Sometimes we are given names that are either too hard to pronounce or too long to keep in their entirety. And if you are someone with a normal 9-5 job, that is completely fine. But, if you are someone in the entertainment industry who wants your name to be known by everyone, this may not be the best thing. That’s why many people choose to either shorten their full names or completely change them.
1. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus legally changed her name back in 2008 from Destiny Hope Cyrus to Miley Cyrus. The name Miley is a rendition of her childhood nickname “Smiley” in honor of her paternal grandfather.
2. Victoria Beckham
Prior to becoming known as the fashion diva, Victoria Beckham, back in the early days of the iconic group we love, Victoria Adams was the name used for her records. However, when the Spice Girls became rising stars, she changed her name to Posh Spice. Years later, she become the famous Victoria Beckham we know today.
3. Vin Diesel
At the age of 17, Mark Sinclair was a rather big guy. He even used to work as a bouncer at a nightclub called The Tunnel. Around that time he took the name Vin Diesel and started to shave his head regularly.
4. Rachel Weisz
Early in her career, she changed her name to Rachel Vyce, but when people told her that it was too difficult to pronounce, she changed it to Kenya Campbell. She decided to keep it that way for a while, but she soon realized that it sounded unpleasant. The actress then decided to stay with Rachel Weisz and made a lot of iconic movies.
5. Natalie Portman
It was in 1994 when a very young Neta-Lee Hershlag auditioned for Leon and landed her first role in a major production. While filming, the actress changed her name to “Natalie” and took her mother’s maiden last name. Apparently, she wanted to maintain her privacy because some scenes in the movie were polemical.
6. Alicia Keys
Her real name is Alicia Augello-Cook, but she changed it and decided to have her own different stage name with a special meaning behind it. She explained, “It’s like the piano keys, and it can also open a lot of doors,” and she ended up with the name Alicia Keys and broke multiple records in her career.
7. Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop, now known as Jamie Foxx, tried out a couple of different names when he first started doing open mic nights. When he’d sign up to the open mic lists, he used the names Tracy Brown and Stacy Green but eventually landed on Jamie Foxx.
8. Iggy Azalea
Her birth name is Amethyst Amelia Kelly, and she ended up with Iggy Azalea because she has a dog named “Iggy,” and it became her nickname. She came up with the surname Azalea, as she explained, “Because that is a street name that my mom and family live on, and it sounds very feminine, and I thought it would balance out Iggy being so masculine.”
9. Lana Del Rey
The singer’s real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, but she’s now known as Lana Del Rey. When she began singing, she went by the name, “Lizzy Grant,” and also performed as “Sparkle Rope Jump Queen” until she landed on Lana Del Rey.
10. Tom Hardy
Before becoming Tom Hardy, his birth name was Edward Thomas Hardy, and he only used his first name before deciding to go by his middle name instead. Even though the Internet was aware of his true identity, it was not widely publicized.
11. Blake Lively
After Blake became an actress she decided to take the surname of her mother, Elaine Lively as her stage name.
12. Aaron Paul
His full name is Aaron Paul Sturtevant, but when he went to auditions, no one could pronounce his surname, “Sturtevant,” so he had to change it so that everyone could say it, and then he shortened it when he entered Hollywood.
13. Lorde
Lorde changed her original name at the age of 12 when she was signed to a development contract with the Universal Music Group after an agent of theirs saw footage of her singing at a middle school talent show. Her real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor. The royalty hidden in the name Lord encouraged her in changing her original name, but she also added an “e” because she felt that Lord would be too masculine for a girl.
Preview photo credit Laurent VU/SIPA/Sipa Press Russia/East News, mileycyrus / Instagram
15 years after divorce, Tom Cruise, 61, has ‘made things official’ with new girlfriend – and you might recognize her
Reports indicate that Tom Cruise, who separated from Katie Holmes 15 years ago, may have discovered true love once more. Elsina Khayrova, 36, and Cruise are reportedly developing a serious relationship.
After they were spotted together at a party in Mayfair, London, late last year, we broke the story of reports that Cruise was smitten with his new Russian socialite lover. The two were reportedly “inseparable” at the time.
That came when Cruise’s name was mentioned alongside recent divorcee Shakira, a pop sensation from Columbia, and later alongside co-star Hayley Atwell of Mission: Impossible. But neither rumor appeared to be very credible.
It’s time to put this rumors to bed once and for all, if the latest allegations about Cruise and Khayrova are to be believed. Insiders claim that the two are now formally dating.
“Elsina’s circle is aware that she and Tom are dating,” a source told the Daily Mail.
The insider continued, “Tom has been spending the night in Elsina’s apartment, which is a very lovely location, as you might imagine. Despite their riches, they love spending time together and engage in many of the same activities as other couples.
Nevertheless, the pair hasn’t been seen posing for pictures together, likely because they wish to keep their relationship quiet for the time being.
Khayrova, a former model with British citizenship, separated from her ex-husband, business magnate Dmitry Tsvetkov, in the previous year.
When she appeared in court in 2022 and was told to pay a large cost of £117,000 ($149,50) to a company that had placed fountains in one of her and her ex-spouse’s homes, her name made news.
According to the insider, Cruise has been staying at Khayrova’s $12 million apartment. “They’ve grown very close over the past few weeks but take a lot of care not to be photographed together because they want to maintain their privacy,” the person said.
In contrast, Cruise has been married three times: first to Mimi Rogers from 1987 to 1990 and then to Nicole Kidman from 1990 to 2001 for a total of eleven years.
The Scientologist and actor last wed Katie Holmes in 2006; they parted ways in 2012, and the actor hasn’t been together since.
The Daily Mail claims that Khayrova’s ex-husband sent a warning to Tom Cruise and anyone else who would later date his ex-partner.
“Anyone who knows her, whether it’s Tom Cruise or someone else, should know that she enjoys finer things in life and has opulent, expensive taste.” Tsvetkov advised Tom to keep his eyes and pocketbook wide open to the Mail.
“I’m glad for her and send my best wishes her way.”
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