Stage name

pseudonym or name variant used by performing artist

A stage name is a name an entertainer (such as a movie star or a musician) uses instead of their real name. Famous examples include actress Marilyn Monroe, singer Lady Gaga and rapper Nicki Minaj.

takes in the place of their real or birth name, they might like this name better than their real one or it's easier for people to remember. Professional wrestlers use stage names also, in their case it is called a "ring name".

Actors and actresses choose stage names for a variety of reasons. Their real names may be the same as or similar to those of other people, or they may be difficult to say or spell.

Famous examples

change
Stage name Real name Notes
2pac Tupac Shakur None
50 Cent Curtis Jackson Brown None
Alan Alda Alfonso Joseph D'Abruzzo None
David Bowie David Robert Jones None
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick McManus None
Dalida Yolande Christina Gigliotti None
Doris Day Doris Mark Ann von Kappelhoff None
Bob Dylan Robert Allen Zimmerman Surname legally changed to Dylan.
Paco de Lucía Francisco Sanchez Gomez None
Eminem Marshall Mathers III None
Jamie Farr Jameel Joseph Farah None
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta None
WC Fields William Claude Dukenfield None
Elton John Reginald Kenneth Dwight Full name legally changed to Elton Hercules John
Tom Jones Thomas John Woodward None
Marilyn Manson Brian Warner None
Prince Prince Rogers Nelson None
Rick Springfield Richard Springthorpe None
Ringo Starr Richard Starkey None
Tiny Tim Herbert Khaury None
Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson None
Peter Tosh Winston McIntosh None
Stevie Wonder Steveland Hardaway Judkins Last name can also be Morris.
change