From Bad Bunny to Chappell Roan: The Fascinating Stories Behind Famous Stage Names

Mar. 15, 2025

Chappell Roan attends ASCAP Celebrates Pop Music Awards Winners in L.A. on May 8, 2024; Lady Gaga attends the EE British Academy Film Awards in London on March 13, 2022; Bad Bunny attends the 2023 Met Gala Celebrating ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ in N.Y.C. on May 1, 2023.Photo:Lester Cohen/Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage; Matt Winkelmeyer/MG23/Getty

Lester Cohen/Getty; Samir Hussein/WireImage; Matt Winkelmeyer/MG23/Getty

These stars made a name for themselves … literally!When fame calls, some celebrities opt for pseudonyms instead of their birth names. This choice comes in handy for many purposes: It creates a boundary between their public personas and private lives, gives them an air of confidence and, well, just sounds a whole lot catchier. (Admit it,Lady Gagais a bit more glamorous to say than Stefani Germanotta.)Sometimes these monikers are a twist on their given names, sometimes it comes out of thin air and often there’s a unique story behind it. FromLil Nas XtoChappell Roan, read below to discover the origins of these stars' stage names.

These stars made a name for themselves … literally!

When fame calls, some celebrities opt for pseudonyms instead of their birth names. This choice comes in handy for many purposes: It creates a boundary between their public personas and private lives, gives them an air of confidence and, well, just sounds a whole lot catchier. (Admit it,Lady Gagais a bit more glamorous to say than Stefani Germanotta.)

Sometimes these monikers are a twist on their given names, sometimes it comes out of thin air and often there’s a unique story behind it. FromLil Nas XtoChappell Roan, read below to discover the origins of these stars' stage names.

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Chappell Roan

Chappell Roan performs onstage during the Boston Calling Music Festival on May 26, 2024.Astrida Valigorsky/Getty

Astrida Valigorsky/Getty

Missouri-born singer Kayleigh Amstutz views her Chappell Roan persona as one big “art project.” Ina June 2024 interview forPapermagazine, she explained it’s to “honor that [10-year-old] version of myself that I was never allowed to be.” This creative direction helps her divorce her true self from her onstage persona — whodazzles with her retro glam pop soundandultra-camp outfits— however, Roan’s stage name also serves as a bridge between the two identities.

02of 20Charli xcxCharli xcx attends the ‘Billboard’ Women in Music in Inglewood, Calif., on March 6, 2024.Amy Sussman/GettyIf you’re even remotely online, you’ve likely seen howCharli xcx(born Charlotte Emma Aitchison) haspainted the internet neon green with herBratsummer campaign— but the British pop singer has incorporated web culture into her brand since the beginning. Ironically enough, the “xcx” in her stage name harks back to her MSN Messenger display name during her days at Bishop’s Stortford College,perThe Guardian. But do you wanna"Guess"what those three letters really mean?“Well, people have speculated that it means ‘Kiss Kiss,’ but I really just chose the name because I thought it looked cool and sounded catchy,” shetoldRolling Stonein March 2012. “But really, at the moment, it just stands for everything I’ve done so far.”

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Charli xcx

Charli xcx attends the ‘Billboard’ Women in Music in Inglewood, Calif., on March 6, 2024.Amy Sussman/Getty

Amy Sussman/Getty

If you’re even remotely online, you’ve likely seen howCharli xcx(born Charlotte Emma Aitchison) haspainted the internet neon green with herBratsummer campaign— but the British pop singer has incorporated web culture into her brand since the beginning. Ironically enough, the “xcx” in her stage name harks back to her MSN Messenger display name during her days at Bishop’s Stortford College,perThe Guardian. But do you wanna"Guess"what those three letters really mean?

“Well, people have speculated that it means ‘Kiss Kiss,’ but I really just chose the name because I thought it looked cool and sounded catchy,” shetoldRolling Stonein March 2012. “But really, at the moment, it just stands for everything I’ve done so far.”

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Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion performing onstage during the Lollapalooza Music Festival in Chicago on Aug. 1, 2024.Zuma/SplashNews.com

Zuma/SplashNews.com

“Since I was younger, probably about 15 or 16, I’ve always had the same body. Older guys would always be like, ‘Oh, you a stallion,’ " the"Hiss"rappertoldHoustoniamagazinein September 2017. “So I finally had to ask like, ‘Is that a good thing?’ Everybody pretty much took it and ran with it, and then I put it as my main name on Twitter, and ever since then everybody’s just been calling me Stallion.”

04of 20Bad BunnyBad Bunny attends the Met Gala celebrating ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ in N.Y.C. on May 6, 2024.Mike Coppola/MG24/GettyLatin trap starBad Bunny— born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio —explained the roots of his stage nameina 2018 Apple Music documentary. “It originated because of a photo from when I was a kid,” the"Yo Perreo Sola"rapper said. “That’s what I called myself on social media and when I was choosing an artistic name, it just stuck.”The picture? Ayoung Benito in a bunny suitand clearly not thrilled about it.

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Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny attends the Met Gala celebrating ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ in N.Y.C. on May 6, 2024.Mike Coppola/MG24/Getty

Mike Coppola/MG24/Getty

Latin trap starBad Bunny— born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio —explained the roots of his stage nameina 2018 Apple Music documentary. “It originated because of a photo from when I was a kid,” the"Yo Perreo Sola"rapper said. “That’s what I called myself on social media and when I was choosing an artistic name, it just stuck.”

The picture? Ayoung Benito in a bunny suitand clearly not thrilled about it.

05of 20LizzoLizzo performs onstage during the BET Awards in L.A. on June 26, 2022.Leon Bennett/Getty"It’s a teenage nickname,“the Texas singer, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson,told James Corden onThe Late Late Showin June 2022. “We did a thing, in Houston, you chop the second half of your name and put an O. I was ‘Lisso’ with two s’s, then everyone said it with a little swang to it so I changed the s’s to z’s and the rest is history.”

05of 20

Lizzo

Lizzo performs onstage during the BET Awards in L.A. on June 26, 2022.Leon Bennett/Getty

“It’s a teenage nickname,“the Texas singer, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson,told James Corden onThe Late Late Showin June 2022. “We did a thing, in Houston, you chop the second half of your name and put an O. I was ‘Lisso’ with two s’s, then everyone said it with a little swang to it so I changed the s’s to z’s and the rest is history.”

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Lil Nas X

Lil Nas X attends the American Music Awards in L.A. on Nov. 24, 2019.Rich Fury/Getty

“When I started doing music, I was like, ‘I want to have fun with this,’ " he said. “And every new rapper’s name is Lil, Lil, Lil. ‘What if I was Lil Nas? That’d be funny.’ So I was like, ‘Alright, bet. I’ll be Lil Nas.’ And I added the X later on.”

07of 20Queen LatifahQueen Latifah speaks at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival before the premiere of ‘The Queen Collective Shorts’.Getty ImagesIn a 2019 interview with NBC,Queen Latifah(born Dana Elaine Owens) said her mom initially wasn’t a fan of her stage name.“My mother kinda laughed. She was like, ‘Queen? I ain’t calling you Queen,’ " Latifah recalled.However, the rapper-turned-actress has never doubted the moniker. She said “Latifah” means “delicate and very kind” in Arabic, and she liked the juxtaposition of that next to the boldness of “Queen.““That’s the story of my life,” Latifah explained. “I think that’s the wonderful thing about a woman. We can be strong but then we can be soft and kind and sensitive.”

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Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah speaks at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival before the premiere of ‘The Queen Collective Shorts’.Getty Images

In a 2019 interview with NBC,Queen Latifah(born Dana Elaine Owens) said her mom initially wasn’t a fan of her stage name.

“My mother kinda laughed. She was like, ‘Queen? I ain’t calling you Queen,’ " Latifah recalled.

However, the rapper-turned-actress has never doubted the moniker. She said “Latifah” means “delicate and very kind” in Arabic, and she liked the juxtaposition of that next to the boldness of “Queen.”

“That’s the story of my life,” Latifah explained. “I think that’s the wonderful thing about a woman. We can be strong but then we can be soft and kind and sensitive.”

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Travis Scott

AstroworldrapperTravis Scott, né Jacques Berman Webster II, shared the origin of his stage nameduring a 2018Tonight Showappearance. “My uncle is named Travis and Kid Cudi is, like, one of my favorite artists of all time, and his real name is Scott Mescudi. And my uncle’s friends call him Scott too, so it just kinda worked out like that — my two superheroes.”

“I looked up to him and s—,” Scotttold Grantlandback in 2014 about the “favorite relative” who inspired his name. “[He] was just cool as f—. He always just had swag. He played golf and s—. He just had swag. [He] was just smart. Always made good decisions, good business decisions.”

09of 20Post MalonePost Malone on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Oct. 1, 2018.Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/Getty ImagesThe"I Had Some Help"singer also talked about his self-chosen moniker while chatting with Jimmy Fallon onThe Tonight Showin 2018. “I was, like, 14 and I had started, like, getting into producing and rapping and singing over my own stuff. And then I needed a name for my s—– mixtape,” he joked. “So I ran [Austin Post, my real name] through a random rap name generator and I gotPost Malone.”

09of 20

Post Malone

Post Malone on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon’ on Oct. 1, 2018.Andrew Lipovsky/NBC/Getty Images

The"I Had Some Help"singer also talked about his self-chosen moniker while chatting with Jimmy Fallon onThe Tonight Showin 2018. “I was, like, 14 and I had started, like, getting into producing and rapping and singing over my own stuff. And then I needed a name for my s—– mixtape,” he joked. “So I ran [Austin Post, my real name] through a random rap name generator and I gotPost Malone.”

10of 20Cardi BCardi B attends Airbnb’s N.Y.C. Experiences launch event on Sept. 26, 2017.Jamie McCarthy/GettyDuring a 2017 interview onThe Wendy Williams Show, hostWendy Williamsasked where the rapper, born Belcalis Almanzar, got her showbiz moniker. The singer revealed that it stems from alcohol.“My sister’s name is Hennessy, so everybody used to be like ‘Bacardi’ to me. Then I shortened it toCardi B. The ‘B’ stands for whatever, depending on the day…beautiful or bully,” she said, referring to the iconic rum and spirits brand. “No one calls me Belcalis except for my family, my mother and my daddy.”

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Cardi B

Cardi B attends Airbnb’s N.Y.C. Experiences launch event on Sept. 26, 2017.Jamie McCarthy/Getty

During a 2017 interview onThe Wendy Williams Show, hostWendy Williamsasked where the rapper, born Belcalis Almanzar, got her showbiz moniker. The singer revealed that it stems from alcohol.

“My sister’s name is Hennessy, so everybody used to be like ‘Bacardi’ to me. Then I shortened it toCardi B. The ‘B’ stands for whatever, depending on the day…beautiful or bully,” she said, referring to the iconic rum and spirits brand. “No one calls me Belcalis except for my family, my mother and my daddy.”

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Brie Larson

Brie Larson attends the L.A. premiere of ‘Free Fire’ on April 13, 2017.Michael Kovac/WireImage

12of 20

Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus visits ‘The Elvis Duran Z100 Morning Show’ in N.Y.C. on May 16, 2017.Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

13of 20Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg attends the 44th Chaplin Award gala in N.Y.C. on May 8, 2017.Mike Coppola/GettyShe may have been born Caryn Elaine Johnson, but theEGOTrecipient decided to change it up when trying to break into the comedy world. “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,“The Viewcohostrevealed to TIMEin September 2011.As for her last name? Whoopi’s mother thought a Jewish surname would get her further in Hollywood, so she replaced Johnson with Goldberg.

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Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg attends the 44th Chaplin Award gala in N.Y.C. on May 8, 2017.Mike Coppola/Getty

She may have been born Caryn Elaine Johnson, but theEGOTrecipient decided to change it up when trying to break into the comedy world. “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,“The Viewcohostrevealed to TIMEin September 2011.

As for her last name? Whoopi’s mother thought a Jewish surname would get her further in Hollywood, so she replaced Johnson with Goldberg.

14of 20Olivia WildeOlivia Wilde leaves ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ in N.Y.C. on June 13, 2017.James Devaney/GC ImagesOlivia Wildehas journalism running in her veins:Her parents, Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, are well-known international journalists, who’ve produced documentaries and segments for60 Minutes. She was born a Cockburn, but she changed her last name to Wilde after playing Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde’sThe Importance of Being Earnestin high school.

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Olivia Wilde

Olivia Wilde leaves ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ in N.Y.C. on June 13, 2017.James Devaney/GC Images

Olivia Wildehas journalism running in her veins:Her parents, Andrew and Leslie Cockburn, are well-known international journalists, who’ve produced documentaries and segments for60 Minutes. She was born a Cockburn, but she changed her last name to Wilde after playing Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde’sThe Importance of Being Earnestin high school.

15of 20Lady GagaLady Gaga performing onstage during weekend 2 of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 22, 2017.Christopher Polk/Getty"Gaga is this stronger individual part of myself that I discovered being young in New York — loving music, meeting with young artists, working with musicians, with writers, studying the scene and being involved in the lifestyle,” the singer (born Stefani Germanotta) toldJamie Lee Curtisduring an interview forVariety’s “Actors on Actors” series. “I started to call myself Gaga. [It] was the nickname I had at my best.”

15of 20

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga performing onstage during weekend 2 of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 22, 2017.Christopher Polk/Getty

“Gaga is this stronger individual part of myself that I discovered being young in New York — loving music, meeting with young artists, working with musicians, with writers, studying the scene and being involved in the lifestyle,” the singer (born Stefani Germanotta) toldJamie Lee Curtisduring an interview forVariety’s “Actors on Actors” series. “I started to call myself Gaga. [It] was the nickname I had at my best.”

16of 20LordeLorde poses backstage for SiriusXM at Bowery Ballroom in N.Y.C. on June 16, 2017.Dimitrios Kambouris/GettyWhen flipping through books to find her stage name, the"Green Light"crooner — whose birth name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor — was struckwhen she came across “lord,“stating that she loved its sound.“I basically choseLordebecause I wanted a name that was really strong and had this grandeur to it,“she told ABC News Radio in March 2014. “I didn’t feel that my birth name was anything special. I always liked the idea of having, like, a one-named alias.”

16of 20

Lorde

Lorde poses backstage for SiriusXM at Bowery Ballroom in N.Y.C. on June 16, 2017.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

When flipping through books to find her stage name, the"Green Light"crooner — whose birth name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor — was struckwhen she came across “lord,“stating that she loved its sound.

“I basically choseLordebecause I wanted a name that was really strong and had this grandeur to it,“she told ABC News Radio in March 2014. “I didn’t feel that my birth name was anything special. I always liked the idea of having, like, a one-named alias.”

17of 20Snoop DoggSnoop Dog attends Goya Foods' Grand Tasting Village in Miami Beach on Feb. 25, 2017.Gustavo Caballero/GettyWhile the rapper’s given name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., he grew up with a family who called him Snoopy, because they thought he bore a resemblance to the animated beagle. Thus,Snoop Dogg(and Snoop Lion) was born.

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Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dog attends Goya Foods' Grand Tasting Village in Miami Beach on Feb. 25, 2017.Gustavo Caballero/Getty

While the rapper’s given name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., he grew up with a family who called him Snoopy, because they thought he bore a resemblance to the animated beagle. Thus,Snoop Dogg(and Snoop Lion) was born.

18of 20

John Legend

John Legend attends the 28th annual Producers Guild Awards in Beverly Hills on Jan. 28, 2017.CHRIS DELMAS/AFP/Getty Images

“I was just like, ‘You know what? Let’s just go for it. People are going to pay attention and I’m going to either live up to my name or I’m not,’ " he continued. “My bet was on me trying to live up to the name.”

19of 20LL Cool JLL Cool J attends AOL Build Series in N.Y.C. on April 28, 2017.Andrew Toth/FilmMagicWhen he was only 16 years old, James Todd Smith began calling himselfLL Cool J— which stood for “Ladies Love Cool James” — in the hopes of scoring dates, which didn’t come so easy at first.Ina 2008 interview with CBS’Early Show,LL admitted that the ladies didn’t actually love cool James quite yet, saying, “It was just wishful thinking, just hoping for the best.”

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LL Cool J

LL Cool J attends AOL Build Series in N.Y.C. on April 28, 2017.Andrew Toth/FilmMagic

When he was only 16 years old, James Todd Smith began calling himselfLL Cool J— which stood for “Ladies Love Cool James” — in the hopes of scoring dates, which didn’t come so easy at first.

Ina 2008 interview with CBS’Early Show,LL admitted that the ladies didn’t actually love cool James quite yet, saying, “It was just wishful thinking, just hoping for the best.”

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Iggy Azalea

Iggy Azalea visits ‘Extra’ at Universal Studios Hollywood on May 18, 2017.Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

And while she almost went forward with one name, the singer took her grandfather’s advice to add a surname, which led the artist to choose Azalea. “That is a street name that my mom and family live on … and it sounds very feminine and I thought it would balance out Iggy being so masculine.”

source: people.com