# Famous Name Changes **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 5, 1999, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705 "1999-11-05T14:26:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WIGGUM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WIGGUM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WIGGUM)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/1 "1999-11-05T14:26:00Z")
Many famous people have had another name at an earlier point in their life. For example: Sting-----Gordon Sumner Ringo Starr-------Ringo Starki Vanilla Ice-----Robert Van Winkle Puff Daddy------Sean Combs Do any of the dopers know other A.K.A.'s of the rich an famous? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/2 "1999-11-05T14:29:00Z")
read the sig 🙂 * * * omniscientnot, in a previous incarnation. The hyphen says it all… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/3 "1999-11-05T14:30:00Z")
Cecil Adams-Jesus H. Christ. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/4 "1999-11-05T14:47:00Z")
MC Hammer - Stanly Kirk Burrell Rodney Dangerfield - Jack Cohen Tom Cruise - Thomas G. Maphother IV Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Baker Woody Allen - Allen Ginsburg (IIRC) ---
**Author:** ![OldBroad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ed655f/32.png) [@OldBroad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldBroad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/5 "1999-11-05T14:57:00Z")
Ringo Starr — Richard Starkey ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/6 "1999-11-05T14:59:00Z")
Redd Foxx–John Sanford Here are some links: [http://www.walshnet.com/walshnet/realname/index.html](http://www.walshnet.com/walshnet/realname/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/7 "1999-11-05T15:01:00Z")
Albert Brooks was born Albert Einstein! ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/8 "1999-11-05T15:10:00Z")
_rastahomie: Tom Cruise - Thomas G. Maphother IV_ Actually, it’s Thomas C. Maphother IV. The C is for Cruise. [ul][li]Julia Roberts - Julie Roberts (had to change 'cause there was already an actress Julie Roberts)[/li][li]Redd Foxx - John Elroy _Sanford_[/li][li]George Burns - Nathan Birnbaum[/li][li]Peter Graves - Peter Aurness, brother of James Arness[/li][li]Gerald Ford - Leslie Lynch King, Jr.[/li][li]Majel Barrett - Majel Lee Hudec[/li][li]Jack Benny - Benjamin Kubelsky[/li][li]Mary Pickford - Gladys Louise Smith[/li][li]Douglas Fairbanks - Douglas Elton Ulman[/li]\<[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![metroshane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aeb1de/32.png) [@metroshane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metroshane)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/9 "1999-11-05T15:16:00Z")
mickey mouse–mortimore mouse bob dylan-robert zimmerman slash–saul hudson axl rose–bill bailey * * * The only way to rid yourself of temptation is to yield to it–Oscar Wilde ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/10 "1999-11-05T15:19:00Z")
Orson Bean–Dallas Frederick Burroughs Milton Berle–Milton Berlinger George Burns–Nathan Birnbaum Jack Benny–Benjamin Kubelsky Dean Martin–Dino Crocetti Charles Atlas–Angelo Siciliano Anne Bancroft–Anne Marie Italiano Moe, Curly, Shemp Howard–Moses, Jerome, Shemuel Horowitz William Jefferson Clinton–William Jefferson Blythe Danny Kaye–David Daniel Kaminsky Kirk Douglas–Issur Danielovitch Demsky Joseph Stalin–Joseph (Iosif) Dzhugashvili Wolfman Jack–Wolfman Irving (actually Robert Smith) David Bowie–David Jones Mandy–Brandy (The Barry Manilow song. A different “Brandy” song had already been a major hit by another group.) Peter Tork–Peter Torkelson Diana Dors–Diana Fluck (Britain’s Marilyn Monroe) BTW, Wolfman Jack one time said that his name wasn’t always “Wolfman Jack,” it used to be “Wolfman Irving.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/11 "1999-11-05T15:21:00Z")
IIRC, Stefanie Powers had a Polish surname with about 15 letters in it. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/12 "1999-11-05T15:45:00Z")
Woody Allen was born Allen Konigsberg; Allen Ginsberg is a poet. Don’t forget the classics: Judy Garland - Frances Gumm Tony Curtis - Bernie Schwartz Joan Crawford - Lucille Le Sueur Cary Grant - Archibald Leach * * * Official Poster of the Millenium ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/13 "1999-11-05T16:11:00Z")
And the biggest mysteries of them all: E. G. Marshall Stubby Kaye Col. Rudolph Abel E. G. Marshall was very secretive about his name. When he died, his _own son_ said that he took that secret to the grave. Since then, I’ve seen his name was supposedly “Edda Gunnar Marshall.” Dunno. . . Stubby Kaye’s original name is still a mystery, AFAIK. I’ve read stories on “Abel.” Not sure about that, either. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/14 "1999-11-05T16:19:00Z")
Oh, “Abel” reminded me of another one: “Chief Designer”–Sergei Pavlovich Korolev He was the Soviets’ “von Braun.” Even his name was classified for many years. He was known only as “Chief Designer.” ---
**Author:** ![Satan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Satan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/15 "1999-11-05T16:19:00Z")
Let’s not forget our friends who converted to Islam: Lew Alcindor = Kareen Abdul Jabbar Cassius Clay = Muhammad Ali * * * Yer pal, Satan ---
**Author:** ![WIGGUM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WIGGUM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WIGGUM)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/16 "1999-11-05T16:22:00Z")
Elton John-----Reginald Kenneth Dwight ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/17 "1999-11-06T06:03:00Z")
\*divemaster: IIRC, Stefanie Powers had a Polish surname with about 15 letters in it. \* YDRC! Stefania Zofia Federkiewcz was her given name. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisCTP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@ChrisCTP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisCTP)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/18 "1999-11-06T06:04:00Z")
Ginger Spice: Geri Halliwell Posh Spice: Victoria Adams Scary Spice: Melanie Brown Sporty Spice: Melanie Chisholm Baby Spice: Emma Bunton What can I say, everyone else was taken. I think Nicholas Cage is actually Nicholas Coppola. * * * “Excrement. That is what I think of J. Evans Pritchard, PhD.” --Robin Williams, Dead Poets Society Chris’ Homepage: [Domestic Bliss](http://www2.crosswinds.net/~domesticbliss/) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/19 "1999-11-06T06:13:00Z")
What? Nobody has mentioned The Duke yet? Marion Morrison - John Wayne! * * * **Dopeler effect:** The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/20 "1999-11-06T06:37:00Z")
Roy Rogers–Leonard Slye David Hedison–Ara Heditsian (“Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea”) David (“The Chipmunks”) Seville–Ross Bagdassarian And some old-time boxers: Joe Louis–Joseph Barrows Jersey Joe Walcott–Arnold Cream Sugar Ray Robinson–Walker Smith Rocky Marciano–Rocco Marchegiano (big change, huh?) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705.md?page=2)