List of stage names
This list of stage names lists names used by those in the entertainment industry, alphabetically by their stage name's surname followed by their birth name. Individuals who dropped their last name and substituted their middle name as their last name are listed. Those with a one-word stage name are listed in a separate article.
In many cases, performers have legally changed their name to their stage name.
Note: Many cultures have their own naming customs and systems, some rather intricate. Minor changes or alterations, including reversing Eastern-style formats, do not in and of themselves qualify as stage names and should not normally be included. For example, Björk is not a stage name, it is part of her full Icelandic name, Björk Guðmundsdóttir. Her second name is a patronymic instead of a family name, following Icelandic naming conventions.
People are not listed here if they fall into one or more of the following categories:
- Those who have more than one family name, provided at least one is represented in the professional name. This is especially common with people from Spanish or Portuguese-speaking countries and in the Philippines.
- Those who changed their name to perform a character or alter ego, including drag performers and professional wrestlers.
- Those who changed their name to undertake an alias, rather than a name with which the subject will publicly identify.
- Those who changed their surname due primarily to marriage, even if the marriage has since ended.
- Those who changed their surname due to adoption or legal name change prior to entering the entertainment industry.
- Those known by nicknames both privately and professionally.
- Those who may be popularly, though not professionally, known by a nickname.
- Those who changed their name due to realized change in sexual/gender identity, or other recognized gender-related reasons.
- Those who changed their names for religious reasons.
- Those who adopted a matriname:
- * List of people who adopted matrilineal surnames
- Those who changed their name due to other or unknown reasons unrelated to show business of any kind.
List
H
P
X
The/Tha
| Stage name | Birth name | Life | Notability | Notes |
| Cedric the Entertainer | Cedric Kyles | 1964– | American comedian and actor | |
| Chance the Rapper | Chancelor Bennett | 1993– | American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer | |
| Charlamagne tha God | Lenard McKelvey | 1978– | American radio host, television personality and comedian | |
| Del the Funky Homosapien | Teren Jones | 1972– | American rapper | Sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien |
| Eric the Actor | Eric Lynch | 1975–2014 | American actor | Once known as Eric the Midget |
| Gene Gene the Dancing Machine | Eugene Patton | 1932–2015 | American dancer and stagehand | |
| Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf | Henry Nasiff Jr. | 1962–2001 | American entertainer | |
| Herrmann the Great | Alexander Herrmann | 1844–1896 | French magician | |
| Jed the Fish | Edwin Gould III | 1955–2025 | American disc jockey | |
| Jimmy the Robot | James Briggs | 1978– | American musician | |
| Larry the Cable Guy | Daniel Whitney | 1963– | American comedian and actor | |
| Morganna, the Kissing Bandit | Morganna Roberts | 1947– | American entertainer | |
| Mr.B The Gentleman Rhymer | Jim Burke | Unknown | British parodist | |
| muMs the Schemer | Craig Grant | 1968–2021 | American poet and actor | |
| Murray the K | Murray Kaufman | 1922–1982 | American impresario and disc jockey | |
| Nash the Slash | James Plewman | 1948–2014 | Canadian musician | |
| Ovy on the Drums | Daniel Echavarría Oviedo | 1991– | Colombian record producer and songwriter | |
| Sleek The Elite | Paul Nakad | 1975– | Australian actor and rapper | |
| R.A. the Rugged Man | Richard Andrew Thorburn | 1974– | American rapper and producer | |
| The Amazing Johnathan | John Szeles | 1958–2022 | American comedian and magician | |
| The Amazing Kreskin | George Kresge Jr. | 1935–2024 | American mentalist | |
| The Big Bopper | Jiles Richardson Jr. | 1930–1959 | American musician and disc jockey | |
| The Child of Lov | Martijn Teerlinck | 1987–2013 | Belgian-Dutch poet and musician | Also known as Cole Williams |
| The D.O.C. | Tracy Curry | 1968– | American rapper, songwriter and record producer | Also known as Doc, Doc-T, The Diggy Diggy Doc and Trey |
| The Edge | David Evans | 1961– | English-Irish musician | |
| The Game | Jayceon Taylor | 1979– | American rapper | |
| The Jacka | Dominic Newton | 1977–2015 | American rapper | |
| the Kid LAROI | Charlton Howard | 2003– | Australian rapper and singer | |
| The Mascara Snake | Victor Hayden | 1948–2018 | American artist and musician | |
| The Mo City Don | Joseph McVey IV | 1977– | American rapper | Also known as Z-Ro |
| The Notorious B.I.G. | Christopher Wallace | 1972–1997 | American rapper | |
| The Rev | James Sullivan | 1981–2009 | American musician | Stage name short for The Reverend Tholomew Plague |
| The Reverend Horton Heat | James Heath | 1959– | American musician | |
| The Singing Nun | Jeanne-Paule Deckers | 1933–1985 | Belgian singer-songwriter | |
| The Unknown Comic | Murray Langston | 1944– | Canadian comedian | |
| Trae tha Truth | Frazier Thompson | 1980– | American rapper | |
| Trugoy the Dove | David Jolicoeur | 1968–2023 | American rapper | Also known as Plug and TwoDave |
| Tyler, the Creator | Tyler Okonma | 1991– | American rapper and record producer |
Other
Includes stage names that contain numbers or other non-alphabetic characters.| Stage name | Birth name | Life | Notability | Notes |
| Anderson.Paak | Brandon Anderson | 1986– | American rapper, singer and songwriter | |
| André 3000 | André Benjamin | 1975– | American rapper, singer and songwriter | |
| Apache 207 | Volkan Yaman | 1997– | German rapper | |
| apl.de.ap | Allan Pineda Lindo | 1974– | Filipino-American rapper, singer and producer | |
| Chali 2na | Charles Stewart | 1971– | American rapper | |
| John 5 | John Lowery | 1970– | American guitarist | |
| Jussi 69 | Jussi Vuori | 1972– | Finnish musician | |
| Jyrki 69 | Jyrki Linnankivi | 1968– | Finnish musician | |
| Miss Eighty 6 | Sarai Howard | 1981– | American rapper | |
| Pavel 183 | Pavel Pukhov | 1983–2013 | Russian street artist | |
| Royce da 5'9" | Ryan Montgomery | 1977– | American rapper | Also known as Nickel Nine, Nickle, Royce 5'9" and R-Dog |
| S.Coups | Choi Seung-cheol | 1995– | South Korean rapper, singer and songwriter | |
| Tech N9ne | Aaron Yates | 1971– | American rapper | |
| Thomas G:son | Thomas Gustafsson | 1968– | Swedish composer and musician | |
| TOMM¥ €A$H | Tomas Tammemets | 1991– | Estonian rapper, singer, dancer and visual artist | |
| Ty Dolla $ign | Tyrone Griffin Jr. | 1982– | American rapper, singer and songwriter | |
| Wednesday 13 | Joseph Poole | 1976– | American singer and musician | Also known as Joe Nothing and Audrey 3 |
| 2 Chainz | Tauheed Epps | 1977– | American rapper | Also known as Tity Boi and Drenchgod |
| 21 Savage | Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph | 1992– | British-American rapper | |
| 50 Cent | Curtis Jackson III | 1975– | American rapper and actor | |
| 75 Cents | Ladislav Demeterffy | 1933–2010 | Croatian singer | |
| 9th Wonder | Patrick Douthit | 1975– | American rapper and record producer |