Who's Really Behind the Stage Name?

This revelation may make you go, “Whoa!”

Joey Lawrence goes by a different surname in his professional life. The actor, well-known for his roles on ’90s sitcoms like ‘Blossom’ and ‘Brotherly Love’, has disclosed that he has been using his middle name as a last name during his career. Interestingly, his brothers, Matthew Lawrence and Andrew Lawrence, have followed the same practice.

Joey was born as Joseph Lawrence Mignogna III, named after his father and paternal grandfather. In a panel at the 90s Con held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford, CT on March 28, the 48-year-old shared that when he started acting in the ’80s, he was advised, “Mignogna is too difficult to pronounce and it’s not a name people will remember.

He noted that in today’s context, such things are honored, as reported by Parade. However, during the ’80s, there was a resistance to it, with sentiments like “We should dilute this.” The more subtle “G” figures…They were advocating for something less vibrant. So they suggested, “Let’s name him Joey Lawrence,” and that’s precisely what happened. It just seemed logical.

Matthew, who chose Lawrence as his stage name during his stint as a child actor in the ’80s, explained that he’s currently juggling two distinct names. The famous star of Mrs. Doubtfire also mentioned that navigating international travel requires quite a bit of inconvenience for him.

45-year-old individual expressed his desire to retain his birth surname instead. He noted that for legal purposes, he had been recognized as Matt Lawrence since childhood due to tax payments under that name, but in essence, his true name is Matthew William Mignogna.

On previous occasions, Joey, Matthew, and the 37-year-old Andrew have delved into the past events surrounding their surname alteration.

I won a photography competition and went to an agency in New York. They looked at my last name and said, ‘This isn’t going to work. Nobody will hire a kid with such an unusual last name. We can’t even say it correctly. What’s your middle name?’

The brothers’ real last name, by the way, is pronounced similarly to, “Filet mignon.”

Read on to see which other celebs use other names instead of their real names in their careers…

45-year-old Matt Lawrence expressed his desire to retain his birth name, Matthew William Mignogna. He explained that despite being recognized by the government as Matt Lawrence due to tax payments made since infancy, his true identity has always been Matthew William Mignogna.

The brothers’ real last name, they added, is pronounced similarly to, “Filet mignon.”

Previously, Joey, Matthew, and Andrew (age 37), have had a conversation about the background of their surname modification on more than one occasion.

The former star of Melissa & Joey shared on an episode of the Brotherly Love podcast in 2023, “I won a photo competition and visited an agency in New York. They examined my last name and commented that it wouldn’t be feasible to hire a child with such an unconventional surname. They even struggled to pronounce it and asked for my middle name.

Read on to see which other celebs use other names instead of their real names in their careers…

In my expert opinion on lifestyle matters, I find it fascinating how the siblings decided to adopt their fellow brother Joey’s middle name, Lawrence, as their stage names. This transformation occurred when Joey took the lead by changing his own last name after encountering criticism from a talent agent regarding our family surname, Mignogna. The agent suggested this adjustment during Joey’s pursuit of success in the entertainment industry.

At the tender age of nine, Kat Dennings decided to use a stage name, long before she stepped onto the stage for her first official acting role in an episode of ‘Sex and the City’ that was broadcast in 2000.

On her podcast “Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce,” the former star of “2 Broke Girls” shared during the March 13, 2025 episode that she felt uncomfortable having her real name publicly displayed, such as on a poster.

The actress derived her stage name by taking inspiration from Christina Ricci’s character Kat in the movie “Casper” and also from Janine Denni, the late wife of Lloyd Alexander (the author of “The Black Cauldron”), a close friend of her mother.

For over three decades, Cher thought her legal first name was Cherilyn. However, it wasn’t until the late 1970s, when she requested her birth certificate for a name change to simply ‘Cher’, that she found out she had been officially registered as “Cheryl.

In the memoir titled “Cher: The Memoir, Part One” published in 2024, the renowned pop artist reminisced about the response of her mother, Georgia Holt, upon learning this particular fact.

She stated that her mother, the one who had her when she was 19 years old, reacted by saying, “Let me take a look at that!” After reminiscing about her own postpartum period, she continued, “I was merely a teenager, and I experienced a great deal of pain. Show some understanding.

After a Virginia high school mistakenly spelled his last name, the outlaw country musician took on the nickname Shaboozey and eventually made it his official stage name as a recording artist.

Kudos to Post Malone, whose stage name includes his last name. Interestingly, he prefers his pals to address him using his birth name instead.

At the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift called her collaborator by the name “Austin” as they accepted the award for Best Collaboration for their song “Fortnight.

Initially, the singer launched a Christian album under her real name in 2001. However, she believed adopting the stage name Katy Perry, derived from her mother’s maiden name, would captivate pop music fans more effectively.

Cardi B adopted the nickname Bacardi, which was given to her by relatives who compared her to her sister’s name, Hennessy. Over time, she simplified the name into something that felt more fitting for her.

Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was briefly known as Rachel.

Shania Twain explained the background of her stage name during a chat on Apple Music’s Home Now Radio: Essentially, she was given the birth name Eilleen Regina Edwards, then adopted and became Eilleen Regina Twain. As a professional singer, she felt it necessary to choose a stage name that wasn’t too similar to her grandmothers’, who were both named Eilleen and Regina, as she didn’t want to be addressed with their names on stage. Instead, she opted for Shania Twain. She had met someone with the name Shania before, found it appealing, and thus, Shania Twain was born.

The performer who sings “Good Luck, Babe!” has consistently portrayed a character named Chappell Roan on stage, which she refers to as a “drag persona.” This role helps her establish boundaries and maintain a distinction between her private life and her career in the entertainment industry.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, let me share an intriguing story about how the supermodel known as Gigi Hadid earned her stage name. Back in school days, there was a mix-up between me and another girl named Helena that often occurred. Since my mom affectionately called me “gigi” at home, I suggested to the teacher to simply address me by that name instead. To my delight, it caught on, and the moniker has been with me ever since.

If you’re looking for an explosive action-star name, how about Vin Diesel instead?

Miley Cyrus’ radiant grin earned her the moniker “Smiley” during her childhood. Over time, this nickname got abbreviated to just “Miley,” which eventually became her formal name.

In my expertise on all things lifestyle, let me share an intriguing tale about the renowned artist we know as Bruno Mars. You see, this musical genius was not always called by that name; instead, his father affectionately started referring to him as “Bruno” due to his resemblance to the character from the movie, ‘The King of Queens’. And just like that, the world came to know him as Bruno Mars.

Before the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was just an everyday girl from New York.

Jason Sudeikis shared on Today that he was given the name Daniel in honor of his father, however, due to some mix-up, his mother began referring to him by his middle name, Jason, to prevent confusion.

Emma Stone decided to use the stage name she’s known by today, as it was discovered that the Actors Guild had an existing member with her real birth name.

As it turns out, “Reese Witherspoon” isn’t actually her middle name. Instead, she selected this name as a tribute to her mother, who goes by her maiden name, Reese.

Every artist typically has a secondary self, often referred to as an alter ego, and in this case, Lana Del Rey represents the chosen persona for the singer.

In 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his name because, why not?

An interesting tidbit about Tina Fey, the star of 30 Rock, is that her real name is Elizabeth. As a nod to her given name, she cleverly named her character on the show Liz Lemon.

This pioneer of West Coast rap would later go on to be known as Snoop Dogg.

It turns out that the singer known as “Royals” actually has a keen interest in the nobility, which is why she selected the name Lorde, but with a feminine twist on the spelling.

Prior to becoming a dance sensation for the public, the well-known musician Ricky Martin was known by this ordinary name: Enrique José Martín Morales.

It’s hard to believe that Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Kelly!

Audience members were puzzled when Taylor Swift expressed gratitude to her then-boyfriend, Adam, during an acceptance speech. This revelation eventually led people to learn that Calvin Harris is just a stage name. The DJ explained to Shortlist magazine that he selected this pseudonym because his initial single had a more soulful vibe and desired something slightly more “ethnically neutral.