Jeremy Allen White Reveals the Name He Actually Uses in Real Life

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Jeremy Allen White isn’t so formal in his daily life. 

Jeremy Allen White, known for his role in The Bear, revealed he doesn’t use his full professional name with loved ones. He told Vanity Fair in a recent interview that his full name doesn’t feel like who he truly is.

Indeed, Jeremy is just Jeremy White to those closest to him.

As he admitted of his full name, “It does feel like people are talking about someone I don’t know.”

Like Emma Stone and many other actors, the 34-year-old had to change his name because the Screen Actors Guild only allows one performer to be registered under each name, and someone else was already using it.

I’d definitely like to meet him,” the former Shameless actor said about the man who’s been using his name. “I’d want to talk to him and see if he’d be willing to let me reclaim the name Jeremy White.

Interestingly, Emma—whose given name is Emily Stone—isn’t overly concerned with getting her name back. She’s previously said she initially desired the name because of Emma Bunton from the Spice Girls.

She revealed on The Tonight Show in 2018 that she used to have very blonde hair and her birth name is Emily. However, she always wanted to be called Emma, inspired by the Spice Girls’ Baby Spice, and she’s now made that happen.

I was so surprised to hear that the incredibly talented Oscar winner almost went by “Riley Stone” – can you imagine?! But honestly, what really got me was when she confessed her love for that British pop group was a little…intense. She put it so well – it was a ‘pretty messed up’ obsession, and I totally get it! It’s funny to see even someone as successful as her admit to a little fan craziness.

Emma recalled a moment from second grade: “I actually asked my teacher to start calling me Emma instead of my given name.” When asked if the pop star Emma Bunton of the Spice Girls inspired the change, she confirmed, “Yes, absolutely.”

The star of La La Land has repeatedly emphasized that she’s much more than just a celebrity name.

I was so struck by something she said on Today in 2024. She was just incredibly down-to-earth and told us, essentially, that she doesn’t care what anyone calls her – she even joked that we could just make up a name if we wanted! It really showed how unpretentious she is.

For more stars who don’t go by their real names, keep reading… 

Congratulations to Post Malone! He chose to include his actual last name when creating his stage name. However, he prefers his close friends to use his given name instead.

At the 2024 MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift called her co-winner “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, a tribute to a longtime 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 nine-season veteran 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 gone by Carl since the very beginning.

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

During an April 2025 interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he explained that his father is Sterling Brown Jr. and his grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr. He decided he wanted a name of his own, feeling that ‘Sterling’ sounded like an older generation’s name.

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 given first name as a tribute to him.

He explained that after his father died when he was ten, he hadn’t heard anyone say his father’s name in over five years. By the time he was sixteen, he simply wanted to hear the name again, so he asked people to start calling him Sterling.

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 surname.

You might know her as Kat Dennings, but here’s a little secret: she actually chose that name way back when she was nine! It’s funny to think about, because it was several years before she even landed her first on-screen role – a small part on an episode of Sex and the City back in 2000. It just goes to show, sometimes you have to create your own path, even before the spotlight finds you!

Kat Dennings, known for her role on 2 Broke Girls, shared on the March 13, 2025 episode of Kylie Kelce’s podcast, Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce, that she prefers not to have her birth name publicly advertised, like on a poster.

The actress chose her stage name by combining elements from two sources: the character Kat, played by Christina Ricci in the movie Casper, and the last name of Janine Denni, the wife of author Lloyd Alexander, who was a close friend of her mother.

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 about something.

When she told her mother – who had her at 19 – what happened, her mother said, “Let me see!” Then, remembering how difficult it was to be a teen mom herself, she added, “I was so young and in a lot of pain. Cut me some slack.”

The country artist known as Shaboozey got the nickname – and eventually his stage name – because of a misspelling of his last name in his Virginia high school yearbook.

The singer first released music under her real name in 2001, but she believed the name Katy Perry—taken from her mother’s family name—would be more appealing to pop music listeners.

Cardi B got the nickname “Bacardi” because her sister was playfully called “Hennessy” by those close to them. She later decided “Cardi” was a better fit for her stage name.

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

I’ve been a huge Shania Twain fan for years, and I was so fascinated to hear how she came up with her stage name! She recently shared the story on Apple Music, and it’s really sweet. She was born Eilleen Regina Edwards, and later adopted, becoming Eilleen Regina Twain. When she started singing professionally, she realized her given name sounded a lot like her grandmothers’ – she’s actually named after both of them, Eilleen and Regina! She just didn’t want to be called their name on stage, so she decided to create something new. She met someone named Shania, loved the sound of it, and combined it with her adopted last name – and that’s how Shania Twain was born! It’s amazing to learn the story behind such an iconic name.

Chappell Roan, the singer behind ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, has always approached performing as a form of drag, which helps her maintain clear boundaries between her stage presence and her private life, and protects her from the demands of the music industry.

Interestingly, Gigi Hadid didn’t choose her famous name herself! When she was in school, her teacher kept mixing her up with a classmate named Helena. Because her mom always called her “Gigi” at home, she asked the teacher to just refer to her as Gigi, and the nickname ended up sticking.

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

Miley Cyrus got her nickname, Smiley, because she was always so cheerful. Over time, people started calling her Miley instead, and that’s the name that stayed.

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 the Today show that his father named him Daniel. However, to avoid confusion with another family member, his mom began calling him by his middle name, Jason.

Emma Stone chose her stage name because another actor was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild under her real name.

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

Okay, so everyone says artists have these different sides to them, right? But with Lana Del Rey, it’s like… she is that whole dreamy, vintage persona everyone thinks of. It’s not an act with her, it’s just… her. She fully embodies it, and honestly, that’s part of why I’m so obsessed!

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 character on the show Liz Lemon.

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

Okay, so I was digging deeper into everything about Lorde, and it’s amazing! Apparently, she’s totally fascinated by nobility and history – that’s actually why she chose the name ‘Lorde,’ but she added an ‘e’ to make it feminine! It just makes so much sense now, knowing how much she loves that whole world. I’m obsessed!

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!

Fans 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 chose the name because his first song had a soulful sound, and he wanted a name that didn’t immediately reveal his background.

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

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2025-11-19 16:49