42 Things That Were Originally Called Something Completely Different From What They're Called Today

    Fun fact I can never forget: Michael J. Fox's name is actually Michael A. Fox. He changed it because it sounded like "Michael, a fox," so he added a "J" as a tribute to actor Michael J. Pollard.

    I'm sure you know by now that Twitter is now called X.

    pic.twitter.com/XEydRiST9D

    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 29, 2023
    Twitter: @elonmusk

    Because I'm feeling random, let's look at 42 people and things that were also initially named something else...

    1. Hannah Montana was originally named Alexis Texas.

    Close-up of Miley Cyrus

    2. Meryl Streep's real name is Mary Streep.

    Close-up of Meryl

    3. Sour Patch Kids were originally called Mars Men.

    Close-up of Sour Patch Kids

    4. SpongeBob was originally called Spongeboy. They couldn't use that name because "Spongeboy" was copyrighted by a mop company.

    Close-up of SpongeBob

    5. Cookie Monster's legal name is Sidney.

    Close-up of the Cookie Monster

    6. Popeyes was originally named Chicken on the Run.

    Close-up of Popeyes sign

    7. Snapchat was originally named Pictaboo.

    Close-up of Snapchat logo

    8. Fred Durst originally considered calling Limp Bizkit Blood Fart.

    Close-up of Fred

    9. The Powerpuff Girls were originally called the Whoopass Girls.

    Close-up of the Powerpuff Girls

    10. Clifford's name was originally Tiny.

    Close-up of Clifford

    11. The Spice Girls were originally named Touch.

    Close-up of the Spice Girls

    12. The show New Girl was originally called Chicks and Dicks.

    Close-up of Zooey Deschanel at a media event

    13. The show Friends was originally called Six of One.

    A scene from Friends

    14. The iMac was originally supposed to be named MacMan.

    Close-up of people standing in front of an old iMac

    15. 7-Eleven stores were originally named Tote’m Stores.

    Close-up of the 7-Eleven logo

    16. Nickelback's original name was Village Idiot.

    Close-up of the band on the red carpet

    17. Bumblebees were originally called humblebees.

    Close-up of a bumblebee on a flower

    18. The Goo Goo Dolls' original name was the Sex Maggots.

    Close-up of John Rzeznik performing

    19. Saved by the Bell started out as Good Morning, Miss Bliss.

    Close-up of cast members

    20. Michael J. Fox's real name is Michael A. Fox.

    Close-up of Michael

    21. Q-tips were originally called Baby Gays. The "Q" in Q-tips stands for "quality."

    Close-up of Q-tips

    22. Julianne Moore was born Julie Anne Smith.

    Close-up of Julianne at a media event

    23. John Stamos's character on Full House was originally named Adam Cochran instead of Jesse Katsopolis.

    Close-up of John and Lori Loughlin

    24. Tic Tacs were originally simply named Refreshing Mints.

    Close-up of a Tic Tac display

    25. Tim Allen's real name is Timothy Dick.

    Close-up of Tim holding a microphone

    26. Google was originally called BackRub.

    Close-up of the Google logo

    27. Mickey Mouse was originally named Mortimer.

    Close-up of Mickey Mouse in a parade

    28. The movie Scream was originally called Scary Movie.

    Person wearing a Ghostface mask

    29. Bruno Mars's real name is Peter Gene Hernandez.

    Close-up of Bruno standing in front of many plants

    30. Chick-fil-A was originally named Dwarf Grill and later Dwarf House.

    Close-up of a Chick-fil-A restaurant and logo

    31. Not only was cotton candy invented by a dentist, but it was also originally called fairy floss.

    Close-up of a person eating cotton candy

    32. 7 Up was originally called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. It contained lithium citrate and was used as an antidepressant.

    Close-up of bottles of 7 Up

    33. Buzz Lightyear was originally named Lunar Larry.

    Close-up of Buzz Lightyear

    34. The peach Crayola crayon was originally called flesh.

    Close-up of peach crayons in front of a box of Crayola crayons

    35. Cheerios were originally called Cheerioats.

    Close-up of a box of Cheerios

    36. Oprah Winfrey was born Orpah Winfrey.

    Close-up of Oprah onstage holding a microphone

    37. Eggo waffles were originally called Froffles, which is a combination of "frozen" and "waffles."

    A close-up of Eggo waffles in a store

    38. Lana Del Rey's birth name is Lizzy Grant.

    A close-up of Lana smiling

    39. Maroon 5's original name was Kara's Flowers.

    Close-up of Maroon 5 at a media event

    40. Destiny's Child were originally called Girls Tyme.

    Close-up of Destiny's Child performing

    41. Pepsi was originally called Brad's Drink.

    Close-up of bottles of Pepsi

    42. And lastly, Keanu Reeves almost changed his name to Chuck Spadina because his first name was too hard to pronounce.

    Close-up of Keanu onstage in front of a microphone