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Reese Witherspoon - Her birth certificate reads Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. But the actress opted to use her unusual middle name—in fact her mother's maiden name—as a stage name at the tender age of 14.

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Paul McCartney - The former Beatle was born James Paul McCartney: John, er James, George, and Ringo? Not quite the same, is it?

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Casey Affleck - Like older brother Ben, Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt has Irish, German, English, and Swiss ancestry. The surname "Affleck" is of Scottish origin.

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Aaron Paul - Best known for his role as Jesse Pinkman in the series 'Breaking Bad,' Aaron Paul appeared under his full name, Aaron Paul Sturtevant, on an episode of 'The Price is Right' in 2000.

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Ashton Kutcher - Christopher Ashton Kutcher dropped Christopher at 19, when his modeling and acting career took off.

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Bruce Wills - Walter Bruce Willis was born in West Germany. As a kid, the future actor's buddies nicknamed him Bruno. But it was Walter that had to go.

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Drake - The Canadian musician was born Aubrey Drake Graham, but the rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer is universally known by his middle name.

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Dakota Fanning - Apparently, her father had wanted to name her "Dakota" and her mother wanted to name her "Hannah." Ultimately, Hannah Dakota Fanning dropped her first name. Look's like dad has won the day.

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Elle Fanning - Younger sister of Dakota, Mary Elle Fanning decided early on to use her middle name both personally and professionally.

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Garth Brooks - Born Troyal Garth Brooks, the singer shares the same first name as his father. As his fame grew however, he decided to change tune and go with Garth for a more individual-sounding name. Because apparently Troyal wasn't unique enough...

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Jonah Hill - Known for his comedic roles, Jonah Hill Feldstein is credited simply as Jonah Hill.

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Keke Palmer - Born Lauren Keyana Palmer, the singer and actress decided to drop Keyana and use her nickname "Keke" professionally.

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Jason Momoa - A native of Hawaii, actor Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa's Polynesian roots are evident in his name, but it's a bit of a mouthful! His shortened name respects his father's Hawaiian ancestry and his mother's German, Irish, and American Indian descent.

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Meghan Markle - Meghan Markle was born as Rachel Meghan Markle.

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Jude Law - English actor David Jude Heyworth Law is known personally and professionally as Jude Law. Apparently he was named Jude in honor of the book 'Jude the Obscure' and the Beatles' song 'Hey Jude.'

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Mindy Kaling - Born Vera Mindy Chokalingam, the actress and writer insists she has never been called Vera but instead has always been referred to as Mindy. She devised "Kaling" after realizing few people could pronounce her surname properly.

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Brad Pitt - William Bradley Pitt was named after his father, William Alvin Pitt. Today the A-lister is loved and admired as Brad Pitt.

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Lea Michele - Actress Lea Michele Sarfati started using her middle name at an early age, and gave her name as Lea Michele for one of her first auditions.

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Lucy Hale - The 'Pretty Little Liars' actress was born Karen Lucille Hale. She was named after one of her great-grandmothers, but was called Lucy as a child.

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Norah Jones - Her father was revered Indian musician Ravi Shankar, but Geetali Norah Jones Shankar shared more of an affinity with her mother, Paula Jones. She eventually changed her name to Norah Jones, with both parents' consent.

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Rihanna - Known worldwide simply as Rihanna, the singer and songwriter was in fact born as Robyn Rihanna Fenty. Rihanna is the only name she now uses.

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Ryan Phillippe - Matthew Ryan Phillippe may have forsaken his first name, but his surname reflects the popular actor's French ancestry.

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Skylar Astin - Skylar Astin Lipstein was 15 when the budding actor's agent selected his middle name, Astin, as part of his charge's stage name.

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Rooney Mara - Patricia Rooney Mara's professional name combines her mother's maiden name, Rooney, with that of her father's surname.

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Theo James - Born in England as Theodore Peter James Kinnaird Taptiklis, the actor is today simply known by the shortened version of his first name, and one of his middle names.

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Angelina Jolie - Daughter of veteran actor Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie Voight has had a lifelong dysfunctional relationship with her father. She legally removed her surname "Voight" in favor of her middle name in 2002.

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Tim McGraw - The country singer and actor entered this world as Samuel Timothy McGraw, but performs around the world as roll-off-the-tongue Tim McGraw.

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Tom Hardy - English actor Edward Thomas Hardy chose to be known as Tom Hardy as early as 2001 in the miniseries 'Band of Brothers' and 'Black Hawk Down.'

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Tom Cruise - By all accounts the actor's father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, was a bully. Young Tom quickly distanced himself from the man he described as a "coward," and never adopted his given name, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV.

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Tina Fey - Her full name is Elizabeth Stamatina Fey, but she's known throughout the entertainment industry as Tina Fey.

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Zachary Levi - An American but of Welsh ancestry, the actor and singer was born Zachary Levi Pugh.

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Will Ferrell - A simple abbreviation of his middle name turned John William Ferrell into Will Ferrell.

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Brody Jenner - A member of the Jenner family clan, TV personality, model, and disc jockey Brody Jenner's full name is Sam Brody Jenner.

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Kevin Jonas - Rising to fame as a member of the pop rock band the Jonas Brothers with brothers Joe and Nick, Kevin Jonas is actually Paul Kevin Jonas II.

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Warren Beatty - The veteran Hollywood heartthrob grew up using his full name, Henry Warren Beatty, before hitting the big time in Tinseltown and dropping Henry (besides, another Henry called Fonda was doing very well at the time).

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Marie Osmond - Remember the 1970s singing group The Osmonds? Well, one member of the show-business family declined to join the band, Olive Marie Osmond. But as Marie Osmond, she did host a television variety show with brother Donny called 'Donny & Marie.'

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Faith Hill - Country music star Audrey Faith McGraw (neé Perry) performs as Faith Hill. She's married to singer Tim McGraw, who's also on this list.

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Jason Sudeikis - Actor, comedian, and screenwriter Daniel Jason Sudeikis is quite happy working without his first name.

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Téa Leoni - Actress Elizabeth Téa Pantaleoni is better known by her stage name Téa Leoni. She has Polish, English, Italian, and Irish blood in her.

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Kevin Spacey - Kevin Spacey Fowler started using his middle name in the mid-1970s for a school production of the 'The Sound of Music.'

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Lance Bass - The singer, dancer, and actor's full name is James Lance Bass.

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Trent Reznor - It just wouldn't sound the same if the Nine Inch Nails front man went by his full name, Michael Trent Reznor.

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Sean Connery -

The name's Thomas, Thomas Connery. The late Scottish actor and former 007 was named Thomas after his grandfather. But his middle name Sean won the license to kill.

See also: Actors reveal the stories behind their stage names

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