Surprising Celebrity Names (not that surprising)
By pumpkinjam
@pumpkinjam (8876)
United Kingdom
January 28, 2020 10:41am CST
I was just reading something about the real names of celebrities. The article title was 'Stars whose real names will surprise you'. I got bored about half way through but the majority of names were, in no way, surprising at all. There were some stage names that were nothing more than a shortened version or different spelling of the real name. The thing I found more surprising is what passes for a star/celebrity. I'd heard of, perhaps, a handful of these people. Most, I wouldn't have recognised nor could I tell you what they do. I wonder if the article might have been more interesting if I did know who these people were.
Do you take interest in the real names of celebrities? Are there any you know that you might consider surprising?
5 people like this
6 responses
@FourWalls (86713)
• United States
28 Jan 20
The one that always made me laugh was David Bowie. His real name was David Jones, but he changed it to Bowie because of Davy Jones in the Monkees!
3 people like this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
28 Jan 20
I've heard of a few celebrities who had to change their names for similar reasons. In Britain, there is an actor's union called Equity. They recommend that a person uses a stage name if their real name could be confused with someone else in the industry. Actor David Tennant's real name was David McDonald but there was already, apparently, an actor with that name (even though nobody's heard of him 
)
)2 people like this
@FourWalls (86713)
• United States
28 Jan 20
@pumpkinjam — the US Screen Actors Guild has the same rule: you can’t have a screen name that’s the same as someone else. Bill Murray’s brother, Brian, had to hyphenate his last name because there was already an actor named Brian Murray, so he’s billed as Brian Doyle-Murray.
2 people like this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
28 Jan 20
@FourWalls I didn't know that. I didn't know Bill Murray had a brother either! But now I do :)
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (222417)
• United States
28 Jan 20
Yes, there are many surprises. Some names are totally different...Judy Garland, for example, was Frances Ethel Gumm.
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@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
28 Jan 20
I do find that interesting. But then, I know who Judy Garland is, and the names are quite different.
2 people like this
@lovebuglena (52154)
• Staten Island, New York
28 Jan 20
I like to know the real names of celebrities.
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
29 Jan 20
I do find it interesting sometimes. I couldn't however, work out what was 'surprising' about some mentioned in the article I read. I'd never heard of most anyway but many were just people using their middle name or a shortened version of their real name.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Jan 20
There's a zillion name changes. Ruby Stevens became Barbara Stanwyck.
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@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
28 Jan 20
There are lots of them. When reading the article, I couldn't work out what was supposed to be surprising about them!
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
29 Jan 20
Yes, Doris Day was born Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff
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@thelme55 (79324)
• Germany
29 Jan 20
@pumpkinjam Yes, that´s her name. Thank you.
1 person likes this
@samysotelo18 (7743)
• Mexico
28 Jan 20
I don't really care about their real names haha, but there's a specific latin one that always makes me laugh, I don't know if you're aware of the singer "Chayanne" he's very loved in latin america and his real name is Elmer haha
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8876)
• United Kingdom
28 Jan 20
I've not heard of him but I can see why that's funny. The only Elmers I know are Elmer Fudd and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant.
