Believe it or not, most matters of show business aren’t completely transparent. And while many did-they-or-didn’t-they questions bubble to the surface, there’s one mysterious matter of celebrity that rarely reaches the public: the name they were given when they were born.
Many of today’s stars were born with completely different names—no, not like changing Emily to Emma (lookin’ at you, Miss Stone), but dramatic moniker makeovers like the one Vin Diesel underwent in college (just wait and see) or the classic middle to first name swap à la Meghan Markle and Reese Witherspoon.
Some of these are nearly too good to be true, catapulting us into a chicken-or-egg line of thought: Does the name make the celebrity, or vice-versa?
While you meditate on that, check out our 38 favorite celebrity name changes in recent history.