13 Celebrities Who Changed Their Name More Than Once

"I decided to change my name again. I’m just not who I am before."

Some people are just destined for stardom -- but sometimes, their name doesn’t quite fit the bill. Not everyone is given a name that’s meant for an album cover or a movie poster, which is why some aspiring stars choose a stage name before making it big. But figuring out a memorable moniker isn’t easy. It can take time and a little tweaking and occasionally these celebs will go through a few names before they find the perfect fit. And sometimes they’re still making changes, even in the middle of their careers!

Find out why these celebs changed their names so many times…

1. Rachel Weisz

Before Rachel Weisz made it big, she played around with several different professional names. At first she considered changing the spelling of her last name to Vyce but her agent thought it sounded like a porn star, so she never ended up using it. Then, she briefly went by the name Kenya Campbell before eventually returning to her given name.

“My agent said [Rachel Vyce] seemed like a porn star name, so he didn’t let me do it but I actually think I would have had a much better career had I had that name. I feel that deep in my heart,” she shared back in 2012.

She continued, “[I did use] Kenya Campbell once. It was an homage to an English actor that passed away. His name was Ken Campbell, who I loved very much. So I was Kenya Campbell for a TV show that I didn’t want to have my name on, because it was a really crappy TV show.”

2. Cheryl

When British singer Cheryl first joined Girls Aloud, she was known by her given name, Cheryl Tweedy. After marrying soccer player Ashley Cole, she decided to take his last name and publicly became known as Cheryl Cole. But when they split years later, she kept the name for some time before ultimately deciding to simply go by her first name. She is now just known as Cheryl.

“Cheryl has been using her first name professionally for some time now and will continue to do so,” her rep said in a statement in 2017.

3. JAY-Z

Jay Z was born Shawn Carter but before he became famous, he adopted his iconic stage name. Derived from his nickname Jazzy and as an homage to his mentor Jaz-O, the rapper became known as Jaÿ-Z. Not long after, he got rid of the umlaut above the y -- while deciding to keep the hyphen. But in 2013, he completely dropped the hyphen from his name, officially making his stage moniker Jay Z. When asked about the change, Jay said he’d been phasing out the hyphen for years.

“That was like three years ago, I don’t know how that story resurfaced, but I guess it was a slow news day,” he said on Big Boy’s Neighborhood. “The hyphen was really big back in the day. It’s not useful anymore. I had umlauts over one of the letters; I removed that too.”

Then in 2017, he brought the hyphen back and changed his name to be stylized in all caps, thus making his name JAY-Z.

4. Diddy

Throughout his career, Diddy has gone through numerous name changes. Born Sean John Combs, he picked up the stage name Puff Daddy earlier in his career. In 2001, he shortened it to P. Diddy and then a few years later, he abbreviated it again to just Diddy. In 2017, he made the biggest change yet, announcing he would be known as Brother Love.

“I decided to change my name again. I’m just not who I am before. I’m someone different. So my new name is Love AKA Brother Love. I will not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puffy Daddy or any of my other monkiers but Love or Brother Love,” he said in a video on social media.

While the rapper has continued to use the new name, he is still widely referred to as Diddy.

5. Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey was born Elizabeth Grant but early in her career, she released music under the name May Jailer. Then in 2008, she dropped her debut album as Lizzy Grant. By 2011, she had finally settled on the name Lana Del Rey.

“I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba -- Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamor of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue,” she told Vogue.

6. Lisa Bonet

Early in Lisa Bonet’s career, she was credited under the name Lisa Boney. She eventually started using the name Lisa Bonet but in 1993, after her divorce from Lenny Kravitz, she legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon. She reportedly did so to “protect her privacy.” Through the years, she’s privately kept the name Lilakoi but has continued to use the name Lisa Bonet in public.

7. RM

BTS member RM was born Kim Namjoon but upon joining the group, he started going by the name Rap Monster. In 2017, he changed his name again to officially go by RM because he felt that Rap Monster didn’t reflect the music he wanted to create.

“I’ve become keenly aware of the fact that it’s become different from [what I want] to put at the front of the music I’ve made for the past five years, and the music I want to share in the future,” RM wrote, according to Soompi, adding that he wanted to make music “with an unrestricted and open mind and view.”

8. FKA Twigs

FKA Twigs was given the name Tahliah Barnett at birth but when she began her music career, she started using the name Twigs. The decision derived from a long-running nickname given to her by friends who were poking fun at how her bones cracked. But after using the stage name for some time, she found herself at odds with another artist called Twigs. Ultimately, she had to change her name once again, choosing to go by FKA Twigs -- short for Formerly Known As Twigs.

9. Emma Stone

Emma Stone was given the name Emily when she was born but as a teenager she was forced to change it by the Screen Actors Guild. Since there was already a member named Emily Stone, she decided to go by the name Riley. She used the name for several months but when she actually got on the set of a TV show, she realized she couldn’t be called Riley. In the end, she chose to go by Emma.

“For a 16-year-old, picking a new name is an interesting prospect, and back then I said, ‘I’m now going to be Riley Stone!’ So, for about six months I was called Riley,” she told W Magazine. “I landed a guest spot on Malcolm in the Middle, and one day they were calling, ‘Riley! Riley! Riley! We need you on set, Riley!’ and I had no idea who they were talking to. At that moment, I realized that I just couldn’t be Riley. So I became Emma. But I miss Emily. I would love to get her back.”

10. Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., got his iconic stage name because he looked like Snoopy the cartoon dog growing up. When he made his music debut, he picked the name Snoop Doggy Dogg which he used throughout the ’90s. When he joined a new label in 1998, he shortened his name to just Snoop Dogg.

In 2012, he changed things up again when he temporarily went by Snoop Lion after converting to Rastafari. He used the name while releasing his reggae album, Reincarnated, but eventually went back to Snoop Dogg.

11. Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix was born with the name Joaquin Bottom but when his family left the religious cult Children of God, they decided to give themselves the last name Phoenix as a fresh start. As a child, Joaquin decided to change his name to Leaf and was credited as so on some of his earliest films. By the time he was 15, Joaquin had reverted to his given name and has been known as Joaquin Phoenix ever since.

12. Kesha

Musician Kesha was born Kesha Sebert but as she pursued a career in entertainment, she decided to only go by her first name and stylize it as Ke$ha. After years of using the dollar sign in her name, Kesha ended up dropping it after a trip to rehab.

“It happened after I went to rehab for my eating disorder. I let go of my facade about being a girl who didn’t care. My facade was to be strong, andI realized it was total bullshit. I took out the $ because I realized that was part of the facade. It was a journey and I’m happy -- that was me in that part of my life. But then I turned a corner -- but I still have a f--king tattoo of it on my hand. I’ll have to figure that out!” she told Refinery29.

13. Shad Moss

Growing up, rapper Shad Moss was known as Lil Bow Wow. As he got older, he decided to drop the “lil” from his name, simply being known as Bow Wow. Then in 2014, Shad decided to return to his given name, explaining that his stage moniker no longer fit who he was.

“We made a lot of history as bow wow,” he wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. “Now its time for the next chapter and challenge. Bow wow does not fit who I am today. Ima father, business man, TV host, Actor, and rapper! Time for MR Moss to take over!”