You may know these famous faces from magazine covers and movie credits. But do you know their real names? These 12 celebrities all started out life with another name -- often one far less glamorous and trend-setting. Some stage names are subtle departures from the birth names their parents gave them, while others are a complete makeover.
Without further ado, here are those little-known real Hollywood names and how they rank with parents today.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Sometimes we’re surprised to learn a celebrity’s real name -- and sometimes it is the celebrity who is surprised! Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal didn’t realize that her real name was Margalit until she sent away for a copy of her birth certificate. While Maggie sits at number 239 on the Social Security Administration's list of 1000 most popular baby names, Margalit -- the Hebrew cousin of Margaret -- doesn't even make the rankings.
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez has been called Bruno since he was a kid because his dad thought he looked like wrestler Bruno Sammartino. The name stuck, and when he launched his musical career, teenaged Bruno chose Mars as his stage surname because, he’s “out of this world.” Bruno is a less popular name, sitting at 670 on the popularity list, whereas Peter is number 204.
Vin Diesel
Vin Diesel was born plain Mark Sinclair. The Vin comes from his stepfather’s surname, Vincent. Diesel turned out to be a fitting surname for the future star of the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. As his career has taken off, Diesel has caught on as cool name for boys. Though neither Vin nor Diesel rank on the top 1000 list, Mark is number 189.
Lorde
Royal names are all the rage, from Kingsley to Reign, but Lorde’s given name was the far more ordinary Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor. The Grammy Award-winning singer was looking for a stage name “with grandeur” and liked the idea of a “one-name alias.” In real life, she doesn’t mind answering to Ella, which is currently the 17th most popular name for girls in the U.S.
Nicki Minaj
Nicki sounds like the girl next door. But Trinidad and Tobago-born, Queens-raised rapper-singer Nicki Minaj was actually born with the elegant name Onika Tanya Maraj. Nicki comes from Onika, and one of her early producers changed Maraj to Minaj. Still, both Nicki and Onika are fairly unique names, as neither ranks on the SSA list.
Lana Del Ray
Lana Del Ray was born Elizabeth Grant. The sultry singer answered to Lizzy Grant and even May Jailer before settling on the glamorous Lana Del Ray, a name that she described as “gorgeous.” Parents must agree. Since Del Ray’s debut, the name has climbed over 100 spots in the U.S. to number 351.
Kit Harington
"Game of Thrones" star Kit Harington belongs in the Maggie Gyllenhaal club. As a child, he assumed his name was Kit, but nope -- it’s Christopher Catesby Harrington. Kit is traditionally a nickname for Christopher, but it’s all-but forgotten in the U.S. Could handsome Mr. Harington spark a revival? While Kit currently doens't rank on the Social Security list, Christopher sits at number 30.
Lucy Hale
Plenty of celebrities take their stage names from their given middle names, and Lucy Hale is no exception. The "Pretty Little Liars" star was born Karen Lucille Hale, but adopted the on-trend Lucy when she launched her career. Speaking of launches, Hale gets credit for boosting her character’s name, Aria, into the U.S. Top 100 (number 31 to be exact). Lucy ranks at number 62.
Reese Witherspoon
Another celebrity whose middle name was promoted to the first spot? Reese Witherspoon, of course. Born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon, the mega-star adopted her bonus middle -- and her mother’s maiden name -- as her stage name, and helped put Reese on the list of possibilities for girls. It's currently number 165 on the SSA list.
Ashton Kutcher
It’s not just women who drop their first names professionally. William Bradley Pitt is internationally famous as Brad, and Christopher Ashton Kutcher is just Ashton. Like Reese, Ashton became a popular baby name choice as the actor’s career flourished -- it ranks at 143.
Theo James
Sometimes an actor’s first name works fine. But Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis dropped his surnames in favor of his second middle -- James, which is a go-to stage name. Veteran television actress Susan Saint James was born plain Susan Miller. And Lily James of "Downton Abbey" fame was born Lily Chloe Ninette Thomson. James entered the top 10 most popular baby boy names last year, whereas Theodore is number 126.
Aloe Blacc
Sometimes a celebrity’s name is completely unrelated to his name at birth. Musician Aloe Blacc was born Egbert Nathaniel Dawkins III. His musician wife, Maya Jupiter, started out life as Melissha Martinez. In 2013, they welcomed a daughter named Mandela -- a name just as daring as those adopted by her parents. Neither of her dad's names rank on the Social Security list.
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