Why Kim Kardashian Changed Her Name 18 Years Ago

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What’s in a name? That which we call a rose Kim Kardashian, by any other name would smell as sweet.

Before the first episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians aired in October 2007, the star had second thoughts and ultimately decided to change her name for a significant reason.

Kim explained to Time magazine that she used to go by Kimberly until she started filming the reality show. Seeing her full name, Kimberly Kardashian, displayed on screen made her realize it was too lengthy, so she decided to simply go by Kim.

Although she’s now famous worldwide by her nickname, it still feels odd to her.

She added that it’s strange, but everyone who’s known her for a long time – her high school and childhood friends, and even her dad – calls her Kimberly.

Kim has definitely embraced her shorter name. She recently celebrated the holidays with her SKIMS brand – named after her nickname – by hosting a livestream on December 4th with Snoop Dogg and her mother, Kris Jenner. They called the event “Kimsmas.”

Before it became the $5 billion shapewear brand SKIMS, Kim Kardashian – mother to North West (12), Saint West (10), Chicago West (7), and Psalm West (6) with her ex-husband Kanye West – initially chose the name Kimono for her company. However, after receiving criticism from the Japanese government and others, she changed it. She viewed this as a beneficial decision and ultimately rebranded the company as SKIMS.

She explained that you can tell when criticism is worth paying attention to because it becomes overwhelming. With her Kimono line, she realized she deeply respected the culture it drew inspiration from and didn’t want to be accused of disrespecting or misusing it, so she decided to rebrand.

Kim isn’t the only celebrity who goes by a stage name! Her mom, Kris Jenner, was actually born Kristen Houghton. Here are some other famous people who weren’t always known by the names we know today.

Congratulations to Post Malone! He actually added his last name to his stage name. But he prefers his 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, known for playing 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 close friend of her mother. She also mentioned she shortened her name because ‘Aubrey Anderson-Emmons’ is quite a long, hyphenated last name.

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

Oh my gosh, you guys, I was reading this interview with Carl – you KNOW, Carl from the reality show? He’s been on ALL nine seasons, it’s amazing! Anyway, he was telling PopViewers back in August 2025 that even though his first name is William – WILLIAM! – and his I.D. says William, he’s always been Carl. Like, since day one! It’s just… Carl! I knew it, right? He’s just… Carl!

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 named Sterling Brown Jr. and his grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr. He decided he wanted a name of his own because ‘Sterling’ felt like a name for an older man.

I’ve always believed in finding ways to keep loved ones’ memories alive, and one actor from This Is Us did just that. Years after losing his dad to a heart attack, he decided to go back to using his given first name – a beautiful way to honor the man who meant so much to him. It’s a reminder that even small gestures can keep their spirit with us.

My father died when I was ten years old, 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, which was his name.

Andrew, Matthew, and Joey Lawrence all decided to use a different last name professionally. Joey, whose middle name is Lawrence, was the first to make the change, after a talent agent pointed out the family name wasn’t very memorable.

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

Kat Dennings, known for her role in 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 full name publicly advertised, like on a poster.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE where she got her stage name! I was researching everything about her, and it’s so cool! She totally loved Christina Ricci as Kat in Casper and took inspiration from that! But get this – her last name comes from Janine Denni, Lloyd Alexander’s wife! He wrote The Black Cauldron, which my idol’s mom apparently adored and Janine was her best friend! It’s just… everything about her is perfect, and this little detail is everything!

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

You know, it’s funny how things happen! The artist you now know as Shaboozey actually got that name from a simple mistake. Back in high school in Virginia, his last name was misspelled, and he just… embraced it! It stuck with him, and eventually became his official artist name. It just goes to show, sometimes the best things come from unexpected places, right?

The singer first released an album as herself 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 people started calling her sister ‘Hennessy.’ She later shortened it to the name we know today, which she felt was a better fit.

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 singing professionally, she realized her name sounded too much like her grandmothers’ – both were named Eilleen and Regina. She didn’t want to be associated with their names on stage, so she chose a new name. She met someone named Shania and loved the sound of it, ultimately becoming Shania Twain.

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

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 nickname, Smiley, because she was always so cheerful and had a bright smile as a child. Over time, people started calling her Miley instead, and that’s the name everyone uses now.

The singer resembled a Bruno more than a Peter, so his father began calling him Bruno, and that’s the name he’s been known as ever since – Bruno Mars.

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

I’ve been a fan of Jason Sudeikis for ages, and I just learned something interesting about his name! He shared on Today that his birth name was actually Daniel, after his dad. Apparently, there was some confusion with another Daniel around, so his mom started calling him Jason – his middle name – to keep things straight. It’s a fun little story about how he ended up with the name we all know!

Emma Stone chose her stage name because someone else was already registered with the Screen Actors Guild under her given name.

Interestingly, Reese Witherspoon’s first name isn’t actually her middle name! She’s named after her mother, whose last name before marriage was Reese.

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 of 30 Rock, was actually born Elizabeth. She cleverly 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 fascination with nobility, which is why she decided on 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!

Fans were surprised when Taylor Swift publicly thanked her boyfriend, Adam, during a speech, which prompted many to realize that Calvin Harris isn’t his real name. Harris later explained to Shortlist magazine that he adopted the name because his first song had a soulful sound 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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2025-12-06 00:50