Reading
Choosing Names
Use this list of famous people who have changed their names to explore the relationship between names and identity.
Chosen Name | Birth Name |
---|---|
Jay-Z | Shawn Corey Carter |
Lady Gaga | Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta |
Jon Stewart | Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz |
Mark Twain | Samuel Langhorne Clemens |
Muhammad Ali | Cassius Clay |
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor, Jr. |
Nina Dobrev | Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva |
Jamie Foxx | Eric Marlon Bishop |
Lorde | Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor |
Charlie Sheen | Carlos Irwin Estévez |
Nicki Minaj | Onika Tanya Maraj |
Bruno Mars | Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez |
Faith Hill | Audrey Perry |
Lana Del Rey | Elizabeth Grant |
Vin Diesel | Mark Vincent |
Marilyn Monroe | Norma Jeane Mortenson |
Dr. Seuss | Theodor Geisel |
Dick Lewis Barnett | Dick Lewis Smith |
Thomas Grant | Jeff Davis |
Supporting Materials
How to Cite This Reading
Facing History & Ourselves, “Choosing Names ”, last updated June 17, 2017.
The resources I’m getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.
—
Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif