bestunknownfacts.comYou might not know it, but far more famous people than you realize rocketed to celebrity status using fake names.
We’re not talking about actors here, either. It’s commonplace for actors to take a stage name that sounds better, different, or more memorable than their real name. It’s happened countless times and doesn’t exactly warrant a whole list, you know? After all, pretty much everybody knows that John Wayne’s name wasn’t John Wayne. (Yeah, we’re onto you, Marion Morrison…)
Aside from actors, this list dives into the real names of ten world-famous people. These folks are known by pretty much everybody around the globe by one name—but it’s not their given name. Read on for the stories of why these people changed their names, what their birth names really were, and how the world came to know them by the moniker that helped them strike proverbial gold!
10. Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso: The Public Art and Private Life of the Maestro
Pablo Picasso may have been a world-famous painter with a particularly alliterative (and highly memorable) name, but that wasn’t his real name. At least… that wasn’t his entire real name. His actual given name at birth was much longer. Much, much, much longer.
Here, try to say this name five times fast:
Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano María Remedios de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso.
Got it? Or not?
That’s what Pablo Picasso’s real name actually was. But you can’t exactly promote an art show (or literally anything else) with that as your real name. Could you imagine what he would have done with a driver’s license with a name like that? Or a social media username? Too many characters!
Interestingly, until about 1901, Picasso did use one of his many extra names. He’d go by “Pablo Ruiz” or sometimes “Pablo Ruiz Picasso.” But over time, he ditched the “Ruiz” and became known as the man we all remember today. Probably for the better!
9. Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra – Athlete | Mini Bio | BIO
We’ll forgive you if you tend to get the New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra confused with the cartoon character Yogi Bear. Both have weird names, but while one is a made-up cartoon that brings people joy (we hope!), the other is a very real and very talented catcher who played in Major League Baseball forever.
Still, the famed Yankees legend has a strange name. There’s no way his parents actually named him “Yogi” when he was a baby… right?
Correct! The baseball Hall of Famer was born as Lawrence Peter Berra.
Perhaps he would have stayed that way forever (or been called something like Larry or Pete) had he not gone to the movies one day with a pal during his teenage years. The pair came across scenes of a Hindu yogi master. The friend, who evidently was not the most, um, culturally sensitive person in the world, remarked how Yogi (er, Lawrence) looked a lot like that Hindu yogi. From there, the name stuck.
Forever after, he was “Yogi” Berra. And now, it’s the only name we know him by!
8. Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe: Living Blonde (Documentary)
If you’ve ever wondered whether the name “Marilyn Monroe” was simply too good to be true, well, your instincts were correct. It was indeed a stage name for one of the most beautiful (and earliest) bombshell icons in American history.
In reality, the woman who picked that stage name was born Norma Jeane Mortensen. Not a great name, right? “Norma Jeane” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
Even after she got married (well, one of the times she got married) and became Norma Jeane Dougherty, it still wasn’t the smoothest thing to say. So changes were necessary.
Those changes occurred after an entertainment industry executive caught wind of the woman’s grace, style, class, and demeanor. He was enthralled with her beauty and the way she carried herself. And he rightly recognized that she needed a name change.
He picked the name “Marilyn,” inspired by a past Broadway star named Marilyn Miller, and combined it with “Monroe” for that alliteration magic. And voila! That’s how one of the most iconic names in pop culture was born.
(Side note: Marilyn Miller died tragically at 37. Marilyn Monroe also died tragically young at 36.)
7. Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky – Stalin’s Arch Enemy Documentary
Trotsky may have been one of the most well-known and effective Marxist revolutionaries ever, but he wasn’t born Leon Trotsky.
He was actually born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein.
In case you’re wondering, the name Leon Trotsky came about after the Marxist writer was arrested by Russian authorities in 1898. He was imprisoned for his Marxist ideas and sent to a work camp in Siberia. Eventually, he escaped and struck out toward London.
Along the way, he forged a passport using the phony name Leon Trotsky—and he liked it so much, he just kept it forever!
6. Joseph Stalin
The Real Story of Joseph Stalin | Best Stalin Documentary
Joseph Stalin—the iron-fisted Soviet leader—also wasn’t born with the name we all know.
His birth name was Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili.
Yeah, not exactly something easy to chant in a political rally. When he was climbing the ranks of Soviet politics, he decided he needed something short, strong, and memorable.
He chose “Joseph” as a Westernized version of “Iosif,” and he adopted Stalin, which means “man of steel” in Russian. Fitting for the ruthless image he projected.
5. Che Guevara
Che Guevara: Revolutionary Hero | Che’s Life, Legacy, and Theory
Che Guevara, the iconic face of revolution, also wasn’t born with that snappy name.
His full birth name was Ernesto Guevara de la Serna.
In Argentina, people often say “che” like “hey” or “mate” during conversation. Guevara said it so often that people started calling him “Che”—and it stuck!
Soon, he was known worldwide simply as Che Guevara.
4. Babe Ruth
The LIFE Story of BABE RUTH
Another from the list of famous people with fake names? Babe Ruth!
Born as George Herman Ruth, Jr., he earned the nickname “Babe” when he signed his first baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles at age 19.
Since he needed a legal guardian to sign with him (he had grown up in an orphanage), team owner Jack Dunn became his guardian. Teammates teased Ruth as “Dunn’s new babe”—and the nickname just stayed.
3. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela, Anti-Apartheid Activist and World Leader | Biography
Nelson Mandela is one of the most revered leaders of the 20th century, but “Nelson” wasn’t his given name.
He was born Rolihlahla Mandela in 1918.
When he went to a Christian school, one of the teachers gave all the students English names—and she chose “Nelson” for him. It wasn’t his choice, but it became the name the world would come to know. Mandela is often listed among famous people with fake names, as his adopted name became a global symbol of peace and resistance.
2. George Orwell
George Orwell – The First Hipster?
Before penning 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell lived a rough life as Eric Arthur Blair.
He used the pen name “George Orwell” for his first big work, Down and Out in Paris and London, to avoid embarrassing his family with the grim details of his struggles.
The name “George” was suggested by a friend, and he added “Orwell,” inspired by the River Orwell in England.
1. Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant: Victor of the American Civil War
The case of Ulysses S. Grant is maybe the most bizarre of all.
Born as Hiram Ulysses Grant, he hated the name “Hiram” and preferred “Ulysses.”
When applying to West Point, a congressman mistakenly wrote his name down as Ulysses S. Grant—with the “S” invented out of thin air.
Instead of fixing the error, Grant simply rolled with it—and thus, one of America’s most famous generals and presidents got his iconic name by accident!