# 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:** 2
**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, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/21 "1999-11-05T19:04:00Z")
Jean Harlow–Harlean Carpenter Theda Bara–Theodosia Goodman Sandra Dee–Alexandra Zuck Nita Naldi–Donna Dooley Nora Bayes–Dora Goldberg Jeff Chandler–Ira Grossel and don’t forget Jan Morris–James Morris ---
**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, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/22 "1999-11-05T19:17:00Z")
Lucy–Lucille Desiree Hunt Cher–Cherilyn LaPierre Sarkisian Greta Garbo–Greta Gustaffson Rita Hayworth–Margarita Cansino Rochester–Eddie Anderson Buckwheat–Billie Thomas Spanky–George McFarland Alfalfa–Carl Switzer Robert Blake–Michael Gubitosi Joey Bishop–Joseph Gottlieb Morgan Brittany–Suzanne Cupito ---
**Author:** ![Dirty\_Devil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Dirty\_Devil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Devil)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 1999, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/23 "1999-11-05T20:00:00Z")
Contestant #3 —\> Martyr #7 —\> Fantastic User (am I missing one here?) ---
**Author:** ![Narile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@Narile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Narile)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/24 "1999-11-06T00:51:00Z")
Samuel Gelbfish - Sam Goldwin (I think. I know one of the early producer/directors was named Gelbfish, but not sure if it was Goldwin.) * * * \>\>Being Chaotic Evil means never having to say your sorry…unless the other guy is bigger than you.\<\< —The dragon observes ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/25 "1999-11-06T01:04:00Z")
John Mellancamp had to change his name to John Couger by his agent or something. After he gained some control he went through John Couger-Mellancamp and finally back to John Mellancamp. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/26 "1999-11-06T01:23:00Z")
Abram - Abraham Sarai - Sarah Saul - Paul ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/27 "1999-11-06T01:47:00Z")
Dirty, you forgot the ever-popular “Ch\*\*ei\*flaffitup” Contestant #3— \> Martyr #7— \> Ch **ei** flaffitup— \> Fantastic User (a joke, right?) The only one I know off-hand Whoopi Goldberg = Caryn Johnson ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/28 "1999-11-06T01:48:00Z")
**Corrected:** Dirty, you forgot the ever-popular “Ch **ei** flaffitup” Contestant #3— \> Martyr #7— \> Ch **ei** flaffitup— \> Fantastic User (a joke, right?) The only one I know off-hand Whoopi Goldberg = Caryn Johnson ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/29 "1999-11-06T01:58:00Z")
I can’t believe nobody has mentioned this one yet… Michael Keaton — Michael Douglas (There’s obviously already a famous actor by this name) * * * Shadowfox “Most people would succeed in small things, if they were not troubled with great ambitions.” - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/30 "1999-11-06T06:05:00Z")
And did you know that when Michael Keaton was Michael Douglas, he worked on _Mr Rogers Neighborhood_? Trivia! Ya gotta love it… * * * -PIGEONMAN- Hero For A New Millennium! [The Legend Of PigeonMan](http://www.hotkey.net.au/~guanolad/pigeonman/) - updates every Wed & Sat ---
**Author:** ![WallyM7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5e925/32.png) [@WallyM7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WallyM7)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/31 "1999-11-06T06:17:00Z")
Rock Hudson----\>Roy Shirer ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/32 "1999-11-06T07:19:00Z")
Unca beer beat me too it with Marion Morrison. Cary Grant - Archibald Leach. Was it Sam Speigel who, when blacklisted, directed under SP Eagle? (sp?) ---
**Author:** ![Heath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4af34b/32.png) [@Heath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/33 "1999-11-07T06:24:00Z")
Satan said: “Let’s not forget our friends who converted to Islam” What about Cat Stevens? Anyone know the original AND the new name? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@PatrickM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickM)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/34 "1999-11-06T20:30:00Z")
James Bumgarner to James Garner Bobby Moore to Ahmad Rashad ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 1999, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/35 "1999-11-06T22:58:00Z")
AT&T - American Telephone & Telegraph SBC Communications - Southwestern Bell Lucent Technologies - Bell Labs Innovations Ameritech - American Information Technologies What?? Oh, sorry. :::slinks back to miserable Wall Street office existence::: ---
**Author:** ![Phil\_Saoud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/779978/32.png) [@Phil\_Saoud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phil_Saoud)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/36 "1999-11-07T01:33:00Z")
Captain Beefheart-\>Don Van Vliet-\>Don Vliet Wendy Carlos-\>Walter Carlos (ok, so more than her name changed). ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/37 "1999-11-07T01:46:00Z")
Cheasapeake & Potomac Telephone – \> Bell Atlanic \*Take that, **Quixotic**! * * * It is by the fortune of God that, in this country, we have three benefits: freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and the wisdom never to use either. —_Mark Twain_ ---
**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 7, 1999, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/38 "1999-11-07T04:54:00Z")
> [@](#): > > What about Cat Stevens? Anyone know the original AND the new name? This is going from memory, so the spellings might be a little off, but: The erstwhile “Cat Stephens” is not “Yusuf Islam.” And “Stephen Georgiu” would one day grow up to become “Cat Stephens.” ---
**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 7, 1999, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/39 "1999-11-07T05:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > “Cat Stephens” is not “Yusuf Islam.” Uh, should read “. . . is _now_ . . . .” ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 1999, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705/40 "1999-11-07T20:08:00Z")
Good one, SterlingNorth. How about [this](http://www.straightdope.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/002374.html)? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-name-changes/10705.md?page=3)