Why do stars change their names?

[Howdoulikemenow333]

Why do stars change there names 3 or 4 or 6 or times? For instance Jennerfer Lopez-J-Lo,Puff-Daddy,Madonna,Roseann Barr,just to Roseann. Madonna now is some name that I don't even know. Is it because there embrassed by the birth name or is it because they got to change it for being famous.

[Ireneparalegal]

Madonna's name is her name. Are u referring to Madge or the hebrew name Esther?

[ABlairican Pie]

Try why Fiona Apple changed her original name. Her given name was Fiona Maggert.

But yeah, I don't know why guys like Puff Daddy went to P. Diddy, Piffle Doody, Poodle Doodoo, Poof Ditto, etc. Maybe it's a religious thing, I've read a lot of people do that.

[tv star collector]

Sometimes it's necessary. Harry Morgan (PETE & GLADYS, DRAGNET, M*A*S*H) was born Henry Morgan (the same name as a TV panelist in the 1950s) ... and David Bowie's real name is David Jones (as in Davy of THE MONKEES). Speaking of The Monkees, Micky Dolenz was forced to change his name from Dolenz to Braddock when, at 10 years old, he starred in his first TV series, CIRCUS BOY. He also had to dye his dark hair blond. Too ethnic, the producers said.

[Superstar]

Jennifer Lopez didn't really change her name to J.Lo, her fans just called her that and it stuck for a while.

[Steve M.]

Originally Posted by Ireneparalegal

Madonna's name is her name.

Yes, but she thinks she's sooooooooooooo special, only that name need suffice. Plus, it gives her the opportunity to come up with blasphmeous record titles playing on Catholic adoration of the Virgin Mary (The Immaculate Collection).

She sucks (no pun intended!)!

[Janice]

Marion Morrison doesn't sound as tough as John Wayne.

[Steve M.]

Originally Posted by alaskaboy

Why do stars change there names 3 or 4 or 6 or times? For instance Jennerfer Lopez-J-Lo,Puff-Daddy. . . Roseanne Barr,just to Roseanne. . . . Is it because they're embrassed by the birth name or is it because they got to change it for being famous?

Jennifer Lopez named her second album J-Lo, so that became her nickname. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is called A-Rod. Maybe going by your Christian initial and the first syllable of your surname is a Hispanic thing.

Sean John Combs (his name is a redundancy - Sean is Gaelic for John!) calls himself by a silly stage name because all hip-hoppers do - probably because they think a hip-hop name sounds cool. Excpet that he's on his fourth hip-hop name!

Roseanne Barr beame Roseanne Arnold when she married Tom Arnold, then became just Roseanne after her divorce; I don't know why. She resurrected her original surname - Barr - because people kept confusing her with Rosie O'Donnell.

[vashti1999]

Originally Posted by Steve M.

Sean John Combs (his name is a redundancy - Sean is Gaelic for John!) calls himself by a silly stage name because all hip-hoppers do

No they all don't. Stop speaking of "hip hoppers" as they're all one and the same.

[Janice]

The wackiest name change ever, in my opinion, was when Prince wanted to be referred to as the symbol O(+>

[Redd Foxx]

They think there Cool.

[Steve M.]

Rock stars who changed their names:

Ringo Starr: Born Richard Starkey, he was called "Rings" or "Ringo" in Liverpool because of all the rings he wears on his fingers. He called himself "Ringo Starr" because it sounded like a cowboy, and he likes country and western. Legally, he's still Richard Starkey, and his friends call him Richie.

Van Morrison: His full name is George Ivan Morrison. "Van" just sounds better.

Charlie Whitney (Family): His birth name is Richard John Whitney; "Charlie" is just a nickname he acquired.

Joe Cocker: Orignally named John Cocker, he was nicknamed "Joe" to avoid confusion with a childhood friend named John.

John Ono Lennon: Oringally named John Winston Lennon, his middle name from Churchill, he took Yoko's surname because he thought it was unfiar for her to take his if hew didn't tkae hers. Yoko is Yoko Ono Lennon.

Gene Simmons: Born Chaim Witz in Israel, he became Eugene Klein when he emigrated to America. But Eugene Klein is hardly a name for rock god, is it? - so he became Gene Simmons.

Paul Stanley: Born Stanley Eisen, he kept his first name and put "Paul" in front of it in honor of his favorite Beatle.

Peter Cirss: Born Peter Crisscoula, he lopped off the last two syllables of his surname.

Ace Frehley: Born Paul Frehley, he joined Kiss late and was told to change his first name to avoid confusion with the other guy named Paul. Funny, Paul Rodgers and Paul Kossoff of Free didn't have to worry about that. Anyway, he renamed himself Ace to reflect his belief in himself as an "ace" guitarist. He is the only member of the original Kiss lineup who went by his original surname.

Steve Harley: The seventies glam-rocker was born Stephen Nice. "Nice" is too nice for a guy fronting a band called Cockney Rebel, so he changed it to Harley, probably after the Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Elton John: Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he got his new name by combining the names of two of his bandmates in the group Bluesology, Elton Dean and "Long" John Baldry. He's legally been Elton Hercules John - his middle name comes from a horse in the British TV show Steptoe and Son, which starred Wilfred Brambell (best known as Paul's grandfather in A Hard Day's Night) -since 1971.

Steven Tyler - His real surname is Tallarico, which he changed to Tyler probably because "Tallarico" sounds like an opera singer.

Freddie Mercury: Born Farookh Bulsara, he was nicknamed "Freddie" in his youth, and took the surname Mercury when he formed Queen.

Buster Poindexter: The alter ego of David Johanssen, he named it "Buster" and "Poindexter" because they're names that normally don't go together. Same with Mojo Nixon, whose real name esacpes me right now.

Roger McGuinn: When the Byrds first became famous, his first name was Jim, but he joined a religious sect and changed his name to the first sound he heard in his subcpnsicousness. He heard something that sounded vaguely like Roger, so Roger McGuinn he became.

Bob Dylan: Born Robert Zimmerman, he changed his name to Dylan after Marshal Dillon on "Gunsmoke" and used the Welsh spelling because he thought it looked better in print. He did not name himself after poet Dylan Thomas.

Ginger Baker: Drummer Peter Baker is nicknamed Ginger for his (once) reddish hair.

[Steve M.]

Originally Posted by Janice

The wackiest name change ever, in my opinion, was when Prince wanted to be referred to as the symbol O(+>

You know that part in Michael Jackson's song "Thriller" where Jackson makes a vocal noise at the point Vincent Price says "And though you fight to stay alive?" That's how I pronounced Prince's symbol.

Anyway, Prince went back to his original name after settling a contract dispute with Warner Brothers. He was named Prince Rogers Nelson because his father John Nelson, also a musician, performed under the stage naem Prince Rogers. The younger Nelson has always been called that legally, of course - the artist was still known as Prince Rogers Nelson on his tax returns!

[Steve M.]

P.S. Stevie Wonder was named Steveland Morris or Stephen Judkins, depending on which book you read. Called Little Stevie WOnder by Berry Gordy because he was a "wonder" to behold on stage, he naturally dropped the "Little" part when he turned 21. His daughter Aisha - the girl he sang about in "Isn't She Lovely" - is surnamed Morris.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Steve M.

Jennifer Lopez named her second album J-Lo, so that became her nickname. Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees is called A-Rod. Maybe going by your Christian initial and the first syllable of your surname is a Hispanic thing.

Sean John Combs (his name is a redundancy - Sean is Gaelic for John!) calls himself by a silly stage name because all hip-hoppers do - probably because they think a hip-hop name sounds cool. Excpet that he's on his fourth hip-hop name!

Roseanne Barr beame Roseanne Arnold when she married Tom Arnold, then became just Roseanne after her divorce; I don't know why. She resurrected her original surname - Barr - because people kept confusing her with Rosie O'Donnell.

Actually, P.Diddy, or whatever his name is, he is the one who came up with the idea of "J-lo". She is too dumb to come up with a crazy name like that. She once said she doesn't care too much for it ( i guess it's TOO GHETTO!!)