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24 Celebrities I Never Realized Use Stage Names

Does anyone in Hollywood use their real name???

Shelby Heinrich
by Shelby Heinrich

BuzzFeed Staff

Look, there are some celebrity stage names that are pretty obvious. Lady Gaga? Yes. Meg Thee Stallion? Of course. But recently, I started doing some digging into other stage names, and the results left me shook! Here are some celebs that I had absolutely no idea use stage names instead of their real names.

1. Lucy Hale

Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

Real name: Karen Lucille Hale

Who would've thought Lucy Hale is actually a Karen???

2. Travis Scott

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Real name: Jacques Berman Webster II

Travis Scott totally sounds like it could be someone's actual name, so I'm letting myself off the hook on this one.

3. Nina Dobrev

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Real name: Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva

A simple shortening I personally never expected.

4. John Legend

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Real name: John Roger Stephen

I guess this one's on me for thinking his last name was actually Legend.

5. Natalie Portman

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Real name: Neta-Lee Hershlag

Neta-Lee = Natalie. Makes sense!

6. Bruno Mars

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Real name: Peter Gene Hernandez

Huh, who knew? Certainly not me.

7. Gigi Hadid

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Real name: Jelena Noura Hadid

A small but significant change!

8. Meryl Streep

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Real name: Mary Louise Streep

She'll always be Meryl to me, but Mary Louise is still a nice name.

9. Elton John

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Real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight

Just like his stage name, his real name is regal as hell.

10. Tina Fey

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Real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey

This one really threw me for some reason.

11. Meghan Markle

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Real name: Rachel Meghan Markle

But I guess her NEW new name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

12. Jamie Foxx

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Real name: Eric Marlon Bishop

Not at all what I was expecting.

13. Mila Kunis

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Real name: Milena Markovna Kunis

I actually love the name Milena, TBH.

14. Alicia Keys

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Real name: Alicia Augello-Cook Dean

Because she's amazing at playing the piano! Ahhh, I get it.

15. Courtney Love

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Real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison

This one's not too far off, but still.

16. Olivia Wilde

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Real name: Olivia Jane Cockburn

Wow.

17. Rihanna

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Real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty

Robyn...Rihanna...she's still the queen of Fenty so whatevs.

18. Halsey

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Real name: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane

Raise your hand if you were today years old when you realized "Halsey" is an anagram for "Ashley."

19. Whoopi Goldberg

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Real name: Caryn Elaine Johnson

Whoopi is so iconic, she can call herself whatever she wants.

20. Calvin Harris

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Real name: Adam Richard Wiles

Yes, I know, Taylor Swift called him Adam at that awards show one time, but I completely forgot about that.

21. Spike Lee

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Real name: Shelton Lee

Apparently, Lee's mom nicknamed him Spike when he was younger.

22. Kit Harington

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Real name: Christopher Catesby Harington

Love how he changed it to Kit. Like a Kit Kar bar!

23. Frank Ocean

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Real name: Christopher Edwin Cooksey

Again, this one's on me for thinking his last name was Ocean.

24. And Mindy Kaling

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Real name: Vera Mindy Chokalingam

Vera's a lovely name, but she'll always be Queen Mindy to me.

Are there any celebrities I missed? Also, did these shock you too, or are they pretty obvious? Let me know in the comments below!