Pamela Anderson Unveils Red Hot Hair in Jaw-Dropping TransformationTurns out, Pamela Anderson is her showgirl name. The Naked Gun actress shared her desire to change her name to Pamela Hyytiäinen to honor her family's Finnish roots. "Sometimes I don't want to be Pamela Anderson," the actress told Vogue Scandinavia in an interview published Dec. 2. "I want to be Pamela Hyytiäinen. I would like to change my name, but they won’t let me." The 58-year-old revealed that her grandfather Herman Hyytiäinen changed his family's last name to Anderson when they moved to Canada in an effort to more easily assimilate. When she was growing up, her grandfather was "the closest person" to her in her life, she explained, and he even taught her Finnish, though her fluency in her family's native language "kind of left with him" when he died when she was around 11. Still, Herman passed along his wonderous spirit and belief in folklore in Pamela, who says she's been exploring different identities in recent years."My imagination has run wild with me over the years," she shared. "I’ve been trying different people on for size. You have to peel it all back, many times, and start over and over again." And while her penchant for shapeshifting has been clear in recent years—most recently with her sizzling red hair transformation—she has also made it clear that she'll always do so in ways that are authentically her.Marco Bahler/VogueIn fact, Pamela spoke out about accusations that she and Liam Neeson faked their romance to garner attention for Naked Gun earlier this year. "I do not and will never feed into PR stunts," she said at the Deauville American Film Festival in France in September, per People. "That would be a death sentence. I'm authentically driven. I'm superstitious when it comes to love. And I'm not comfortable sharing any shred of my romantic life." Pamela—who is mom to Brandon Thomas Lee, 29, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 27, with ex Tommy Lee—went on to explain that it's only natural for her to generate chemistry with her romantic interests while working on film projects. "I know I'll fall in love again and again onscreen. That is my job," she explained. "If we do it well, you will feel it, a kind of projection. It is the greatest compliment." "So please think positive," she went on. "And I appreciate your good wishes. There are no silly games being played. I'm sincere." Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty ImagesWhile Pamela might not be planning to actually change her name, keep reading for stars who did...Steve Jennings/FilmMagicAustin Richard PostCongratulations to Post Malone, who incorporated his surname into his stage name. However, the rapper does prefer his close friends to call him by his real name. During the 2024 MTV VMAs, Taylor Swift referred to him as "Austin" when they won the Best Collaboration award for their duet "Fortnight."Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty ImagesAubrey Frances Anderson-EmmonsThough she portrayed Lilly on Modern Family under the name Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, the actress changed her moniker to Frances Anderson mark her era as a musician. “Frances is actually part of my legal name—it’s my middle name, and it’s after my mom’s old family friend,” she explained in a 2025 E! News interview. “I thought, one, it was a bit shorter than ‘Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.’ I do have a long, hyphenated last name.”Clifton Prescod/BravoWilliam Carl RadkeThe Summer House star shocked Bravo fans by revealing his legally given first name isn't actually Carl. "My I.D. and my passport—my first name is William," Carl—who has appeared on the reality show for all nine seasons—he told PopViewers in August 2025. "So, my middle name is Carl, but I've always, since day one, been called Carl."Frank Micelotta/PictureGroup for Disney/ShutterstockSterling Kelby BrownSterling K. Brown went by his middle name Kelby until he was a teenager. "My dad's name is Sterling Brown Jr., my grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr.,” he said during an April 2025 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. "I wanted my own name and it felt like Sterling was an old man's name." But years after his dad died from a heart attack, the This Is Us alum decided to revert back to his first name as a way to honor his father. "Because he passed away when I was 10, by the time I turned 16 and I hadn't heard his name for five, five-and-a-half years,” he continued. “I was like, ‘I kinda just want to hear that name again.’ So I asked people to call me Sterling."Gerardo Mora/Getty ImagesAndrew Mignogna, Matthew Mignogna & Joey MignognaAndrew Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence and Joey Lawrence adopted a new last name in their careers. Joey—whose middle name is Lawrence—was the first to do so after a talent agent criticized the family surname.Amy Sussman/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo BankKatherine Victoria LitwackKat Dennings adopted a stage name at age 9, years before she made her official onstage acting debut on a 2000 episode of Sex and the City. The 2 Broke Girls alum told Kylie Kelce on the March 13, 2025 episode of her podcast Not Gonna Lie With Kylie Kelce that she didn't think her real name name should "be displayed on a poster." The actress drew inspiration for her stage name from Christina Ricci's character Kat in the film Casper as well as the surname of Janine Denni, the French wife of late The Black Cauldron author Lloyd Alexander, a writer she said was her mother's best friend.Emma McIntyre/WireImageCheryl SarkisianFor more than three decades, Cher was made to believe that her legal first name was Cherilyn. It wasn't until the late '70s, when she obtained her birth certificate in order to change her full name to just Cher, that she discovered that she had been registered as "Cheryl." In her 2024 memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the pop icon recalled her mom Georgia Holt's reaction to this discovery. She said her mother, who gave birth to her at age 19, responded, "Let me look at that!" and then, recalling her postpartum experience, added, "I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break."Prince Williams/WireImageCollins Obinna ChibuezeThe outlaw country star adopted Shaboozey as his nickname and later used it as his official alias as a music artist after his Virginia high school misspelled his surname that way.(Disney/Eric McCandless)Katheryn Elizabeth HudsonThough the singer initially released a Christian album under her birth name in 2001, she felt the stage name Katy Perry—inspired by her mom's maiden name—might meet pop fans more in awe, awe, awe. Mike Coppola/Getty Images for iHeartMediaBelcalis AlmanzarCardi B took on the name Bacardi after family and friends started calling her sister Hennessy. Later on she shortened the name to something that suited her quite a bit more.Tim Rooke/Shutterstock Rachel Meghan MarkleBefore she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was briefly known as Rachel. Kevin Winter/Getty Images for StagecoachEilleen Regina EdwardsShania Twain shared the origin story of her stage name during an appearance on Apple Music's Home Now Radio: "In short, I was born, Eilleen Regina Edwards, and then I was adopted and I became Eilleen Regina Twain. Then I became a professional singer and I needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother's name, because I'm named after my grandmother, both my grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina. I think, in my mind, I was just not really wanting to be called my grandmother's name onstage, so I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born."Christopher Victorio/ShutterstockKayleigh Rose AmstutzThe “Good Luck, Babe!” singer’s onstage persona—Chappell Roan—has always been a “drag project,” allowing her to set boundaries and separate her personal life from the industry.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty ImagesJelena Noura HadidOddly enough, Gigi Hadid got her stage name in school when the teacher would confuse her and a girl named Helena. Since her mom called her "gigi" as a term of endearment at home, she told the teacher to just call her Gigi and it simply stuck. Monica Schipper/Getty ImagesMark VincentIf you're looking for an explosive action-star name, how about Vin Diesel instead?Chelsea Lauren/REX/ShutterstockDestiny Hope CyrusMiley Cyrus' bright smile is what inspired her childhood nickname, Smiley. Eventually the name was shortened to Miley and it stuck. Kevin Mazur/WireImagePeter Gene HernandezApparently the singer looked more like a Bruno than a Peter, so one day his dad started calling him Bruno. Ever since, he has been known as Bruno Mars.Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Live NationStefani GermanottaBefore the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was just an everyday girl from New York.Rich Fury/Getty ImagesDaniel SudeikisJason Sudeikis confirmed on Today that he was named Daniel after his father, but following some confusion, his mom started using his middle name Jason to avoid confusion. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Academy Museum of Motion PicturesEmily StoneEmma Stone ended adopting this stage name after finding out that the Screen Actors Guild already had a member registered under her birthname. Jim Smeal/REX/ShutterstockLaura Jeanne Reese WitherspoonTurns out Reese isn't even Reese Witherspoon's middle name. The actress chose the moniker in honor of her mother, whose maiden name is Reese.Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagicElizabeth Woolridge GrantEvery artist has an alter ego, and Lana Del Rey just happens to be the persona of choice for the singer. Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesChristopher Edwin BreauxIn 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his name because, why not? Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca FestivalElizabeth Stamatina FeyA little known fact about 30 Rock's Tina Fey is that she is actually named Elizabeth. The comedian made a not so subtle tribute to her birth name by naming her character Liz Lemon.Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesCalvin BroadusThis pioneer of West Coast rap would later go on to be known as Snoop Dogg.Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARASElla Marija Lani Yelich-O'ConnorTurns out the "Royals" singer is really into learning about the aristocracy, hence the reason why she chose the name Lorde, but with a feminine 'e.'Laura Cavanaugh/Getty ImagesEnrique MoralesBefore he started shaking his bonbon for the masses, music superstar Ricky Martin went by this everyday name.Frazer Harrison/Getty ImagesAmethyst KellyIt's hard to believe that Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Kelly!Matt Baron/REX/ShutterstockAdam Richard WilesFans were confused when Taylor Swift thanked then-boyfriend Adam in an acceptance speech, which lead people to the discovery that Calvin Harris is simply a stage name. The DJ told Shortlist magazine he chose the name because his first single was more soulful and wanted something a bit more "racially ambiguous."Tim P. Whitby/Getty ImagesJennifer AnastassakisBefore she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.
GeneralNews
Pamela Anderson Reveals What She Wants to Change Her Name to
Loading article...
AI Index
Neutral / Balanced
Facts presented without strong bias.
