It’s not news that lots of celebrities use stage names for any one of a variety of reasons. Because sometimes these stage names are obvious. For example, would it shock you to learn her parents didn’t name her Lady Gaga at birth? But sometimes stage names are more subtle. Either way, you probably can’t guess some of the biggest celebrities real names. Or can you? Well, take this quiz and prove me wrong.
It’s not news that lots of celebrities use stage names for any one of a variety of reasons. Because sometimes these stage names are obvious. For example, would it shock you to learn her parents didn’t name her Lady Gaga at birth? But sometimes stage names are more subtle. Either way, you probably can’t guess some of the biggest celebrities real names. Or can you? Well, take this quiz and prove me wrong.
At the age of 2, Mars' father nicknamed him "Bruno" because of his resemblance to professional wrestler Bruno Sammartino.
Minaj uses his her real first name, Onika, for one of her fragrance lines.
Lil Xan's stage name is derived from the name of the prescription drug Xanax, to which he was addicted.
Perry's released her debut, an album of Christian rock, under her real name of Katy Hudson in 2001.
Foxx chose his stage name in tribute to the late, legendary comedian Redd Foxx.
Fey's mother's maiden name is Zenobia Xenakes, but she went by the name Jeanne.
Hill's sister is actor Beanie Feldstein, who unlike her brother uses her real last name but a nickname instead of her first name (which is Elizabeth).
Goldberg named herself after the whoopee cushion. She has claimed Goldberg is a family name and that she is Jewish.
Black's father was also named Thomas, but they have different middle names.
The name "Shania" is supposedly inspired by an Ojibwe word that means "on the way." Twain was the singer's stepfather's last name.
After his mother divorced his father, Stevie Wonder's mother changed his last name from Judkins to Morris, which is still his legal last name.
Portman is the actress's adoptive paternal grandmother's maiden name.
About his stage name, Harris said, "My first single was more of a soul track, and I thought Calvin Harris sounded a bit more racially ambiguous. I thought people might not know if I was black or not. After that, I was stuck with it."
Rihanna really is her name, but it's her middle name.
Legend was given his stage name by poet and spoke word artist J. Ivy.
Cyrus was a happy baby, so her parents nicknamed her Smiley, which she later shortened to Miley, and doesn't that just make you want to barf?
Bruce is Willis' middle name. When he was a kid, his classmates nicknamed him "Buck-Buck."
Just like Madonna, Gaga has an Italian-American father and a French-Canadian mother.
Technically he didn't change his name, just the spelling. Because Y is the coolest letter in the alphabet.
Lorde took her stage name to reflect her fascination with aristocracy, but added the E to make it more feminine.
"Shawn Corey Carter" sounds like the name of Nick and Aaron Carter's third younger brother who doesn't exist.
Gigi Hadid's sibling are Bella Hadid, whose real name is Isabella, and Anwar Hadid, whose real name is Mohamed.
Timothy is McGraw's middle name. Interestingly, he grew up believing his stepfather, Horace Smith, was his father. So until he met his biological father, McGraw's last name was Smith.
She took her stage name from the name of her childhood dog (Iggy) and the name of the street on which she grew up (Azalea Street).
Pitbull chose his stage name because, he said, the pit bull dog breed "is too stupid to lose. ... They're basically everything that I am. It's been a constant fight."
The name Cardi B evolved from her previous nickname, Bacardi, which came from the popular brand of rum.