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It’s not uncommon for celebrities to change their names on their way to fame – so much so that fans usually aren’t aware that their favourite artists used to go by another moniker.
Some have elected to make the change official by legally taking on a new name, while others simply go by their chosen aliases.
In November, Jonah Hill reportedly filed to legally change his name , dropping his surname Feldstein to just go by Jonah Hill .
It follows after Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul filed to change his own name from Aaron Paul Sturtevant to simply Aaron Paul.
Other A-listers have also changed their names over the years.
Bob Dylan , for example, was born Robert Zimmerman but legally changed his name in 1962.
Portia de Rossi was once known as Amanda Lee Rogers, but like Dylan, she legally changed it, in her case at the age of 15.
This is a common move for performing artists, with David Bowie , Katy Perry and John Legend having all chosen new stage names for themselves on their path to fame.
Below are 27 celebrities who were born with very different names
Click through the bellow gallery to see what made the list
27 celebrities who were born with very different namesShow all 27 1 /2727 celebrities who were born with very different names 27 celebrities who were born with very different names David Bowie The Thin White Duke was once known as David Robert Jones.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Bob Dylan Robert Zimmerman legally changed his name to Bob Dylan in 1962.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Nicolas Cage Cage was born Nicholas Kim Coppola, but sharing his uncle Francis For Coppola's surname was too much for the budding actor.
Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Michael Caine Michael Caine was born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr in 1933.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Elvis Costello Elvis Costello was born Declan Patrick MacManus in 1954.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV picked a new name before becoming a Hollywood star.
CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Vin Diesel The Fast & Furious icon was born Mark Sinclair in 1967.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Minnie Driver Minnie Driver was born Amelia Fiona Driver in 1970.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Jodie Foster Jodie Foster was born Alicia Christian Foster in 1962.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Jamie Foxx The internet was shocked to discover in 2017 that Foxx's birth name is Eric Marlon Bishop.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson has said that "Whoopi" is short for "whoopee cushion".
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Audrey Hepburn Once upon a time, the Breakfast at Tiffany's star was known as Audrey Kathleen Ruston.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Elton John Reginald Kenneth Dwight legally became Elton John in 1972.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam chose to go by her middle name, which itself was inspired by the sitcom Mork & Mindy .
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Spike Lee Spike Lee was born Shelton Jackson Lee in 1957.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names John Legend John Roger Stephens earned the nickname "Legend" from his friends and decided to use it as his stage name.
Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Bruno Mars Bruno Mars was born Peter Gene Hernandez in 1985.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Nicki Minaj The rapper was born Onika Tanya Maraj in 1982.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Helen Mirren Born Ilynea Lydia Mironoff in 1945, Helen Mirren changed her name before fame caught up with her.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson was born in 1984 – and shot to fame two decades later under the name Katy Perry.
Rich Fury/Getty Images for iHeartMedia
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Natalie Portman Natalie Portman was born Neta-Lee Hershlag in 1981.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Portia de Rossi Amanda Lee Rogers changed her name to Portia de Rossi aged 15.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Meg Ryan The You've Got Mail star was born Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra in 1961.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
27 celebrities who were born with very different names Tupac Shakur Tupac Shakur was born Lesane Parish Crooks in 1971. His mother changed his name to Tupac Amaru Shakur when he was one.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Charlie Sheen Charlie Sheen was born Carlos Irwin Estévez in 1965.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names Cobie Smulders Cobie Smulders was born Jacoba Francisca Maria Smulders in 1982.
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27 celebrities who were born with very different names John Wayne John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in 1903.
(Photo by McCarthy/Express/Getty Images)
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