Look, there are some celebrity stage names that are pretty obvious. Lady Gaga? Yes. Meg Thee Stallion? Of course. But recently, I started doing some digging into other stage names, and the results left me shook! Here are some celebs that I had absolutely no idea use stage names instead of their real names.
1. Lucy Hale

Real name: Karen Lucille Hale
Who would've thought Lucy Hale is actually a Karen???
2. Travis Scott

Real name: Jacques Berman Webster II
Travis Scott totally sounds like it could be someone's actual name, so I'm letting myself off the hook on this one.
3. Nina Dobrev

Real name: Nikolina Kamenova Dobreva
A simple shortening I personally never expected.
4. John Legend

Real name: John Roger Stephen
I guess this one's on me for thinking his last name was actually Legend.
5. Natalie Portman

Real name: Neta-Lee Hershlag
Neta-Lee = Natalie. Makes sense!
6. Bruno Mars

Real name: Peter Gene Hernandez
Huh, who knew? Certainly not me.
7. Gigi Hadid

Real name: Jelena Noura Hadid
A small but significant change!
8. Meryl Streep

Real name: Mary Louise Streep
She'll always be Meryl to me, but Mary Louise is still a nice name.
9. Elton John

Real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Just like his stage name, his real name is regal as hell.
10. Tina Fey

Real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
This one really threw me for some reason.
11. Meghan Markle

Real name: Rachel Meghan Markle
But I guess her NEW new name is Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
12. Jamie Foxx

Real name: Eric Marlon Bishop
Not at all what I was expecting.
13. Mila Kunis

Real name: Milena Markovna Kunis
I actually love the name Milena, TBH.
14. Alicia Keys

Real name: Alicia Augello-Cook Dean
Because she's amazing at playing the piano! Ahhh, I get it.
15. Courtney Love

Real name: Courtney Michelle Harrison
This one's not too far off, but still.
16. Olivia Wilde

Real name: Olivia Jane Cockburn
Wow.
17. Rihanna

Real name: Robyn Rihanna Fenty
Robyn...Rihanna...she's still the queen of Fenty so whatevs.
18. Halsey

Real name: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
Raise your hand if you were today years old when you realized "Halsey" is an anagram for "Ashley."
19. Whoopi Goldberg

Real name: Caryn Elaine Johnson
Whoopi is so iconic, she can call herself whatever she wants.
20. Calvin Harris

Real name: Adam Richard Wiles
Yes, I know, Taylor Swift called him Adam at that awards show one time, but I completely forgot about that.
21. Spike Lee

Real name: Shelton Lee
Apparently, Lee's mom nicknamed him Spike when he was younger.
22. Kit Harington

Real name: Christopher Catesby Harington
Love how he changed it to Kit. Like a Kit Kar bar!
23. Frank Ocean

Real name: Christopher Edwin Cooksey
Again, this one's on me for thinking his last name was Ocean.
24. And Mindy Kaling

Real name: Vera Mindy Chokalingam
Vera's a lovely name, but she'll always be Queen Mindy to me.