25 celebrities whose real names you don't know.

Question: Have you ever wondered about the true identities behind some of your favourite celebrities? Because as it turns out,  many of the world's most famous stars were born with names that might surprise you. 

Recently, actress Reese Witherspoon shocked fans when she revealed during an interview that her actual first name is Laura, not Reese. 

And, sorry… WHAT?!

The revelation came up in a Big Little Lies press tour, where her co-star Nicole Kidman discussed how Witherspoon only refers to Laura Dern as 'Dern'.

"Do you know why?" Witherspoon said. "Because my name's Laura and her name's Laura, and it's confusing to me."

"My real name's Laura Jeanne. So that's why I call her 'Dern' because we can't both be Laura."

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. Our minds are collectively BLOWN.

This got us thinking about other celebrities who've been known by stage names or nicknames throughout their careers. While some opted for a catchier or more memorable stage name, others simply preferred to keep their personal lives separate from their public personas.

Here, we unveil the real names of 25 well-known celebrities and share some interesting facts about the origins of their professional monikers.

Watch: Reese Witherspoon talks to Oprah Winfrey about emotional abuse within relationships. Post continues below.

Adele: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins.

While Adele is just known as… Adele, her full name is actually Adele Laurie Blue Adkins. The singer took her mother's maiden name after her father left when she was two. On the decision to only go by her first name, Adele said her surname Adkins "doesn't have the same ring as Adele" and sounded "drab", so she dropped it entirely rather than invent a stage name.

Alicia Keys: Alicia Augello Cook.

When choosing a stage name, Alicia Keys originally wanted to go by 'Alicia Wild', but her mother said it sounded like a stripper name. Instead, she chose 'Keys', saying "It's like the piano keys. And it can open so many doors." 

Jennifer Aniston: Jennifer Joanna Aniston.

Jennifer Aniston was born Jennifer Joanna Aniston. Aniston is her family surname from her father, actor John Aniston, however this is an anglicised version of the family's original Greek name 'Anastassakis'. 

Image: Getty.

Her mother Tina only recently explained that 'Beyoncé' is actually her maiden name, but it was misspelled in a clerical error as "Beyincé" on Tina's birth certificate and not corrected due to racial discrimination. "My name was Celestine Beyoncé, which at that time was not a cool thing to have that weird name." 

Demi Moore: Demetria Gene Guynes.

According to The Guardian, "Demi" is a shortened form of "Demetria", a name her mother found in an Italian magazine ad for shampoo. Moore kept the surname Guynes, which came from the man she believed was her father, Danny Guynes, until she married musician Freddy Moore as a teenager and took his last name. Though the marriage didn't last, she kept Moore as her professional surname. 

Emma Stone: Emily Jean Stone.

In a recent interview, Emma Stone said there was already an Emily Stone registered with the Screen Actors Guild when she started acting at age 16. She was forced to choose a stage name, initially wanting to go by 'Riley Stone' before settling on 'Emma'. She's expressed a desire to be called Emily again by friends and fans.

Fergie: Stacy Ann Ferguson.

Fergie grew up since she was little with the nickname, despite really being called Stacy. It was a name that both her father and grandfather were also called, due to their last name. She has since legalised the nickname formally. 

Lady Gaga: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

Lady Gaga got her stage name from her producer Rob Fusari who would sing Queen's "Radio Ga Ga" when she entered the studio. "I decided that I'd been playing under my real name for so long I wanted a new way to reinvent myself. So I said, 'What about Lady Gaga?' because Gaga is sort of crazy and Lady has such connotations." 

Iggy Azalea: Amethyst Amelia Kelly

Iggy's stage name came about in "a two-part saga." The first part? Her dog is named 'Iggy' after Iggy Pop. "I had a dog called Iggy, who I loved very, very much.” After he was bitten by a snake and recovered, she got a nameplate necklace in his honour. "Everybody started to think that my name was Iggy so it kind of became my nickname and I took it on board," she said. Her grandfather later told her she needed a last name too, so she chose Azalea after the street her mum lives on. Cute!

Image: Getty.

 Katy Perry: Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.

Katy created the character Katy Perry because "I didn't want to be Katheryn Hudson. It was too scary." She told Harper's Bazaar in 2010, "Katy Perry' is just a character, an alter ego. Katheryn is who I am in the morning, before I've had my coffee. Katy is who I am when I get to be this character." 

Kim Cattrall: Clare Woodgate.

She took the surname Cattrall from her stepfather. She has joked that fans often mispronounce her name, saying "It's Kim Cat-TRAWL. It's not Kim CAT-rall.” While Cattrall acknowledges Woodgate was her original surname, she has fully embraced Cattrall as her true and permanent name.

Lorde: Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor.

Lorde decided to pick a stage name when her star was rising. "It was a good spontaneous choice, I think. I'm quite proud of my 16-year-old self for not messing that one up because if I'd given myself a cool, weird, hip name that I hated now that would be super annoying," she said. "It was that nobility, aristocracy obsession that I had. I hit upon 'Lord' and loved the way it sounded, and then I was like, it would be quite cool to add an E to feminise it," Lorde elaborated.

Mila Kunis: Milena Markovna Kunis.

The actress's nickname 'Mila' is a common diminutive form of Milena, which is a Ukrainian name. Kunis has identified strongly as American and said that being Ukrainian felt "irrelevant" to her for a long time.

Image: Getty.

 Miley Cyrus: Destiny Hope Cyrus.

According to the singer, 'Miley' has always been her nickname, being called 'smiley miley'. On her actual birth name, her father Billy Ray Cyrus said he felt it was her "destiny to bring hope to the world." In 2008 at age 16, Miley legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus. She has expressed dislike for her birth name, saying "never again" and making a vomiting gesture when mentioning it.

Natalie Portman: Neta-Lee Hershlag.

Born in Israel, the actress took her maternal grandmother's maiden name 'Portman' early in her acting career to protect her privacy. As an adult, Portman has tried to integrate her identities more, realising, "There are multitudes of ways other people see me, both public and private."

Nicki Minaj: Onika Tanya Maraj.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Nicki Minaj said she dislikes her last name Maraj and that it was actually changed to 'Minaj' by someone in the music industry when she was first starting out. Minaj also isn't a fan of her birth name 'Onika'. She views "Nicki Minaj" as a persona and prefers friends and family to call her 'Nicki'. 

Olivia Wilde: Olivia Jane Cockburn.

Olivia changed her surname early in her acting career. She took inspiration from Irish author Oscar Wilde, telling The Observer, "At the time, I was doing The Importance of Being Earnest — I was playing Gwendolyn, and I was so in love with it.” Wilde has also said she wanted to honour the writers in her family, many of whom have used pen names.

Pink: Alecia Beth Moore.

Pink's real name is actually Alecia Beth Moore. So… why Pink? Well, according to the singer, her stage name originated from childhood bullying over her blushing easily. "It was a mean thing at first; some kids at camp pulled my pants down, and I blushed so much, and they were like, 'Ha ha! Look at her! She's pink!'" The singer shared that the 1992 film Reservoir Dogs also inspired the name, explaining, "Mr. Pink was the one with the smart mouth, so it happened all over again." 

Portia de Rossi: Amanda Lee Rogers.

Born in Australia, at age 15, Amanda Lee Rogers changed her name to Portia de Rossi, saying it was "the most daring thing" she had done at that point. She reportedly took the name 'Portia' from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. In 2010, she legally changed her name to Portia Lee James DeGeneres, taking the last name of her wife Ellen DeGeneres. 

Image: Getty

 Rihanna: Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

Okay, but did we know this?! Rihanna uses her middle name, 'Rihanna', as her stage name likely because it's more memorable than Robyn. However, her family and close friends still call her Robyn. Her last name 'Fenty' also happens to be the name of her beauty brand. The more you know!

Shakira: Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll.

Born and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, the name Shakira is Arabic for "grateful." The singer has used 'Shakira' as her stage name throughout her career, dropping the last names, with her albums and singles being credited simply to 'Shakira.'

Sia: Sia Kate Isobelle Furler.

In high school, it was revealed the singer had already started going by just 'Sia' in hopes of sounding more unique. Even after achieving fame, Sia prefers to keep her full name and face private, often concealing her face with oversized wigs. She has said "I'm allowed to maintain some modicum of privacy".

Tina Fey: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey.

The stage name Tina comes from her middle name, Stamatina, which reflects her mother's Greek heritage. Fey has said, "My first name is Elizabeth, but I've always gone by Tina even in, you know, from elementary school on." She even named her character on 30 Rock 'Liz' as a nod to her birth name 'Elizabeth'.

So there you have it! The real names behind some of the world's most famous faces. 

Which one surprised you the most? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Getty.

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