I Can’t Look At These 32 Celebs The Same Way Again After Learning How They Got Their Stage Names

1.

Post Malone put his real name into a random rap name generator when he was 14, and he’s stuck with the results ever since.

2.

Doja Cat named herself after two things she loves — weed (aka doja) and cats.

3.

Brie Larson shortened her first name from “Breanna” then chose “Larson” after he favorite American Girl doll growing up, Kirsten Larson.

4.

Michael Keaton chose “Keaton” at random from a list of K names because the Michael Douglas was already registered with the union under his name.

5.

Diane Keaton was also required to register under a stage name to prevent confusion with another actor, so she decided to go by her mother’s maiden name.

6.

Initially, Alicia Keys wanted to go by “Alicia Wilde,” but her mother put a stop to that and helped her decide on “Keys” (like a piano) instead.

7.

The Weeknd took the final “e” out of his name because of copyright issues with a Canadian band called the Weekend.

8.

Lil Nas X chose his stage name because “every new rapper’s name is Lil,” and he thought calling himself “Lil Nas” would be funny.

9.

Halsey’s stage name is both an anagram of their first name and an homage to a street in Brooklyn that used to be their train stop.

10.

Olivia Wilde changed her last name to honor writer Oscar Wilde after playing Gwendolen in a high school production of The Importance of Being Earnest.

11.

Sting often wore a black and yellow striped sweater during his Phoenix Jazzmen days, so one of his band members nicknamed him after a bumblebee.

12.

Cardi B’s nickname growing up was Bacardi because her sister’s name is Hennessy, but she shortened it after her Instagram account kept getting deleted.

13.

Chumbawamba member Alice Nutter changed her legal name to that of a woman who was accused of witchcraft and hanged in 1612.

14.

Machine Gun Kelly took his name from George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes — an infamous mobster from the Prohibition Era.

15.

Snoop Dogg’s mom nicknamed him after Snoopy because of how much he loved the Peanuts character growing up.

16.

Lady Gaga’s producer Rob Fusari nicknamed her “Gaga” after the Queen song “Radio Ga Ga,” and she added “Lady” because of its regal connotations.

17.

Nicki Minaj fought with a manager who wanted to change her name from “Maraj” to “Minaj,” and she’s “always hated it.“

18.

Vin Diesel’s name is a combination of his stepfather Irving Vincent’s name and a nickname he earned as a “fueled up” club bouncer.

19.

P!nk’s stage name is a reference to Mr. Pink, Steve Buscemi’s Reservoir Dogs character.

20.

Reese Witherspoon adopted her mother’s maiden name as her first name early in her acting career.

21.

Saweetie’s stage name was originally her Myspace display name, which came from a nickname her grandma gave her.

22.

Lizzo’s name was inspired by the Jay-Z song “Izzo.”

23.

When her real name was already taken at SAG, Emma Stone named herself after Emma Bunton, otherwise known as Baby Spice.

24.

After dropping his first EP, Hozier shortened his name because he felt it would be “easier to remember.”

Jay-Z chose his stage name to honor Jaz-O, his mentor and producer.

27.

When he was 14, Eminem started rapping under the name “M&M,” which were his initials, and it evolved into “Eminem.”

28.

Lorde chose her stage name because she’s fascinated with aristocracy, but she added the “e” to make it “more feminine.”

29.

Vanilla Ice uses a nickname he earned as a teenager because of his pale complexion and a dance move he invented that mimicks sliding on ice.

30.

John Legend took on his stage name after the nickname became more well-known in his social circle than his real name.

31.

Frank Ocean took inspiration from Frank Sinatra and Ocean’s 11 when choosing his stage name.

32.

And finally, Iggy Azalea used to wear a necklace with her dog’s name on it, and she decided to use it as her stage name when people kept asking if the name on the necklace was hers.