Real names, stage names

freddie mercury on stage with a big english flag on his back

Actors, singers, as well as writers and artists, often give up their unpronounceable names in favor of easier (or just more appealing) stage names or pen names. Here are the most famous pseudonyms in the world and the terrible names they conceal.

Best stage names

Stage name	Real name
Marilyn Monroe	Norma Jeane Mortenson Baker Monroe
Brigitte Bardot	Camille Javal
Bo Derek	Mary Cathleen Collins
Bob Dylan	Robert Allen Zimmerman
Elton John	Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Iggy Pop	James Newell Osterberg
Demi Moore	Demetria Guynes
Yves Montand	Ivo Livi
Lady Gaga	Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta

Shortest stage names

Stage name	Real name
Eminem	Marshall Bruce Mathers III
Sting	Gordon Matthew Sumner
Moebius	Jean Giraud
Hergé	Georges Remi
Skin	Deborah Anne Dryer
Neera	Anna Zuccari Radius
Voltaire	François-Marie Arouet
Molière	Jean-Baptiste Poquelin

Best pen names

Pen name	Real name
Stephen King	Richard Bachman
Agatha Christie	Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller
George Orwell	Eric Arthur Blair
George Sand	Amantine Aurore Lucile Dupin
Marguerite Yourcenar	Marguerite de Crayencour
Sophie Kinsella	Madeleine Sophie Wickham
Fred Vargas	Frédérique Audoin-Rouzeau

Unpronounceable real names

Stage name	Real name
Woody Allen	Allan Stewart Königsberg
Jennifer Aniston	Jennifer Anastassakis
Dan Aykroyd	Daniel Edward Agraluscasacra
Freddie Mercury	Farrokh Bulsara
Kirk Douglas	Issur Danilovitch Demsky
Vivien Leigh	Vivian Mary Hartleyù
George Michael	Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou
Stevie Wonder	Steveland Hardaway Judkins
Charles Aznavour	Chahnourh Varinag Aznavourian

Best Italian stage names

Stage name	Real name
Elvis Costello	Declan Patrick McManus
Tony Curtis	Bernard Schwartz
Curzio Malaparte	Kurt Erich suckert
Italo Svevo	Aron Hector Schmitz

Best English stage names

Stage name	Real name
Rita Hayworth	Margarita Carmen Cansino
Ashley Judd	Ashley Tyler Ciminella
Dean Martin	Dino Paul Crocetti
Anne Bancroft	Anna Maria Louise Italiano