The story is really funny and touching. So, there's this lady named Caryn Elaine Johnson. She was born in New York. But when she began acting, people teased her for being gassy, so she got the nickname Whoopi, like a whoopee cushion.
Judy Garland began her career as a singer with her sisters, calling themselves The Gumm Sisters. But once they got called the "Glum Sisters" for a performance, they knew they needed a new name.
Martin Sheen's actual name is Ramon Gerard Estevez. But when he started his acting career, he changed it to Martin Sheen to fit in better, like many others have done.
Vin Diesel changed his name from Mark Sinclair when he started working as a bouncer and wanted to get into show business. He chose "Vin" from his last name, Vincent, and added "Diesel"
Miley Cyrus was born with the name Destiny Hope Cyrus, but she chose to use "Miley Cyrus" because that's what her family always called her. They started calling her "Smiley" because she smiled a lot, and it got shortened to "Miley."
When Cary Grant first started performing in Vaudeville shows, he went by his real name, Archibald Leach. But when he went to Hollywood, the movie studio thought his name wasn't catchy enough for audiences,
Natalie Portman's true name is actually Natalie Hershlag. But she didn't switch it to something more common or less ethnic. She told Vanity Fair in 2024 that she did it to keep her work life separate from her personal life.
Portia de Rossi decided to change her name when she was a teenager because she wanted something more interesting for acting. Her original name, Amanda Lee Rogers, felt plain to her.