Cheryl Burke Reveals Why She Legally Changed Her Name

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Cheryl Burke is waltzing back to her roots. 

The former Dancing With the Stars contestant shared that she officially changed her name at the beginning of her career, and her original name has a fascinating history.

Dance professional Cheryl, 41, revealed in an August 2022 TikTok video that her birth name was Stephanie, but she legally changed it after convincing her parents.

The choreographer explained further in the comments that Stephanie was named after her late father, Stephen Burke, who passed away in March 2018. Her middle name, Cheryl, is a tribute to her mother, Sherri Burke.

Okay, so she said something really interesting! She’s totally happy that people think of her family when they think of her, which is so sweet, but she actually changed her name because of something bad that happened when she was a kid. It’s just… heartbreaking to think about, but also kinda cool that she took control and did what she needed to do! I just adore her resilience.

She shared that a girl named Stephanie bullied her in middle school, so she legally changed her name to Cheryl Stephanie Burke.

Okay, so her old name… it’s complicated, let’s just say that. But honestly, seeing her absolutely own the last twenty years has been amazing! And ‘Cheryl’… that name just means something, especially because of Dancing with the Stars. I was glued to the TV every season from 2006 to 2022, watching her absolutely shine. And now?! Now she’s coming back! Not as a competitor, which I’ll miss, but as a judge! A guest judge, for the Halloween episode no less! I’m already counting down the minutes – it’s going to be incredible to see her back on that ballroom floor!

She announced on Instagram on October 21st that she’s returning to Dancing with the Stars, three years after retiring. She shared that she still vividly remembers her final performance and feels incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be back, this time as a spectator rather than a dancer.

After all, she noted the competition show “has been my home for close to 20 years.”  

She explained that dance gave her a voice and confidence long before she spoke publicly. She’s thrilled to be back with people she worked with for nearly twenty years and excited to meet the new dancers and celebrities who will share their stories on the show’s famous dance floor.

Keep reading to see more celebrities’ real names…

I’m so excited for Post Malone! It’s awesome how he made his last name part of his stage name – it just feels right. But what I find really cool is that he actually prefers his close friends to use his real name, which is a really down-to-earth thing for someone so famous.

At the 2024 MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift called Post Malone “Austin” after they won the award for Best Collaboration for their song “Fortnight.”

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, who played Lilly on Modern Family, now goes by Frances Anderson as she pursues a career in music.

In a 2025 interview with TopMob News, Aubrey explained that ‘Frances’ is actually her middle name, given in honor of a close friend of her mother. She also mentioned she preferred it because it was shorter than her full, hyphenated last name, Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.

The Summer House star shocked Bravo fans by revealing his legally given first name isn’t actually Carl.

Carl, a veteran of all nine seasons of the reality show, explained to PopViewers in August 2025 that his first name is William and his middle name is Carl. However, he’s always been known simply as Carl.

Sterling K. Brown went by his middle name Kelby until he was a teenager.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe this! I was watching The Kelly Clarkson Show from April 2025, and he said his dad is Sterling Brown Jr. and his grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr.! Can you even imagine? He actually said he wanted a name that was his own because, get this, he felt like ‘Sterling’ sounded like an old man’s name! It’s just… everything about him is perfect, even his naming struggles! I seriously can’t get over it.

Years after his father’s death from a heart attack, the actor—known for his role in This Is Us—chose to go back to using his original first name to pay tribute to him.

He explained that since his father died when he was ten, and he hadn’t heard anyone say his father’s name in over five years by the time he turned sixteen, he simply wanted to hear it again. That’s why he asked people to call him by his father’s name, Sterling.

Brothers Andrew, Matthew, and Joey Lawrence all decided to change their last names professionally. Joey, whose middle name is Lawrence, was the first to make the switch, prompted by feedback from a talent agent who didn’t like their family name.

Kat Dennings began using a professional name when she was nine years old, well before she first appeared on television in a 2000 episode of Sex and the City.

Kat Dennings, known for her role on 2 Broke Girls, shared with Kylie Kelce on her podcast Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce that she prefers not to have her birth name publicly visible, like on a poster.

Oh my gosh, you will NOT believe where her name came from! I did SO much research! She totally loved Christina Ricci as Kat in Casper and that’s where the first part of her name came from! And the last name? It’s even cooler! It’s from Janine Denni, Lloyd Alexander’s wife! Lloyd Alexander was this amazing author – apparently, he was her mom’s best friend! It’s just… everything about her feels so perfectly curated and connected, and knowing this makes me love her even MORE!

For over thirty years, Cher thought her full legal name was Cherilyn. However, when she requested her birth certificate in the late 1970s to legally change her name to simply Cher, she found out she was originally registered as Cheryl.

In her 2024 memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the singer Cher wrote about how her mother, Georgia Holt, reacted when she found out.

When her daughter told her she was pregnant, her mother – who had given birth at 19 herself – exclaimed, “Let me see!” She then remembered her own experience after giving birth, saying, “I was just a teenager, and I was really hurting. Cut me some slack.”

The country artist known as Shaboozey got the nickname after a spelling error on his high school records in Virginia. He eventually adopted it as his official stage name.

The singer first released music under her real name in 2001, creating a Christian album. However, she decided to use the stage name Katy Perry—taken from her mother’s family name—believing it would be more appealing to pop music listeners.

Cardi B got the nickname “Bacardi” because people started calling her sister Hennessy. She later shortened it to the name we know today, which felt more like her.

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

Shania Twain recently revealed how she got her stage name while on Apple Music’s Home Now Radio. Born Eilleen Regina Edwards, she was later adopted and became Eilleen Regina Twain. When she started singing professionally, she realized her name sounded too much like her grandmothers’, both named Eilleen and Regina. She didn’t want to be associated with their names on stage, so she decided to create a new stage name. She met someone named Shania, loved the name, and Shania Twain was born.

Chappell Roan, the singer behind ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, has always approached performing as a distinct artistic persona—a ‘drag project’—which helps her maintain personal boundaries and keep her private life separate from the demands of the music industry.

Interestingly, Gigi Hadid didn’t choose her stage name – it came about in school! Her teacher kept mixing her up with a classmate named Helena. Since her mother always called her “Gigi” as a nickname, she asked the teacher to just use that name, and it ended up sticking.

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

Miley Cyrus earned the nickname ‘Smiley’ as a child because of her cheerful grin. Over time, people began calling her ‘Miley’ instead, and that’s the name she’s known by today.

The singer resembled a Bruno more than a Peter, so his father began calling him Bruno. He’s been known as Bruno Mars ever since.

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

Jason Sudeikis revealed on Today that his given first name is Daniel, but his mother began calling him Jason – his middle name – to prevent confusion with his father, who shared the same first name.

Emma Stone chose to use a stage name because her given name was already taken by another member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Interestingly, Reese Witherspoon’s first name isn’t actually her middle name! She adopted ‘Reese’ to pay tribute to her mother, whose family name it was.

Every artist has a different side to their public image, and for Lana Del Rey, that persona is the one she presents to the world.

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

Many fans don’t realize that Tina Fey, the creator and star of 30 Rock, was actually born Elizabeth. She playfully honored her given name by naming her iconic character on the show, Liz Lemon.

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

It seems the singer known for “Royals” has a strong interest in nobility, which is why she chose the name Lorde, but added a feminine ‘e’ to it.

Before becoming the famous singer Ricky Martin, he was known by a different, more common name.

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

People were surprised when Taylor Swift publicly thanked a man named Adam, which led to the realization that Calvin Harris wasn’t his real name. Harris later explained to Shortlist magazine that he adopted the stage name because his first song was more soulful and he wanted a name that didn’t reveal his background.

Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.

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2025-10-23 17:18