History Main / StageNames

* MarilynManson (the first lineup, at least) all took their names from the juxtaposition of an American Icon and a serial killer. In the case of the titular frontman, MarilynMonroe and CharlesManson.

* GeorgeMichael was born Georgios Kyriakos Panayiotou.

* Randolph Severn Parker III is better known to audiences as Trey Parker, with "Trey" based off a nickname from being the third Randolph in line in his family.

*** "The Rock" is copyrighted by the WWE, so he had to stop using it when he stopped wrestling. Or when they felt like saying "no".

* Bella Hudson's later roles in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' are credited to an Erica Schroeder.

**** The name "Hulk Hogan" was suggested by [=Vince [=McMahon=]=] Sr., and Hogan went along, despite feeling that the idea of an orange-skinned blonde-haired Irishman was kind of silly. He got way more over under the new name than anybody expected, but there was a slight hitch -- Vince's penchant for billing him as "The Incredible" Hulk Hogan caught the attention of MarvelComics, and they sued and won, taking the trademark for the name until Hogan bought it back more than two decades later.

* Actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier also uses her middle name so as not to confuse her with her father, SidneyPoitier.

* Music/DoctorSteel's real name has never been revealed, although there have been several speculations over the years.

** April Stewart initially used the name "Gracie Lazar" in order to work on the show, due to the fact that it was a non-union project (a union and salary dispute had previously lead to Eliza Schneider quitting).
** Jessica Makinson was sometimes credited under "Jessie Thomas"/"Jessie Jo Thomas" for her voice work in the show.

* Voice actor Jan Rabson used the name Stanley Gurd Jr. when dubbing for anime, ironically these are pretty much the only times he plays major characters aside from Leisure Suite Larry, most notably he voiced Tetsuo in the original dub of Manga/{{Akira}} and Han and others in VideoGame/StreetFighterII under this name.

* Mary Kay Bergman used the stage name "Shannen Cassidy" for the first season of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', as well as part of the second season. This was due to the fact that she was Disneyland's official voice of Snow White at the time, and had worried about her name being associated with adult animation. She dropped the alias around the time of the episode "Clubhouses".

* Anne-Sophie Lennerfors, an actress in Japan known for her mixed heritage (Japanese-Swedish), is usually simply credited as "LiLiCo" or "LILIKO" for her film and voice acting work.

* Alecia Beth Moore decided to use the stage name {{Pink}} (either with an I or the [[LuckyCharmsTitle exclamation]]). She's said in interviews she got it as a nickname in high school from Mr. Pink in ''ReservoirDogs''.

* Alecia Beth Moore decided to use the stage name {{Pink}}, or [[LuckyCharmsTitle P!nk]] as it says on her records. She's said in interviews she got it as a nickname in high school from Mr. Pink in ''ReservoirDogs''.
* Every member of MotleyCrue; the lead singer shortened from from Vince Neil Wharton to Vince Neil, the drummer shortened from Thomas Lee Bass to Tommy Lee, the guitarist's real name is Robert Alan Deal but he uses the cooler stage name Mick Mars, and bassist Frank Carlton Serafino Ferrana Jr. legally changed his name to Nikki Sixx when he was eighteen, before Motley Crue had even formed.

* MichaelKeaton (''Film/{{Beetlejuice}}'', ''Film/{{Batman}}'', etc.) was born Michael Douglas, but adopted "Keaton" as a stage name because ''the'' MichaelDouglas (''TheStreetsOfSanFrancisco'', ''FatalAttraction'', ''WallStreet'', etc.) had established a prior claim. He took his name from the actress Diane Keaton. And ''her'' name is in fact Diane Hall.

'''Authors''' have their own equivalent of this, the PenName, which is treated as a separate trope. See also NomDeGuerre.

* Kevin James [=LaBrie=] of Dream Theater assumed the stage name James LaBrie because there were already two Johns in the band (John Petrucci on guitars and John Myung on bass) and they didn't want another name match with keyboardist Kevin Moore.

** Louis Feinberg, Henry Moishe Horwitz and Jerome Horwitz - a/k/a [[TheThreeStooges Larry Fine and Moe & Curly Howard]].

* LadyGaga's legal name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. She chose the name from the song "Radio Gaga" by Queen, given to her by her producer for her theatrical approach to music. Contrary to what some sources say, Gaga had been quoted many times saying that she makes "absolutley no distinction between Stefani and Gaga." She calls this her "favorite question."
* [[TheStooges Iggy Pop]] was born James Newell Osterberg. The "Iggy" part came about as a nickname, as he used to play drums for a group named The Iguanas. Apparently still goes by "Jim" among friends.

** And yet, the side project the Foxboro Hot Tubs lists its members as Michael Pritchard, Frank Edwin Wright III, and the Reverend Strychnine Twitch.

* {{Korn}} had Brian "Head" Welch (for his big head), and still has Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (for his big cheeks, he was "gopher", then {{Garfield}}, then the current, short for [[PunnyName "Fieldy Snuts"]]) and James "Munky" Shaffer (for his monkey-like hands).

* Sid Vicious (John Simon Ritchie) eventually joined the SexPistols, performing alongside Johnny Rotten (John Joseph Lydon).

* Mary Kay Bergman used the stage name "Shannen Cassidy" for the first season of ''SouthPark'', as well as part of the second season. This was due to the fact that she was Disneyland's official voice of Snow White at the time, and had worried about her name being associated with adult animation. She dropped the alias around the time of the episode "Clubhouses".

* Chaim Witz became [[{{Kiss}} Gene Simmons]].
** Stanley Harvey Eisen = Paul Stanley. George Peter John Criscuola = Peter Criss.Also: Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley.

* MarilynManson (the first lineup, at least) all took their names from the juxtaposition of an American Icon and a serial killer. In the case of the titular frontman, Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.

* {{U2}}'s Paul Hewson is better known as Bono (from his early stage name "Bono Vox of O'Connell Street" (''good voice'')) and his bandmate David Evans is The Edge.
* Ryan Ross, formerly of [[CreativeDifferences Panic! at the Disco]] and now of The Young Veins, had his name changed from George Ryan Ross III.

* My Chemical Romance's Ray Toro and Frank Iero have different birthnames - Ray is Raymond Toro Ortiz and Frank is Frank Anthony Iero Jr. Also - Michael James Way is Mikey Way.

* Culture Club founder Boy George (George O'Dowd).