It is not uncommon for actors and musicians to alter their names or change it all together to make it more appropriate for the screen and/or the stage. Or sometimes an actress gets married and gets her husband’s surname and decides to keep after the divorce. And sometimes actors are forced to make alterations when there are other celebrities with the same name. Here are some of the most famous celebrities that made changes:

1. Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton’s original name is Michael Douglas. But because by the time Michael was getting acting gigs, Michael Douglas was already a star. So he changed his surname to Keaton, inspired by actress Diane Keaton.

2. Meg Ryan

Meg Ryan’s real name is Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra. She is rumored to have changed it to her maid’s name (Meg Ryan). IMDB thinks might be inspired by Germany.

3. Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder was actually Winona Laura Horowitz when she was born in 1971, in Winona, Minnesota. She was named after the town she was born.

4. Jon Bon Jovi

Italian/American rocker and actor Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi. The record company suggested he changed his name as Jon Bon Jovi, making it a more memorable name and one that will be easier to write and sign on the posters and album covers. His band Bon Jovi was named after his changed last name, also the record company’s idea.

5. David Bryan

David Bryan is the keyboard player of Bon Jovi and he was born David Bryan Rahbaum. He dropped his last name and became known as David Bryan after the first two Bon Jovi albums.

6. Mel Gibson

Famous American actor/director/producer Mel Gibson was born Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson.

7. Puff Daddy /P. Diddy

Rapper Sean Combs used Puff Daddy as his stage name for a long time before changing it to P. Diddy.

8. Marilyn Manson

Rocker Marilyn Manson was born Brian Hugh Warner in Ohio, in 1969. His stage name is a combination of the first name of actress Marilyn Monroe and the last name of murder convict Charles Manson.

9. Prince - The Artist

Before changing his stage name to The Artist, we knew him as Prince. Well, people started referring to him as The Artist or The Artist Formerly Known as Prince when he started using an unpronounceable symbol for his name. His full name is Prince Rogers Nelson. He is currently using Prince again.

10. Michelle Marie Pfeiffer

Compared to the other celebrities, Michelle Pfeiffer has made quite a small change from her birth name Michelle Marie Pfeiffer, by just dropping “Marie”.

Resources: imdb and wikipedia