Top 10 Celebrity Legal Name Changes

Celebrities are always looking for new accessories, and it seems a new name is another hot item. Here are ten celebrities who decided to change their monograms for something a bit more Hollywood:

Destiny Hope Cyrus
Some may struggle to separate Miley Cyrus from her on-screen counterpart Hannah Montana, but the starlet was actually born Destiny Hope. Nicknamed 'Smiley' from a young age, the singer changed her name to reflect that. She even took her dad's middle name Ray as her own. Too cute.

Chad Johnson
In case the number on his jersey wasn't enough, the Bengals receiver wanted to keep number 85 with him always. However Chad Ochocinco recently changed his name back after a bit of prodding from his now-wife.

Katheryn Hudson
To avoid confusion with beach blonde Kate Hudson, the Teenage Dream star decided to pick up her mother's maiden name. The singer created even more excitement when she announced she was taking brief hubby Russell Brand's last name.

Ron Artest
Last year the LA Lakers player made a statement when he legally changed his name to Metta World Peace.

"Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement. While we're not sure if it's had quite as big of an effect on world peace, we applaud him for trying to make the world a better place.

Olivia Cockburn
To get a bit of distance from her famous-journalist parents, Olivia Wilde picked up a new last name. She decided to switch to Wilde after playing Gwendolen in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest in high school. We only wish she was related to the writer in real life!

Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
Little known fact about the blonde bombshell is that she dropped a few names when she took her first steps into Hollywood. Nicknamed "Little Miss Type A" by her parents, Laura Jeanne decided to take her mother's maiden name when she went for her first role in The Man In the Moon.

Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra
With a budding acting career taking off and battling her studies at NYU, Meg Ryan decided to take on a shorter moniker.

Joaquin Rafael Bottom/Leaf Phoenix
With a slew of famous siblings, Joaquin Phoenix has gone through almost as many name changes. Born Joaquin Rafael Bottom, the actor's family changed their last name to Phoenix in 1978 to symbolize their 'rebirth' after leaving a religious cult. Around that time, Joaquin started going by 'Leaf' to have a name that fit in with some of his siblings - River, Rain, and Summer. He's since gone back to a combo: Joaquin Phoenix.

Tallulah Willis
While this famous daughter is still carving out her own road to stardom, she's doing more than follow in mother Demi Moore's footsteps. Keeping her first husband's last name seemed like a good idea to Demetria Gene Guynes. And daughter Lula has gone the same route.



"She's legally changing her name from Talullah to Lula, just Lula," said father Bruce Willis. "She doesn't like her name."

Julia Elizabeth Wells

The Sound of Music sensation dropped her birth name at an early age. Her mother remarried her costar Ted Andrews. When Julie joined their act, she took Andrew's last name.