Reading
Choosing Names
Use this list of famous people who have changed their names to explore the relationship between names and identity.
At a Glance
Subject
- Social Studies
- Democracy & Civic Engagement
The left column includes names you might recognize. The right column shows the birth name of each individual in the left column.
Chosen Name |
Birth Name |
| Jay-Z | Shawn Corey Carter |
| Lady Gaga | Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta |
| Jon Stewart | Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz |
| Mark Twain | Samuel Langhorne Clemens |
| Muhammad Ali | Cassius Clay |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. |
| Nina Dobrev | Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva |
| Jamie Foxx | Eric Marlon Bishop |
| Lorde | Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor |
| Charlie Sheen | Carlos Irwin Estévez |
| Nicki Minaj | Onika Tanya Maraj |
| Bruno Mars | Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez |
| Faith Hill | Audrey Perry |
| Lana Del Rey | Elizabeth Grant |
| Vin Diesel | Mark Vincent |
| Marilyn Monroe | Norma Jeane Mortenson |
| Dr. Seuss | Theodor Geisel |
| Dick Lewis Barnett | Dick Lewis Smith |
| Thomas Grant | Jeff Davis |
Supporting Materials
How to Cite This Reading
Facing History & Ourselves, “Choosing Names,” last updated May 2, 2022.
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