20 popular celebs you may not realize who go by stage names

She’s known worldwide as the iconic Alicia Keys, but her journey began as Alicia Augello Cook. Her mother, who is of Italian descent, chose her last name, but Alicia ultimately decided to adopt "Keys" to symbolize her passion for the piano. 

Before she was the "California Gurl" Katy Perry, she was a gospel singer known by her birth name, Katheryn Hudson. She changed it to avoid being confused with actress Kate Hudson and to honor her mother's maiden name.

The Fast & Furious star's tough-guy name is pure invention, as he was born Mark Sinclair. He reportedly came up with "Vin" while working as a bouncer in New York City, and his friends gave him "Diesel" because he was always so energetic.

She may be the legendary EGOT winner Whoopi Goldberg, but she was born Caryn Elaine Johnson. The "Whoopi" came from her tendency to be gassy like a whoopee cushion, and she adopted "Goldberg" as a more "Jewish-sounding" name she believed would help her in Hollywood.

The world-famous DJ known for dominating the charts as Calvin Harris was actually born Adam Richard Wiles. He chose his stage name because he thought "Calvin Harris" sounded more "racially ambiguous" for his early soul-inspired tracks.

Born Susan Alexandra Weaver, the iconic star felt her name was too "cutesy" and didn't fit her tall stature. She famously adopted "Sigourney" at age 14 after seeing it as a minor character's name in The Great Gatsby.

The queen of country-pop started life as Eilleen Regina Edwards. When her mother remarried, she was adopted by her stepfather, Jerry Twain, and later chose the name "Shania," which is said to mean "I'm on my way."

It's hard to imagine him as anything else, but this soulful singer was born John Roger Stephens. A friend gave him the nickname "Legend" because his music sounded like old-school classics, and the name clearly stuck.

The queen of summertime sadness, Lana Del Rey, crafted her entire persona, right down to her name, which was originally Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. She wanted a name that sounded glamorous and evocative of old Hollywood, combining actress Lana Turner with the Ford Del Rey car.

The "24K Magic" superstar was born Peter Gene Hernandez, but adopted his stage name to avoid being stereotyped as just a Latin artist. "Bruno" was his childhood nickname, and he added "Mars" because he felt he was "out of this world."

The New Zealand prodigy who took the music world by storm is known to her family as Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor. She chose "Lorde" because she was fascinated with royalty and aristocrats, but added the "e" to make it more feminine.

The Arrested Development star was born Amanda Lee Rogers in Australia. She legally adopted the name Portia de Rossi at the age of 15, taking "Portia" from a character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

The multi-talented Oscar winner started his career as Eric Marlon Bishop. When he began doing stand-up comedy, he chose the more androgynous-sounding "Jamie Foxx" because he noticed female comedians were often called to the stage first.

The frontwoman of The Black Eyed Peas, known to the world as Fergie, was born Stacy Ann Ferguson. Her stage name is simply a catchy, shortened version of her last name, which has become her global identity.

While he's one of the few artists who uses part of his real name, the Toronto-born superstar is legally known as Aubrey Drake Graham. He dropped his first name to adopt the sleeker, more impactful moniker "Drake" for his music career.

This one is simpler than you might think. Post Malone was born Austin Richard Post, and he reportedly got his now-famous stage name from an online rap name generator when he was a teenager.

Of course, we knew his name wasn't actually "Machine Gun," but you might think "Kelly" was part of his real name. It's not. He was born Colson Baker, and adopted the stage name as a teenager because of his rapid-fire, machine-gun-like vocal delivery.

It's no surprise her real name isn't Megan Thee Stallion, but her stage name is actually closer to reality than you'd think. Born Megan Jovon Ruth Pete, she was affectionately called "Stallion" (a Southern term for a tall, beautiful woman) growing up in Texas due to her height and striking appearance.

The Oscar-winning actress was born in Jerusalem as Neta-Lee Hershlag. She adopted "Portman," her paternal grandmother's maiden name, as her professional surname to protect her family's privacy as she began her acting career as a child.

She was legally named Destiny Hope Cyrus because her parents believed she was destined for great things. Her famous moniker, "Miley," originated from her childhood nickname, "Smiley," which was given to her because she smiled so often as a baby.