stage name which was inspired by the 1984 Queen song “Radio Ga Ga.”

Rihanna

Real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty

The singer has always gone by her middle name Rihanna.

Miley Cyrus

Real name: Destiny Hope Cyrus

When she was a child, Destiny Hope was always grinning, so her family called her Smiley, which evolved to Miley.

Nicki Minaj

Real name: Onika Tanya Maraj

“A guy at my one of my first production deals wanted my name to be Minaj. He convinced me but I’ve always hated it,” she once informed in an interview.

Katy Perry

Real name: Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson

The singer once told in an interview that she chose the name ‘Katy Perry’ out of protection.