List of stage names

This list of stage names lists names used by those in the entertainment industry, alphabetically by their stage name's surname, followed by their birth name. Individuals who dropped their last name and substituted their middle name as their last name are listed. In many cases, performers have legally changed their name to their stage name.[1]

People are not listed here if they fall into one or more of the following categories:

Note, however, that other cultures have their own naming customs and systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, Indian, and others), some rather intricate, and minor changes or alterations, including reversing Eastern-style formats, do not in and of themselves qualify as stage names, and should not normally be included. For example, Björk, whose stage name appears to be an original creation, is part of her full Icelandic name, Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Her second name is a patronymic instead of a family name, following Icelandic naming conventions. "Björk" is not a stage name but how any Icelander would refer to her, casually or formally.
In some cases this is reversed; i.e. a surname is simplified by the removal of a genuine particle (or particles), hyphenation or other diacritic/symbol, such as in the cases of Dirk Bogarde, Tabby Callaghan, Lyn Christie, Scott Forbes, Gregory Gaye, Martyn Green, Jean Hagen, Jock Mahoney, Frank Tashlin, and Peter Ustinov.

The following are listed here for the following reasons:

  • Tupac Shakur is listed here, but under the stage name 2Pac. He was born either Lesane Parish Crooks or Parish Lesane Crooks, depending on the source, but his name was changed in early childhood to Tupac Amaru Shakur.
  • Elton John is listed here because he used the name professionally before he legally adopted it in 1972.

0–9 and other stage names which do not begin with English alphabetic characters

  • 2Pac – Tupac Amaru Shakur (born as either Parish Lesane Crooks or Lesane Parish Crooks)
  • 50 Cent – Curtis James Jackson III
  • 6025 – Carlos Cadona
  • 75 Cents – Ladislav Demeterffy
  • 2 Chainz – Tauheed Epps
  • μ-Ziq – Michael Paradinas

A

Aa–Ar

Ar–Az

B

Ba–Bi

Bi–Br

Br–Bz

C

Ca–Ch

Ch–Co

Co–Cz

D

Da–De

De–Du

Du–Dz

E

F

Fa–Fr

Fr–Fz

G

H

I

J

K

L

La–Lit

Liv–Lz

M

Ma–Me

Me–Mo

Mo–Mz

N

O

P

Q

R

Ra–Rn

Ro–Rz

S

Sa–Sh

Sh–So

So–Sz

St–Sz

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

See also

References

  1. ↑ Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786443734.
  2. ↑ Daniel Barnz was born Daniel Bernstein in a suburb of Philadelphia, and later changed his surname to an amalgamation of Bernstein and Schwartz, the surname of his partner of almost two decades, Ben Schwartz.
  3. ↑ Julie Andrews was born Julia Elizabeth Wells, but took the name Andrews when she moved in with her stepfather as a child.
  4. ↑ Sean Patrick Astin was born Sean Patrick Duke, the son of actress Patty Duke (1946–2016). At the time, it was reported that entertainer Desi Arnaz Jr. was his biological father. On August 5, 1972, Patty Duke married actor John Astin, after having been in a relationship with him for two years. John Astin subsequently adopted Sean.
  5. ↑ Armstrong, Lois (October 17, 1977). "For Taming Precocious Patty Duke, John Astin Is a Miracle Worker", People. Vol. 8, No. 16.
  6. ↑ Jimmy Barnes was born James Dixon Swan in Glasgow, Scotland. His family relocated to South Australia in 1961, when he was four years old. Barnes' parents later divorced. His mother remarried, to a clerk surnamed Barnes and encouraged her children to adopt their stepfather's surname.
  7. ↑ Christie Brinkley was born Christie Lee Hudson but following her parents' divorce she was legally adopted by her stepfather, whose surname (Brinkley), she took.
  8. ↑ Clemency Margaret Greatrex Burton was born in London in 1981 to Humphrey Burton, the BBC's first head of music and arts, and Gillian Hawser, an agent. The couple never married. Hawser had been married to Robert Hill since 1970. The actress later added her stepfather's surname, hence the double-barrelled surname.
  9. ↑ Neneh Cherry was born Neneh Mariann Karlsson (Karlsson was her mother's maiden name); she was later adopted by her stepfather Don Cherry, and subsequently took his surname.
  10. ↑ Robert Conrad "Robb" Flynn was born as Lawrence Matthew Cardine in Oakland, California. He was adopted after being abandoned by his birth parents. He has since stated that he does not wish to find his birth parents, with the Machine Head song "Left Unfinished" describing his feelings about them.
    "Interview: Robb Flynn of Machine Head". goldenplec.com. May 23, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ Missy and Tracey Gold were born Melissa Fisher and Tracey Claire Fisher, respectively; the surname Gold is a shortened form of the surname they acquired upon adoption by their stepfather, Harry Goldstein.
  12. ↑ Julie Goodyear was born Julie Kemp; she adopted her stepfather's surname.
  13. ↑ Dave Gahan, British musician, was born David Callcott to parents Len and Sylvia Callcott; Dave was only six months old when his father left the family. Sylvia and Len divorced two years later and his mother moved Dave and sister Sue (born 1960) to Basildon, Essex, after she married her second husband, Jack Gahan.
  14. ↑ American actress, director and screenwriter, born Barbara Carol Wayne; her mother Bess Myerson, married, secondly, to Arnold Grant, who legally adopted Barbara in 1962.
  15. ↑ Born Jane Elizabeth Marie Burgess, she later adopted her stepfather (Yves Lapotaire)'s surname (see )
  16. ↑ Born Blake Ellender Brown and Eric Lawrence Brown, respectively; later adopted their stepfather (Ernie Lively)'s surname (see )
  17. ↑ Elle Macpherson was born Eleanor Nancy Gow, but was assigned her stepfather's surname (see "Elle Macpherson looks good with Intimates")
  18. ↑ "Movies: Biography for Jesse L. Martin". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2014. Jesse L. Martin was born Jesse Lamont Watkins to Jesse Reed Watkins and Virginia Price; the two divorced when Jesse was a child. His mother eventually remarried and Martin adopted his stepfather's surname.
  19. ↑ American singer-songwriter, is the son of singer Mel Tormé and actress Candy Toxton. They later divorced and Toxton married actor/comedian Hal March, who became Steve's stepfather.
  20. ↑ At the age of 10, Martine took her stepfather's surname when her mother met and married window cleaner John McCutcheon.
  21. ↑ Frances McDormand was born Cindy Ann Smith but was adopted at one and a half years of age by Noreen (née Nickelson) and Vernon McDormand, and renamed Frances Louise McDormand.
  22. ↑ Rita Moreno was born Rosa Dolores Alverío, but later adopted the surname of her first stepfather, Edward Moreno.
  23. ↑ Piers Morgan was born Piers Stefan O'Meara; after being adopted by his stepfather, his name became Piers Stefan Pughe-Morgan, which he shortened to Piers Morgan, professionally.
  24. ↑ Simon Pegg was born Simon John Beckingham to Gillian Rosemary (née Smith), a former civil servant, and John Henry Beckingham, a jazz musician and keyboard salesman. His parents divorced when he was seven and he took the surname of his stepfather (Pegg), after his mother re-married.
  25. ↑ Barratt, Nick (June 2, 2007). "Family detective". Daily Telegraph. London, UK. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  26. ↑ "10 Questions for Simon Pegg". Time. October 2, 2008.
  27. ↑ Cadwallader, Carole (February 4, 2007). "A fair cop". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  28. ↑ Joanna Pettet was born Joanna Jane Salmon in Westminster, London to Harold Nigel Edgerton Salmon, a British Royal Air Force pilot killed in the Second World War, and Cecily J. Tremaine, were married in Chelsea, London in 1940. After the war, her mother remarried and settled in Montréal, where young Joanna was adopted by her stepfather and assumed his surname.
  29. ↑ Nicole Richie was born Nicole Escovedo. Her biological parents, Peter and Karen Escovedo, agreed to let Richie stay with singer-songwriter Lionel Richie and his then-wife, Brenda Harvey because they could not afford to care for her financially. Nicole was legally adopted by Lionel and Brenda at the age of nine.
  30. ↑ Juliet Rylance was born as Juliet van Kampen in Hammersmith, London to Chris van Kampen, an architect, and his wife, Claire, a composer. Her younger sister, Nataasha (now deceased), became a filmmaker. Her parents divorced when she was seven, and her mother subsequently married actor Mark Rylance, whose surname she adopted.
  31. ↑ Ken[neth Wayne] Shamrock was born as Kenneth Wayne Kilpatrick. He bounced around between several group homes before being placed in Bob Shamrock's Boys' Home at age 14, in Susanville, California, where he turned his life around. Bob Shamrock legally adopted Ken as his son, and Ken changed his last name from Kilpatrick to Shamrock.
  32. ↑ Scott Stapp, American singer-songwriter-musician, was born in Orlando, Florida as Anthony Scott Flippen. He was raised by his mother, Lynda, and his stepfather, Steven Stapp, a dentist, whose surname he later adopted.
  33. ↑ Christopher Donald Siegel was born in Malibu, California, the son of American film director Don Siegel and Swedish-American actress Viveca Lindfors. His parents divorced and Lindfors married Hungarian writer and director George Tabori. Christopher adopted his stepfather's surname and changed the English spelling of his forename.
  34. ↑ Leigh Young was born on January 25, 1945, in Washington, D.C. She added the surname Taylor, which was the surname of her stepfather, a successful Detroit executive.
  35. ↑ Kiri Te Kanawa was born as Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron in Gisborne, New Zealand, but adopted as an infant by Thomas Te Kanawa, a Māori, and his wife, Nell.
  36. ↑ Louis William Tomlinson (One Direction) was born Louis Troy Austin to Johannah (née Poulston) and Troy Austin. His parents split up when he was young and he took the surname of his stepfather, Mark Tomlinson.
  37. ↑ Steven Van Zandt was born Steven Lento in Winthrop, Massachusetts; his mother, Mary Lento, remarried when he was young, and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Van Zandt.
  38. ↑ Suzanne Vega was born in 1959 in Santa Monica, California to Pat (née Schumacher), a computer systems analyst of German-Swedish heritage, and Richard Peck, of Scottish-English-Irish origin. They divorced soon after her birth and Suzanne's stepfather, Edgardo Vega Yunqué, whose surname she adopted, was a writer and teacher from Puerto Rico.
  39. ↑ White was born Vanna Marie Rosich in Conway, South Carolina, the daughter of Joan Marie and Miguel Angel Rosich. Her father was of Puerto Rican and Croatian descent. He abandoned the family and White took the name of her stepfather, Herbert Stackley White Jr., a South Carolina real estate agent in what is now North Myrtle Beach.
  40. ↑ Ina Balin was born Ina Rosenberg in Brooklyn, New York to Sam Rosenberg, a dancer, singer and comedian who worked the Borscht Belt. He later quit show business to join his family's furrier business. Her mother was a Hungarian-born professional dancer who escaped a troubled family life by marrying at age 15. Sam Rosenberg was Balin's mother's third husband at age 21. They divorced when Ina and her brother, Richard Balin, were still quite young and the children were placed in boarding schools until their mother married a fourth time to shoe magnate Harold Balin who adopted Ina and Richard.
  41. ↑ Bibi Besch (and her elder sister) adopted their stepfather (Joseph Besch)'s surname after they were adopted.
  42. ↑ Peter Brown was born as Pierre Lind de Lappe in New York City. His mother, Mina Reaume, was a stage and radio actress. He had an older brother, Phillip, and two younger half brothers, Paul and Michael. Peter took the name Brown from his stepfather, Albert Brown.
  43. ↑ Solomon Burke was born James Solomon McDonald, the child of Josephine Moore and an absentee father. His mother was a nurse, schoolteacher, concert performer and pastor. When Burke was nine, his mother married Vincent Burke, and had her son's name changed to Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke.
  44. ↑ "William Collier Jr". virtual-history.com. Retrieved June 27, 2017.
  45. ↑ William Collier Jr. was born as Charles F. Gall Jr. in New York City. After his parents' divorce, his mother, actress Paula Marr, remarried to actor William Collier, who adopted Charles and gave the boy his new name.
  46. ↑ Larry Coryell was born in Galveston, Texas. He never knew his biological father, a musician. He was raised by his mother, Cora, who encouraged him to learn piano when he was 4 years old, and his stepfather, Gene Coryell, a chemical engineer.
  47. ↑ Nancy Davis, later Mrs. Nancy Reagan, was born Anne Frances Robbins; she was adopted by her stepfather, Dr. Loyal Davis, whose surname she took.
  48. ↑ Katherine DeMille was born Katherine Paula Lester in Canada and orphaned at an early age; she was adopted by Cecil B. DeMille and his wife, Constance.
  49. ↑ George Englund, the son of Harold Austin Ripley and actress Mabel Albertson, was born as George Howe Ripley in Washington, D.C. After his parents' divorce, his mother remarried, to Ken Englund, whose surname young George adopted.
  50. ↑ George Englund, the son of Harold Austin Ripley and actress Mabel Albertson, was born as George Howe Ripley in Washington, D.C. After his parents' divorce, his mother remarried, to Ken Englund, whose surname young George adopted.
  51. ↑ Joan Fontaine was born Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, but as her elder sister Olivia de Havilland had taken the family surname (de Havilland), Joan (after essaying such unsatisfying stage names as Joan Burfield and Joan St. John), decided to use her stepfather (Frank Fontaine)'s surname, notwithstanding both sisters' mutual dislike of their mother's husband.
  52. ↑ Born Juan Vincent Apablasa, Gavin was of Mexican, Chilean and Spanish descent, and was fluent in Spanish. His father, Juan Vincent Apablasa, was of Chilean origin, and his paternal ancestors, including Cayetano Apablasa, were early landowners in California when it was still under Spanish rule. Gavin's mother, Delia Diana Pablos, hailed from the historically influential Pablos family of the Mexican state of Sonora. Roughly two years after Gavin's birth, his mother obtained a divorce from Apablasa. Her next marriage was to Herald Ray Golenor who adopted John and changed his name to John Anthony Golenor.
  53. ↑ Harris's mother, Mallie Hood Anderson, was fifteen and unmarried at the time of his birth. His paternity is uncertain. His wife, Olive E. Goodlow, and daughter Patricia Vest said that his father was a Native American named Blue Jay. Wynonie had no father figure in his family until 1920, when his mother married Luther Harris, fifteen years her senior.
  54. ↑ Sterling Hayden was born Sterling Relyea Walter in Upper Montclair, New Jersey to George and Frances Walter; after his father's death, he was adopted at age 9 by his stepfather, James Hayden, and renamed Sterling Walter Hayden.
  55. ↑ Yankee, Luke (2006). Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart. BackStage Books. ISBN 0-8230-7888-4. OCLC 2006921113.
    Eileen Heckart was born from an out of wedlock relationship and briefly known as Anna Eileen Herbert; "Herbert" was quickly changed to Heckart, the surname of her maternal grandmother's wealthy second husband, who adopted the child.
  56. ↑ "Biography of Charlton Heston". biography.com. March 18, 2010. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
    Heston was born John Charles Carter, the son of Lilla (née Charlton; 1899–1994) and Russell Whitford Carter (1897–1966). When Heston was 10 years old, his parents divorced. Shortly thereafter, his mother married Chester Heston, whose surname John Charles adopted, taking his mother's maiden name (Charlton) later as his forename.
  57. ↑ Madeline Kahn was born Madeline Gail Wolfson in Boston, Massachusetts, to Freda (née Goldberg) and Bernard B. Wolfson, a garment manufacturer. After her parents divorced, her mother married Hiller Kahn, who adopted Madeline and she took his surname.
  58. ↑ Dorothy Lamour was born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton in New Orleans, Louisiana, the daughter of Carmen Louise (née LaPorte) and John Watson Slaton. Her parents' marriage lasted only a few years. Her mother remarried, to Clarence Lambour, whose surname Dorothy later adopted and modified as her stage name.
  59. ↑ American musician, was born Arthur Taylor in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of Chester, a jazz cornet player, and Agnes Taylor, a school teacher. He and his mother moved to Los Angeles when he was five years old. In 1953 his mother married Clinton Lee, who adopted Arthur, who legally changed his name to Arthur Taylor Lee.
  60. ↑ Art Linkletter was born Gordon Arthur Kelly, but his name was changed to Arthur Gordon Linkletter when he was adopted in infancy.
  61. ↑ Lori March was born Lori von Eltz; she was adopted by her stepfather.
  62. ↑ June Mathis was born June Beulah Hughes in Leadville, Colorado, the only child of Virginia Ruth and Dr. Philip Hughes. Her parents divorced when she was seven and her mother remarried, this time to William D. Mathis, a widower with three children whose name she would eventually adopt as a stage name.
  63. ↑ Melcher was born with his birth father's surname ("Jorden"), but was adopted by his stepfather (Marty Melcher), who married Terry's mother (Doris Day); Terry took Marty's surname.
  64. ↑ Mary and Florence Nash were born to James H. Ryan, a lawyer, and his wife, Ellen Frances (née McNamara); the sisters adopted the surname of their stepfather, Philip F. Nash, a vaudeville booking executive, who married their mother after the death of their father.
  65. ↑ Baby Jane Osborne was born Helen Alice Myres, but adopted by a couple surnamed Osborn under unclear circumstances, see Baby Jane Osborne obituary, New York Times, November 17, 2010.
  66. ↑ Born Ingram Cecil Connor III to Ingram Cecil ("Coon Dog") and Avis (née Snively) Connor, Gram Parsons' father committed suicide two days before Christmas in 1958, when Gram was 12 years old. Avis subsequently married Robert Parsons, whose surname was adopted by Gram and his sister, Little Avis.
  67. ↑ Tracy Reed was born Clare Tracy Compton Pelissier, the daughter of the director Anthony Pelissier and actress Penelope Dudley-Ward; she took the surname of her stepfather, Sir Carol Reed, following her mother's remarriage in 1948.
  68. ↑ Doris Roberts was born Doris May Green but her biological father abandoned the family and her mother later remarried, to Chester Roberts, whose surname the future actress adopted.
  69. ↑ Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath. Her parents divorced and her name was changed to "Rogers", her stepfather's name, after her mother's remarriage.
  70. ↑ Joe Santos was born Joseph John Minieri Jr. on June 9, 1931, the same day his father died. His mother Rose (née Sarno), sold olive oil and eventually became a nightclub owner and singer in New York City and Havana. She later married Puerto Rican-born Daniel Santos, and Joe took his name.
    Obituary for Joe Santos, nytimes.com, March 19, 2016; accessed June 4, 2017.
  71. ↑ Sylvia Sidney was born Sophia Kosow, but took the surname of her stepfather, Dr. Sigmund Sidney, a dentist, after he adopted her.
  72. ↑ William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff was born in Goshen, New York. His mother and grandmother chose the names to reflect the different parts of his heritage: Joseph after Saint Joseph (Bible), Bonaparte (French), Bertholoff (biological father's last name), Smith (added when he was three, his stepfather's name), and William and Henry were added for "spiritual balance".
  73. ↑ Smith, Willie the Lion (1964). Music on My Mind: The Memoirs of an American Pianist, Foreword by Duke Ellington. New York City: Doubleday & Company Inc. p. 5.
  74. ↑ Alan Thicke was born Alan Willis Jeffery in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Canada. His stepfather was Dr. Brian Thicke, whose surname Alan legally adopted.
  75. ↑ Grace Lee Whitney was born Mary Ann Chase, but her name was changed when she was adopted as a small child.
  76. ↑ Born to Curtis and Angeline Hall, he adopted his father's forename to create a portmanteau professional name.
  77. ↑ Daughter of Huntley Wright, she adopted her father's forename as part of her portmanteau stage name.
  78. ↑ Birth name per Dorchester Historical Society website, dorchesterhistoricalsociety.org; accessed September 27, 2014.
  79. ↑ Profile, findagrave.com; accessed September 27, 2014.
  80. ↑ Stage name Johnny Cougar given to him by his manager in 1975; changed to John Cougar in 1979. Mellencamp has not used this name since 1982 and has not used the name John Cougar Mellencamp since 1989.
  81. ↑ "Deed poll certificate for Elton John". Content.answers.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  82. ↑ While performing in WWE, he has used "The Rock" exclusively since 1997. In his career as a film and television actor, he has mainly been credited as either Dwayne Johnson or Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
  83. ↑ Tiny Tim (né Herbert Khaury) had no official middle name, though some web sites report it to be "Butros", his father's first name, while during his televised wedding his middle name was given as "Buckingham". His headstone reads "Khaury/Herbert B/Tiny Tim/1932-1996". "Tiny Tim photos at". Findagrave.com. 2004-04-21. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
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