Jerry O’Connell Reveals His Actual Name—And Where Jerry Came From

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Jerry O’Connell doesn’t stand by his birth name.  

Actually, the actor from Stand By Me said that nobody, not even his family, ever calls him by his given name.

Jerry O’Connell, whose full name is Michael Jeremiah O’Connell, explained on the May 8th episode of Live with Kelly & Mark that he’s always been known as Jerry, even by his mother, Linda O’Connell.

I was so fascinated to learn more about Michael! His mom actually shared with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos that his full, given name is Michael Jeremiah Witkowski O’Connell. It’s great to finally know the name he was born with!

Linda shared that her grandfather’s name is Jeremiah, and her family’s favorite cousin is Jerry DeScipio.

But she never referred to Jerry by his full name at home—even at times when he crossed her.

I’ve always identified with the character Jerry,” the actor from Kangaroo Jack said. “Sometimes I catch myself thinking, ‘Yep, I really am a Jerry.’ I don’t really resemble Michael at all.”

Jerry was a handful as a child, always getting into trouble. As his mother, Linda, described him, he was incredibly active and full of energy.

He recalled they used to call it ‘hyperactive.’ He wasn’t sure if that term was still used and apologized if it caused any offense.

Jerry always loved performing, and that passion eventually led to a successful career in entertainment. He first appeared on screen in the 1986 film Stand By Me. Twenty-one years later, he married actress Rebecca Romijn.

While on Live with Kelly & Mark, Jerry also took a moment to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to his wife, who is the mother of their 17-year-old twins, Charlie Tamara Tulip and Dolly Rebecca Rose.

Interestingly, Jerry has jokingly admitted he’s started giving the same dating advice as his mother.

My daughters are seventeen, and many of their friends are starting to get serious in relationships. I always tell them, ‘Don’t rush into anything exclusive. It’s important to date different people before settling down with just one.’

He mentioned that he’s noticed couples sometimes seem to lose their spark when they get into relationships, especially when comparing them to their single friends.

Jerry isn’t the only famous person who goes by a different name. Here are some other stars who have changed their names.

Congratulations to Post Malone! He chose to include his last name in his stage name, but he actually prefers his close friends to call him by his given name.

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. She made the name change to reflect her new career as a musician.

In a 2025 interview with TopMob News, Aubrey explained that ‘Frances’ is actually her middle name, a tribute to 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.

Dakota and Elle Fanning, the sisters, decided to use their middle names when they began their careers in Hollywood.

Okay, so Elle told me the reason the sisters use their middle names, and it’s actually so sweet! Apparently, their mom always went by hers, and they just wanted to honor that tradition, you know? It just makes perfect sense when you think about it, and honestly, it’s another reason I adore them!

You know, growing up, roll call was always a little embarrassing for me. I remember one time, the teacher would call ‘Mary?’ and everyone would chime in, ‘There’s no Mary here!’ I’d have to sheepishly raise my hand and say, ‘Um, that’s me!’ It just wasn’t a common name where I grew up, so it always felt a bit awkward.

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

“My driver’s license and passport both say William,” explained Carl, a veteran of all nine seasons of the reality show, in an August 2025 interview with PopViewers. “But I’ve always gone by Carl, ever since the 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 too old-fashioned.

It absolutely broke my heart when I learned his dad passed away from a heart attack years ago. But you won’t BELIEVE what he did! He went back to using his first name – his first name! – as a way to keep his dad’s memory alive. It’s just…so beautiful and touching, honestly. It shows how much he loved him, and I can’t stop thinking about it!

My father died when I was ten, and by the time I was sixteen, it had been five or six years since anyone had said his name. I just wanted to hear it again, so I started asking people to call me Sterling.

The winner of Traitors revealed on TopMob’s Hot Goss that his full name is Nicholas Dylan Harrison Efron, but he goes by Dylan. He explained that because Nicholas is his first name, everything else gets shifted down, making Harrison his middle name now.

Brothers Andrew, Matthew, and Joey Lawrence all decided to change their last names professionally. Joey, whose middle name is Lawrence, was the first to do it, after a talent agent pointed out the family name wasn’t ideal.

Oh my gosh, can you believe it? Kat Dennings – seriously, the most amazing actress ever – she actually picked her stage name when she was just nine years old! It’s so cool because even before she was officially acting, even before that tiny but perfect role on Sex and the City back in 2000, she already knew who she wanted to be. I’ve been following her forever, and it just makes her even more incredible to me!

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 French wife of Lloyd Alexander, the author of The Black Cauldron. She explained that Alexander was a close friend of her mother’s.

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 something surprising.

When she told her mother – who had her at 19 – about it, her mother said, “Let me see!” Then, remembering her own experience after giving birth, she added, “I was just a teenager myself, and it really hurt. Cut me some slack.”

The country artist known as Shaboozey got the nickname after a simple mistake: his high school in Virginia misspelled his last name, and he ended up embracing it as his official stage name.

The singer first released an album as herself in 2001, but she decided to use the name Katy Perry—taken from her mother’s family name—believing it would be more appealing to pop music fans.

Cardi B got the nickname “Bacardi” because her sister was playfully called “Hennessy” by friends and family. She later decided “Cardi” was a better fit for her.

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

Shania Twain revealed the story behind her stage name during a recent interview on Apple Music’s Home Now Radio. Born Eilleen Regina Edwards, she was later adopted and became Eilleen Regina Twain. When she started her singing career, she realized her name sounded too much like her grandmothers’, both of whom were named Eilleen and Regina. She didn’t want to perform under a name so closely associated with family, so she chose Shania Twain. She had met someone named Shania and loved the sound of it, and that’s how her stage name was born.

Chappell Roan, the singer behind ‘Good Luck, Babe!’, has always approached her stage presence as a carefully crafted persona – a ‘drag project’ – which helps her maintain clear boundaries between her public and private life, and navigate 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 mom always called her “Gigi” at home, 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 got her childhood nickname, Smiley, because she was always so cheerful. Over time, people started calling her Miley instead, and that’s the name that stayed with her.

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 given first name is Daniel, after his father. However, to prevent confusion with another family member, his mother began calling him by his middle name, Jason.

Emma Stone chose to use a stage name because someone else 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’ 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 simply herself.

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

Many fans don’t realize that Tina Fey’s real name is actually Elizabeth. She cleverly honored her birth name by naming her iconic character on 30 Rock, 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 decided on the name Lorde, adding a feminine ‘e’ to it.

Let me tell you a fun little tidbit! Before everyone knew him as the incredible Ricky Martin, he actually went by a different name – a perfectly normal, everyday name, believe it or not! It’s always fascinating to discover the beginnings of our favorite stars, isn’t it?

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

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2026-05-09 01:48