Celebrities Who Have Changed Their Names: Kanye West, More

Having a life in Hollywood comes with a lot of attention, from photos being taken of their famous families to curiosity of what they do for fun. Some even made headlines for changing their name from the moniker given to them at birth.

In Touch takes a look at a handful of stars who have adopted a new name, including Kanye West, who legally changed his name to Ye in recent years, as well as celebrity children like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner‘s child Fin Affleck and Cher‘s child Chaz Bono, whom the singer shares with late ex-husband Sonny Bono.

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Kanye West

On August 24, 2021, Kanye filed to legally change his name to Ye, the Los Angeles Superior Court’s public information officer told In Touch at the time. Since then, the Donda artist has urged the music industry to honor his new moniker. In fact, Ye’s chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, wrote a letter in February 2024 asking that the rapper no longer be referred to by his “slave name.” The letter, obtained by Page Six, read, “Ye is one of the most recognizable people in the world, on par with presidents and popes. He didn’t take the decision to change his name, potentially sacrificing some of the immense value captured by the brand of ‘Kanye West,’ lightly. The change was made fully, legally, and permanently. This is who he is now. His name is Ye.” Yiannopoulos wrote that he is calling on “streaming platforms, publishers, stores, unions, lyrics websites and data resellers” to make the change since they are some of “the most visible places.”

Fin Affleck

Ben and Jennifer’s teenager confirmed their new moniker at a March 2024 memorial service for the 13 Going on 30 star’s dad. While speaking at the service, which was streamed live on the Charleston, West Virginia, Christ Church United Methodist Facebook page, the couple’s middle child said, “Hello, my name is Fin Affleck.” Fin, whose siblings are Violet and Samuel, wore a black suit and tie with a buzz cut on full display. Fin debuted the new hairstyle while out and about in February. During another outing that month, they were photographed wearing a backpack that had the name “FIN” embroidered across the front.

Vin Diesel

Born Mark Sinclair, the Fast and the Furious actor changed his name years ago when he was working as a bouncer at the New York nightclub Tunnel and wanted something that sounded tougher. Vin comes from his mother’s maiden name Vincent, and Diesel was inspired by his friends. During an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Vin explained, “In New York, when you’re a bouncer, the last thing you do is ever tell anybody you’re real name because of all the problems that could happen. So the other bouncers started calling me Vin Diesel, and it stuck.”

Chaz Bono

The child of legendary singer Cher and her late ex-husband Sonny, Chaz came out as a transgender man in 2009 and adopted a new name. A documentary about Chaz’s transition, titled Becoming Chaz, eventually premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and Cher’s son also wrote a book about the experience, 2012’s Transition: Becoming Who I Was Always Meant to Be. In 2020, the “Believe” singer opened up about her son’s transition, telling Today, “Chaz is so happy, so unbelievably happy, and I don’t know what the people’s problems are. They’re fearful, and they just don’t understand how to react to it. Some of it’s religious, I’m just not sure why it’s such a big thing. I talk to people on Twitter, or people come up to me, and I just say, ‘You know, just relax, and you guys will get through it, you’ll get through it together.'”

Whoopi Goldberg

The EGOT winner, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, is known for her unique name, which she’s said is inspired by the whoopee cushion. “If you get a little gassy, you’ve got to let it go. So people used to say to me, ‘You’re like a whoopee cushion.’ And that’s where the name came from,” she told The New York Times in 2006. Goldberg is her mother’s maiden name. “My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my name, it’s part of my family, part of my heritage. Just like being Black,” she told The Jewish Chronicle in 2011.

Dove Cameron

The Disney Channel star, born Chloe Celeste Hoffman, honored her father by changing her name to Dove. In a 2017 tweet, the Descendants actress responded to a fan asking what inspired the new moniker she now goes by. “My father always called me dove. he took his own life when i was 15, i didn’t get to say goodbye, so i changed it in honor of him,” she said on X (formerly Twitter). In a separate tweet, she explained, “This is not a secret. all of my friends and family publicly call me chloe. i talk about this all the time. no explaining necessary. ✌🏻🌟✌🏻.”

Jamie Foxx

The Oscar-winning actor was born Eric Marlon Bishop but changed his name when he was pursuing stand-up comedy. During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Jamie explained, “When I got to L.A., [there] was an open-mic night, so I put my name down: Eric Bishop. I go up, have a great set, standing ovation, right? I went back for the next few weeks; they wouldn’t let me back up because the comedians ran the list, so every time they saw my name, they were like, ‘Nah,’ [because] they don’t want the competition. So I end up going to Santa Monica improv. Even at the improv, back in that day, I notice there would be 100 dudes who would show up, but only a few girls. So I wrote on the list a unisex name, Tracy Brown, Stacey Green, Jamie Foxx.” It seems Jamie Foxx was the one that landed!