If you are a celebrity, your name certainly holds a lot of power and respect to it. Celebrities’ names are spread across billboards and magazine covers. You might be surprised to find out that some of the most well-known names in entertainment are not the actual real names of the rich and famous. Before making it big in Hollywood, these celebrities decided to ditch their birth names and opted to go by shortened names, last names, and even childhood nicknames.
John Legend
We know the multi-award-winning singer and songwriter John Legend, but the musician was born as John Roger Stephens. In 2002 when the singer got his big break, he changed his name to John Legend. Poet J. Ivy inspired the name change and wanted it to sound like the name of a soul singer back in the early days. It seems the name change was well-suited to the singer, as he released his first album Get Lifted in 2004. Many years later, John’s career is still thriving. Some would even describe his success as legendary.