Here Are 36 Stars Who Changed Their Name For Fame

Blake Lively, a.k.a. Serena van der Woodson in Gossip Girl, completely reinvented her last name. She was born Blake Ellender Brown, but Lively suits her just perfectly.

FKA Twigs was born Tahliah Debrett Barnett. She got the nickname 'twigs' when she was growing up because her bones used to click which sounded like twigs snapping. FKA stands for 'formerly known as'.

Burlesque dance Dita Von Teese was born Heather Renée Sweet, which we think is actually pretty cool already.

It was a shock when we found out that model of the moment Gigi Hadid's real name is Jelena Noura Hadid.

Actress and now Instagram-favourite Helen Mirren's real name is Helen Lydia Mironoff. Her grandfather anglicised the family name to Mirren in the 1950s.

Jude Law's real name is David Jude Heyworth Law but says he was often mistaken for a girl after he changed his name.

Lana Del Rey was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. She said, 'I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue.'

Meg Ryan was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra which is a mouthful. When she began to gain success as an actress she changed her surname to Ryan - which was her grandmother's maiden name.

Lead singer of Queen Freddie Mercury changed his name from Farrokh Bulsara.

Heartthrob and husband to Mila Kunis Ashton Kutcher dropped his first name in pursuit of fame. He was born Christopher Ashton Kutcher, which doesn't sound as memorable.

Child star Dakota Fanning was born Hannah Dakota Fanning but went by her middle name since she was little, and so did her sister Elle and her mother.

Brad Pitt was born William Bradley Pitt. 'Will Pitt' would have been as punchy as Brad Pitt, but nowhere near as good.

Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite. He adopted the stage name Michael Scott, but he was informed that there was already a Michael Scott in theatre and so he would need to change his name to make it as an actor.

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop. Apparently he wanted a gender neutral name as he hoped it would get him more work.

Model Elle MacPherson's real name is Eleanor Nancy Gow, which doesn't have quite the same ring to it.

RnB star Rihanna's real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Her recent SS/17 collab with Puma was called Puma x Fenty.

Sigourney Weaver was born Susan Alexandra Weaver. She changed her name in 1963 after the character "Sigourney Howard" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

Like her big sister Dakota, Elle Fanning went by her middle name 'Elle' since she was a little girl, but her real name is Mary.

Actor Charlie Sheen's real name is Carlos Irwin Estévez.

Pop singer Katy Perry's real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson. She changed her name to avoid confusion with the actress Kate Hudson.

Music artist The Weeknd's real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. He apparently hated his name growing up so wanted to change it to something cool.

Bruno Mars completely reinvented his identity through his name. He was born Peter Gene Hernandez but changed it to avoid being stereotyped as a Latin singer.

Rap sensation Drake dropped his first and last name when looking for a musical persona; he was born Aubrey Drake Graham.

John Legend was, unfortunately, not born with that name; his original name is John Roger Stephens. He said, 'John Legend is a nickname that some friends started calling me, and it kind of grew into my stage name. It grew to the point where more people in my circle would know me by that name than by my real name.'

Music legend and icon Elton John's real name doesn't even contain John. He was in fact born Reginald Kenneth Dwight - can you get anymore British sounding?

Aaron Paul is most famously known for playing Jesse Pinkman in the hit TV show Breaking Bad, but his real name is Aaron Paul Sturtevant. However, casting directors couldn't pronounce his last name so he dropped it.

Olivia Wilde was born Olivia Jane Cockburn. She changed her surname while in high school, to honor the writers in her family, many of whom used pen names.

Jennifer Aniston's real name is Jennifer Linn Anastassakis. It was her father who - also an actor - who changed his Greek surname to get more work.

Actor Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquín Rafael Bottom, but the whole family - including his late brother River Phoenix - changed their surname to Phoenix to symbolise a new beginning. Joaquin then decided to go by the name Leaf Phoenix as a child actor until the age of 15.

Emma Stone was born Emily Jean Stone. When she registered for the Screen Actors Guild the name 'Emily Stone' was already taken so she opted for Emma.

Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus, but changed her name legally to Miley Ray Cyrus when she was 15. It came from the nickname her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, gave her because she used to smile all the time.

Nicki Minaj's real name is Onika Tanya Maraj. In her hit song 'Starships' one lyric says, 'My name is Onika, you can call me Nicki.'

Alicia Keys was born Alicia Augello Cook. It was apparently her mum who helped think of her stage name.

Natalie Portman was born Neta-Lee Hershlag. She chose to change her name to Portman, which was her grandmother's maiden name.

Iggy Azalea's real name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly. She got inspiration for her stage name from her dog, called Iggy.

Prince Harry's girlfriend was actually born Rachel Meghan Markle, but goes by her middle name. All is not lost though, as she plays character Rachel Zane in hit legal drama 'Suits'.