Real name: Emily Jean Stone
Upon registering with the Screen Actor’s Guild as a 16-year-old, the “La La Land” star was told her name, Emily Stone, was already taken. That’s when she chopped off a few letters and changed her name to “Emma.” Little did she know that “Emma” would be a popular first name in Hollywood, too. Can’t beat them all.
Real name: Natalie Hershlag
To protect her family’s private life from the spotlight, the actress swapped the last name she was born with, Hershlag, for her grandmother’s maiden name, Portman.
Real name: Milena Markovna Kunis
Born in the Ukraine before moving to Los Angeles, the actress decided to shorten her name when she was first starting out on “Days of Our Lives” to make her credit snappier and easier to pronounce.
Real name:Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
The pop star initially tried out the name “Katy Hudson” when she was starting her career as a gospel singer. Years later, when she switched over to pop, she opted for her mother’s maiden name, Perry, to not have people mistake her with Kate Hudson.
Real name: Olivia Jane Cockburn
The actress comes from a long line of famous journalists, all with the last name “Cockburn.” But the “Vinyl” star probably wanted a change of pace, which is why after she was in a high school production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest,” the actress ditched “Cockburn” and adopted the playwright’s famous surname.
Real name: Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
After dropping out of New York University a semester early of graduating to pursue her dream of becoming an actress, the “When Harry Met Sally” star changed her name to something snappier. Apparently, four first names wasn’t catchy enough.
Real name: Lea Michele Safarti
While on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” the “Glee” star got real about her name change. She said bullies in school would often call her “Lea So-Farty” and “Lea So-Fatty” because of their sonic similarity to her surname. (If “So-Farty” and “So-Fatty” are the best you can do, you really need to rethink your choices.) So when she was out on her first audition and the casting director asked for her name, the singer dropped “Safarti” and used her middle name as her last name and went with “Lea Michele.”
Real name: Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
Whereas the comedian shares her birth name, Elizabeth, with her “30 Rock” character, Liz Lemon, the actress’ stage name is a shortened version of her middle name, Stamatina.
Real name: Kelendria Trene Rowland
To keep things catchy, the Destiny’s Child member shortened her first name to “Kelly.” Plus, it was the title she basically went by when growing up.
Real name: Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria before moving to Toronto, Canada as a 2-year-old, “The Vampire Diaries” star changed her name to make it drastically shorter and easier to remember.
Real name: Adam Richard Wiles
Right before dropping his first single, which the DJ described as a “soul track,” the Scottish musician decided he needed a stage name. He chose “Calvin Harris” to seem “racially ambiguous” when people heard his music. OK, then…