List of people who adopted matronymic surnames
Encyclopedia
This is a list of notable people who have changed, adopted or adjusted their surname
s based on a mother's or grandmother's maiden name. Included are people who changed their legal names
and people who created personal or professional pseudonym
s. Under longstanding Western custom and law, children are customarily given the father's surname, except for children born outside marriage, who often carry their mother's family names. However, in the 1970s, some women began to adopt their mother's maiden name as their legal surnames. Recently, people in Sweden
have been adopting maternal line surname
s in an effort to broaden the number of last names in the country.
s and other entertainers include their mothers' maiden names in their adopted stage name
s. The book How to be a Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television advises aspiring performers to consider changing their names, noting that "if [your birth name] is difficult to spell, pronounce, or remember, it may not be the name you want for your professional career." It goes on to suggest: "If you want to retain a connection to your family, try using your mother's maiden name or the name of a revered relative."
A person's mother's maiden name is used by many financial institution
s as a key piece
of information to validate a customer's identity. In 2005, researchers showed that the common practice of using a mother's maiden name as the basis for a stage name
could be exploited to entice people to reveal that name and other details that could allow fraudsters to steal their identities
. Researchers asked a random sample of people on London streets a series of questions, beginning with "What is your name?" They then engaged in conversation about theatre
, asked people if they knew how actors choose their stage names, then told them that stage names were typically a combination of the name of a pet
and the mother's maiden name. Next the participants were asked what their stage names would be; 94% responded by revealing both their mother's maiden name and a pet's name.
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s based on a mother's or grandmother's maiden name. Included are people who changed their legal names
Name change
Name change generally refers to a legal act allowing a person to adopt a name different than their name at birth, marriage, or adoption. The procedures and ease of a name change depend on the jurisdiction. In general, common law jurisdictions have loose limitations on name changes while civil law...
and people who created personal or professional pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
s. Under longstanding Western custom and law, children are customarily given the father's surname, except for children born outside marriage, who often carry their mother's family names. However, in the 1970s, some women began to adopt their mother's maiden name as their legal surnames. Recently, people in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
have been adopting maternal line surname
Matronymic
A matronymic is a personal name based on the name of one's mother, grandmother, or any female ancestor. It is the female equivalent of a patronymic. In patriarchal societies, matronymic surnames are far less common than patronyms. In the past, matronymic last names were often given to children of...
s in an effort to broaden the number of last names in the country.
Stage names
Many actorActor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s and other entertainers include their mothers' maiden names in their adopted stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s. The book How to be a Working Actor: The Insider's Guide to Finding Jobs in Theater, Film, and Television advises aspiring performers to consider changing their names, noting that "if [your birth name] is difficult to spell, pronounce, or remember, it may not be the name you want for your professional career." It goes on to suggest: "If you want to retain a connection to your family, try using your mother's maiden name or the name of a revered relative."
A person's mother's maiden name is used by many financial institution
Financial institution
In financial economics, a financial institution is an institution that provides financial services for its clients or members. Probably the most important financial service provided by financial institutions is acting as financial intermediaries...
s as a key piece
Security question
A security question is used as an authenticator by banks, cable companies and wireless providers as an extra security layer. They are a form of shared secret....
of information to validate a customer's identity. In 2005, researchers showed that the common practice of using a mother's maiden name as the basis for a stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
could be exploited to entice people to reveal that name and other details that could allow fraudsters to steal their identities
Identity theft
Identity theft is a form of stealing another person's identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person's identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person's name...
. Researchers asked a random sample of people on London streets a series of questions, beginning with "What is your name?" They then engaged in conversation about theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, asked people if they knew how actors choose their stage names, then told them that stage names were typically a combination of the name of a pet
Pet
A pet is a household animal kept for companionship and a person's enjoyment, as opposed to wild animals or to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic or productive reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful...
and the mother's maiden name. Next the participants were asked what their stage names would be; 94% responded by revealing both their mother's maiden name and a pet's name.
List
- Maude AdamsMaude AdamsMaude Ewing Kiskadden , known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American stage actress who achieved her greatest success as Peter Pan. Adams's personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more...
, American actress, was born Maude Ewing Kiskadden and adopted her mother's maiden name of Adams as her stage name. - Priscilla AhnPriscilla AhnPriscilla Ahn is an American singer-songwriter.-Early life and education:Ahn was born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft in Fort Stewart, Georgia to Kay and Harry Hartranft and spent her childhood living in the USA and South Korea. She lived in Berks County, Pennsylvania for several years and attended...
, American singer-songwriter, was born Priscilla Natalie Hartranft. For her career, Ahn adopted her Korean mother's maiden name. - Svetlana AlliluyevaSvetlana AlliluyevaSvetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva , later known as Lana Peters, was the youngest child and only daughter of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva, Stalin's second wife...
, daughter of Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, began using her mother's surname after her father's death in 1953. - Susan AshtonSusan AshtonSusan Ashton is a best-selling and award-winning American Contemporary Christian Music and country music artist who topped the Christian charts throughout the 1990s...
, American contemporary Christian musician, was born Susan Rae Hill, but uses her mother's maiden name as her surname in order to distinguish herself from contemporary Christian singer Kim HillKim HillKim Hill is a Contemporary Christian Music singer. Aside from her career as a solo artist, Hill has also sung background vocals on projects by artists like Rich Mullins and others...
. - Michael AyrtonMichael AyrtonMichael Ayrton was an English artist and writer, known as a painter, printmaker and sculptor, and also as a critic, broadcaster and novelist...
, English artist and writer, was born Michael Gould. For professional purposes, he adopted the maiden name of his mother, Barbara Ayrton-GouldBarbara Ayrton-GouldBarbara Bodichon Ayrton-Gould was a Labour politician in the United Kingdom.She was born in Kensington, London, the daughter of English engineers Hertha Marks Ayrton and William Edward Ayrton...
. - Jean BabiléeJean BabiléeJean Babilée is a prominent French dancer and choreographer of the latter half of the 20th century. He is considered to be one of modern ballet's greatest performers, and the first French dancer to gain international acclaim...
, French ballet dancer and choreographer, was originally named Jean Gutmann but adopted his mother's maiden name for professional use. - Lauren BacallLauren BacallLauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in The Big Sleep and Dark Passage ,...
, American actress, was born Betty Joan Perske. After her parents divorceDivorceDivorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d when she was a young child, she assumed her maternal grandmother's surname (also her mother's maiden name) of Bacal. She later added a second "l" to make the pronunciation clearer. - Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
, Spanish actor, was born José Antonio Domínguez Banderas. He adopted his mother's maiden name (Banderas) as his acting name. - Sir Brian BatsfordBrian BatsfordSir Brian Caldwell Cook Batsford was a British painter, designer, publisher and Conservative Party politician. Born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire as Brian Caldwell Cook, he adopted his mother's maiden name in 1946.In 1928 he began working for the production department of the publishing firm...
, British painter, designer, publisher and Conservative Party politician, was originally named Brian Cook and used that name for his early artwork and in his first electoral candidacy. In June 1946, when he was 35 years old, he adopted his mother's maiden name of Batsford for business reasons at the request of an uncle. He sometimes joked that "Brian Cook ceased to exist" after World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - Richard BebbRichard BebbRichard Bebb was an English actor of stage, screen and radio.Born Richard Bebb Williams in London, he changed his name to his mother's surname, Bebb, when he took up acting as there was already a British actor called Richard Williams...
, English actor, born Richard Bebb Williams, "...[h]e changed to his mother's surname (Bebb) to avoid confusion with another player." - BeckBeckBeck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, born Bek David Campbell; now known as Beck Hansen. Adopted his mother's maiden name of Hansen after his father became estranged from the family. - Peter BenensonPeter BenensonPeter Benenson was an English lawyer and the founder of human rights group Amnesty International . In 2001, Benenson received the Pride of Britain Award for Lifetime Achievement.-Biography:...
, English activist, was born in London as Peter James Henry Solomon to a Jewish family, the only son of Harold Solomon and Flora Benenson, Peter Benenson adopted his mother's maiden name later in life, reportedly in tribute to his maternal grandfather, the Russian gold tycoon Grigori Benenson, following the latter's death. - David BenioffDavid Benioff-Early life:Born David Friedman in New York City, he changed his name to David Benioff, his mother's maiden name. He is the youngest of three children....
, American writer, was born David Friedman in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; he changed his surname to Benioff, his mother's maiden name. - Jeannie BerlinJeannie BerlinJeannie Berlin is an American film, television and stage actress.Berlin was born Jeannie Brette May in Los Angeles, California to Marvin May and actress/comedian/screenwriter/playwright Elaine May. May directed Berlin in the 1972 film The Heartbreak Kid, which garnered Berlin Golden Globe and...
, American actress, born Jeannie Brette May, to Marvin and Elaine (née Berlin)Elaine MayElaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...
May. - Wolfgang BernhardWolfgang BernhardWolfgang Bernhard is a member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG. He is the former President and COO of Chrysler.-Early life:...
, German businessman who was born Wolfgang Ayerle. He later took his mother's maiden name as his professional name. - Yelena BonnerYelena BonnerYelena Bonner was a human rights activist in the former Soviet Union and wife of the noted physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov. During her decades as a dissident, Bonner was noted for her characteristic blunt honesty and courage.-Youth:...
, Soviet dissident and human rights activist, was born Lusik Georgievna Alikhanova to Georgy Alikhanov (né Gevork Alikhanyan) and Ruf BonnerRuth BonnerRuf Grigorjewna Bonner , also known as Ruth Bonner, was a Soviet Communist activist and a victim of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge...
, but changed her first name and chose to keep her mother's maiden name as her own surname through two marriages and until her death. - Patricia BosworthPatricia BosworthPatricia Bosworth is an American journalist and biographer. A former faculty member of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, she has also been an editor, actress and model.-Early life and career:...
, American journalist, biographer and former actress and model, was born Patricia Crum in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, CaliforniaOakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, the daughter of writer Anna Gertrude Bosworth and attorney Bartley CrumBartley CrumBartley Cavanaugh Crum was a prominent American lawyer.Bartley Crum was a confidant of William Randolph Hearst and the 1940 U.S. Presidential candidate Wendel Willkie...
. - Margaret Bourke-WhiteMargaret Bourke-WhiteMargaret Bourke-White was an American photographer and documentary photographer. She is best known as the first foreign photographer permitted to take pictures of Soviet Industry, the first female war correspondent and the first female photographer for Henry Luce's Life magazine, where her...
, American photographer who was born Margaret White. In 1927, following a brief, failed marriage, she adopted her mother's maiden name ("Bourke") as part of her new hyphenated name, Bourke-White. - Jacqueline BoyerJacqueline BoyerJacqueline Boyer is a French singer and actress, the daughter of performers Jacques Pills and Lucienne Boyer....
, French singer and actress, was born Jacqueline Ducos, the daughter of performers Jacques PillsJacques PillsJacques Pills was a French singer and actor, born René Jacques Ducos. His impresario was Bruno Coquatrix. In 1959, Pills was the Monegasque entrant at the Eurovision Song Contest 1959 with the song "Mon ami Pierrot"...
(né René Jacques Ducos) and Lucienne BoyerLucienne BoyerLucienne Boyer was a French diseuse and singer, best known for her song "Parlez-moi d'amour". Her impresario was Bruno Coquatrix.-Early career:...
, and adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional name. - René BoylesveRené BoylesveRené Boylesve , born René Marie Auguste Tardiveau, was a French author.-Works:* Le Médecin des Dames de Néans ,* Mademoiselle Cloque ,* La Becquée ,...
, French author whose birth name was René Marie Auguste Tardiveau, used his mother's maiden name in his pen name. - Hercules Brabazon BrabazonHercules Brabazon BrabazonHercules Brabazon Brabazon was an English artist, accomplished in Turner manner watercolours....
, English artist, was born Hercules Brabazon Sharpe and adopted his mother's maiden name as his surname in order to inheritInheritanceInheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
a family estate. - Klaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria BrandauerKlaus Maria Brandauer is an Austrian actor, film director, and professor at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna.-Personal life:...
was born Klaus Georg Steng (or Stenj), the son of Maria Brandauer and Georg Steng (or Stenj). He subsequently adapted his mother's maiden name as his professional name. - Denis CannanDenis CannanDenis Cannan was a British dramatist, playwright and script writer. Born Denis Pullein-Thompson, the son of Captain Harold J. Pullein-Thompson and novelist Joanna Cannan, he changed his name by deed poll in 1964. His younger sisters were Josephine, Diana and Christine Pullein-Thompson.Born in...
, British dramatist, playwright and script writer, was born Harold Denis Pullein-Thompson, the son of Captain Harold J. Pullein-Thompson and novelist Joanna CannanJoanna CannanJoanna Cannan was a writer of pony books and detective novels. Her pony books were aimed primarily at children.Youngest daughter of Oxford don Charles Cannan and Mary Wedderburn, also cousin of Gilbert Cannan, it is perhaps her children she is best known for, being mother to Josephine...
, he later adopted his mother's maiden name as his own. - Diana Canova, American actress, was born Diane Canova Rivero, the daughter of actress Judy CanovaJudy CanovaJudy Canova , born Juliette Canova, was an American comedienne, actress, singer and radio personality. She appeared on Broadway and in films...
(née Juliette Canova) and musician Filberto Rivero. She adopted her mother's surname as her professional name. - Barbara CarreraBarbara CarreraBarbara Carrera is a Nicaraguan-born American film and television actress as well as a former model. She is best known for her roles as Bond girl Fatima Blush in Never Say Never Again and as Angelica Nero on the soap opera Dallas.-Early life:Barbara Kingsbury was born in San Carlos, Río San Juan,...
, Nicaraguan-American model and socialite, was born Barbara Kingsbury in San Carlos, Nicaragua. Her mother, Doña Florencia Carrera, was a native Nicaraguan, and her father, Louis Kingsbury, was an American employee of the United States embassy in Nicaragua. She changed her last name to her mother's surname after beginning her career as a model with the Eileen Ford agencyFord ModelsThe Ford Modeling Agency, or as it is known today Ford Models, is a modeling agency in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen and the late Gerard W. Ford.-Company:...
. - Leo CastelliLeo CastelliLeo Castelli was an American art dealer. He was best known to the public as an art dealer whose gallery showcased cutting edge Contemporary art for five decades...
, American art dealer, acquired his mother's maiden name of "Castelli", in place of his birth name of "Krausz" or "Krauss", as a child, when his birth city of TriesteTriesteTrieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
was transferred from AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n to ItalianItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
control. - Francis Charteris, 7th Earl of WemyssFrancis Charteris, 7th Earl of WemyssFrancis Wemyss Charteris was a Scottish landowner who claimed to be 7th Earl of Wemyss.Charteris was the second son of James Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss and his wife Janet, daughter and wealthy heiress of Colonel Francis Charteris...
, a Scottish peer, was the second son of James Wemyss, 5th Earl of WemyssJames Wemyss, 5th Earl of WemyssJames Wemyss, 5th Earl of Wemyss was the son of David Wemyss, 4th Earl of Wemyss.He was key to securing his father-in-law's release from Newgate after he was sentenced to hang for the capital felony of rape....
and his wife Janet, the daughter of Colonel Francis Charteris, whose surname Francis Wemyss adopted on 24 February 1732, legally changing his name to Francis Wemyss Charteris, upon inheriting the estates of his maternal grandfather. - Eric ClaptonEric ClaptonEric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, British musician and singer, was born in Ripley, SurreyRipley, SurreyRipley is a village and parish in Surrey, which grew on the main A3 road from London to Portsmouth. The road was renumbered as B2215 when a bypass was built. The village is situated close to the M25 motorway and southeast of Woking, northeast of Guildford and some southwest of central London...
, England, the son of 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton (b. 1929) and Edward Walter Fryer ( 1920 – 1985), a 24-year-old soldier from MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. - Chris CornellChris CornellChris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...
, American rock musician and singer (SoundgardenSoundgardenSoundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, AudioslaveAudioslaveAudioslave was an American rock supergroup that formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of former Soundgarden lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
) was born Christopher John Boyle. After their parents' marriage ended in divorce, he and his siblings changed their surnames from Boyle to their mother's maiden name (Cornell). - Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, British singer who was born Declan Patrick MacManus, formed his stage name by combining the first name of Elvis PresleyElvis PresleyElvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
with his mother's maiden name of "Costello". - Constance CummingsConstance CummingsConstance Cummings, CBE was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. she began as a stage actress,...
, American-born British actress, was born Constance Halverstadt, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. - Patti DavisPatti DavisPatti Davis is an American actress and author. She is the daughter of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and Reagan's second wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan...
, American actress and daughter of President Ronald ReaganRonald ReaganRonald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, born Patricia Ann Reagan, began using her mother's maiden name of "Davis" while she was a university student. In 2009, she told interviewer Tavis SmileyTavis SmileyTavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
that she "had that famous kid thing of I just want my own identity" and that she chose her mother's maiden name for her new name "because I really didn't want to anger my parents." - Chris de BurghChris de BurghChris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...
, British/Irish singer-songwriter was born Christopher John Davison in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles Davison, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, a native of Ireland; he later adopted his mother's maiden name as his professional surname. - Yvonne De CarloYvonne De CarloYvonne De Carlo was a Canadian-born American actress of film and television. During her six-decade career, her most frequent appearances in film came in the 1940s and 1950s and included her best-known film roles, such as of Anna Marie in Salome Where She Danced ; Anna in Criss Cross ; Sephora the...
, Canadian-American actress, was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton. She was not yet three years old when her father abandoned the family. Left on her own, her mother returned to using her maiden name of Marie De Carlo, and the young actress was later to use "De Carlo" as her professional name. - Albert DekkerAlbert DekkerAlbert Dekker was an American character actor and politician best known for his roles in Dr. Cyclops, The Killers, Kiss Me Deadly, and The Wild Bunch. He is sometimes credited as Albert Van Dekker or Albert van Dekker...
, American actor, was born Albert Van Ecke in Brooklyn, New York; he adopted his mother's maiden name of Dekker as his stage name. - Catherine DeneuveCatherine DeneuveCatherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...
, French actress, was born Catherine Fabienne Dorléac. When she was to appear in a movie with her older sister, Françoise DorléacFrançoise DorléacFrançoise Dorléac was a French actress. Born in Paris, she was the daughter of screen actor Maurice Dorléac and Renée Deneuve, and was the elder sister of Catherine Deneuve. The two sisters starred together in the 1967 musical, The Young Girls of Rochefort...
, she adopted the surname of her mother, actress Renée Deneuve, to distinguish herself from her sister. - Patrick DewaerePatrick DewaerePatrick Dewaere was a French film actor. He was born in Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, son of French actress Mado Maurin. His five siblings, Jean-Pierre Maurin , Yves-Marie Maurin , Dominique Maurin , Jean-Francois Maurin and Marie-Veronique Maurin Patrick Dewaere (26 January 1947 – 16 July 1982)...
, born either Patrick Jean Marie Henri Bourdeaux or Jean-Marie Patrick Bourdeau, and known professionally as Patrick Maurin, he finally opted for the stage surname Dewaere, which was his grandmother's maiden name. - Susan DeySusan DeySusan Dey is an American actress, known primarily for her roles in film and television. Her more prominent parts came as elder daughter, Laurie Partridge, on the 1970s sitcom The Partridge Family, and as Grace Van Owen, a California assistant district attorney and judge on the dramatic series, L.A...
, American actress, was born Susan Hallock Smith, the daughter of Gail (née Dey), a nurse who died of pneumonia when Dey was eight years old, and Robert Smith, a newspaper editor. She adopted her late mother's maiden name as her professional name. - Xavier DolanXavier DolanXavier Dolan , sometimes credited as Xavier Dolan-Tadros, is a Québécois actor and filmmaker, the son of Geneviève Dolan, a teacher, and Manuel Tadros, a Quebecois actor and singer of Egyptian descent...
, Canadian actor, director and screenwriter; the son of QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
actor Manuel Tadros and Geneviève Dolan, a teacher; he adopted his mother's maiden name as his professional name. - Melvyn DouglasMelvyn DouglasMelvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
, American actor; born Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg to Lena Priscilla (née Shackelford) and Edouard Gregory Hesselberg, he adopted his maternal grandmother's maiden name (Douglas) as his professional and legal name. - Eddie DowlingEddie DowlingEddie Dowling was an American actor, screenwriter, playwright, director, producer, songwriter and composer....
, American actor and producer, was born Joseph N. Goucher; he adopted the maiden name of his mother (Bridget Mary Dowling) as his stage surname. - Zélia DuncanZélia DuncanZélia Duncan , born Zélia Cristina Gonçalves Moreira, is a Brazilian singer and composer.-Biography:Zélia was born in Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. She moved with her family to Brasília, where she lived for 16 years...
, born Zélia Cristina Gonçalves Moreira, is a Brazilian singer and composer. She adopted the surname "Duncan" (her mother's maiden name) professionally. - Ballerina Margot FonteynMargot FonteynDame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
was born Margaret Hookham. Her stage name, which she first used when she made her professional debut at the age of 15, was adapted from her first name and her mother's maiden name. - BrendaBrenda ForbesBrenda Forbes was a British-American actress of stage and screen.Born as Brenda Evelyn Taylor in Rochford, Essex, the daughter of E. J...
and Ralph ForbesRalph ForbesrightRalph Forbes was an English actor in the American cinema. He was also a noted stage actor....
, British-born American stage and film actors (siblings) were born to E. J. Taylor and actress Mary ForbesMary ForbesMary Forbes was an English film actress. She appeared in over 130 films between 1919 and 1958....
; they adopted their mother's maiden name professionally. - J.D. FortuneJ.D. FortuneJ.D. Fortune , is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter. He was the winner of the 2005 CBS reality television series Rock Star: INXS, and fronted INXS until August 2011. - Early life :...
(aka Jason Dean Fortune), Canadian rock singer and songwriter; born Jason Dean Benninson, he adopted his mother's maiden name as his own surname. - Anthony FranciosaAnthony FranciosaAnthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
, American actor, was born Anthony George Papaleo to Italian-American parents; raised by his mother and aunt, he adopted his mother's maiden name (Franciosa) as his professional name. - David GarrettDavid Garrett (violinist)David Garrett is a record breaking German/American classical violinist and recording artist.-Personal life:...
, German classical violinist, was born David Bongartz, the son of a German jurist and an American prima ballerina; he later adopted his mother's maiden name as his own. - Theodore Geisel, American writer, based his pen name of Dr. SeussDr. SeussTheodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
on his middle nameMiddle namePeople's names in several cultures include one or more additional names placed between the first given name and the surname. In Canada and the United States all such names are specifically referred to as middle name; in most European countries they would simply be regarded as second, third, etc....
, which was his mother's maiden name (Henrietta Seuss). - Ryan GiggsRyan GiggsRyan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
, Welsh footballer, was born Ryan Joseph Wilson, but aged 16 legally adopted his mother's maiden name as his professional surname. - John Gilroy, for whom the town of Gilroy, CaliforniaGilroy, CaliforniaGilroy is the southernmost city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 48,821 at the 2010 census. Gilroy is well-known for its garlic crop and for the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival, featuring various garlicky foods, including garlic ice cream. Gilroy also produces...
is named, was born John Cameron. After deserting from the ship the Isaac Todd in Monterey, CaliforniaMonterey, CaliforniaThe City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
, in 1814, he adopted his mother's maiden name as his own, a successful ruse to avoid being retaken. When he later was received into the Roman Catholic faith, he was baptized as Juan Bautista María Gilroy. - Paulette GoddardPaulette GoddardPaulette Goddard was an American film and theatre actress. A former child fashion model and in several Broadway productions as Ziegfeld Girl, she was a major star of the Paramount Studio in the 1940s. She was married to several notable men, including Charlie Chaplin, Burgess Meredith, and Erich...
, American film actress, born Marion Pauline Levy, adopted her mother's maiden name professionally. - Cosmo HamiltonCosmo HamiltonCosmo Hamilton , born Henry Charles Hamilton Gibbs, was an English playwright and novelist. He took his mother's maiden name when he began to write. Hamilton was married twice: First to Beryl Faber, née Beryl Crossley Smith, the sister of C...
was the pen name of Cosmo Gibbs, an English playwright and novelist whose mother's maiden name was Hamilton. - David Hamilton, British radio and TV presenter, was born David Pilditch, but took up his mother's maiden name as his surname after he was advised that his real name would be difficult for audiences to remember.
- Jean HarlowJean HarlowJean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
, American actress, was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; Jean Harlow had been her mother's maiden name. - Lilian HarveyLilian HarveyLilian Harvey was a British-born actress and singer, long-based in Germany, where she is best known for her role as Christel Weinzinger in Erik Charell's 1931 film Der Kongress tanzt.-Life:...
, English-born actress and singer, who spent many years in Germany, was born Helene Lilian Muriel Pape. Her mother was English and her father was a German businessman. She began her career by attending the dance and voice school of the Berlin State Opera, later adopting her maternal grandmother's maiden name (Harvey) as her professional name. - Rita HayworthRita HayworthRita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
, American actress and dancer, was born Margarita Carmen Cansino and appeared in her first 10 movies under the name Rita Cansino. Subsequently, under the tutelage of her first husband and manager, she altered her physical appearance so she would no longer be perceived solely as a LatinoLatinoThe demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
and she changed her surname to the maiden name of her mother, Volga HayworthVolga HayworthVolga Cansino, née Hayworth , was an American dancer and vaudevillian under the name Volga Hayworth. A popular showgirl on Broadway, she was the mother of actress Rita Hayworth, who took her professional name from her mother's maiden name.She was born in 1897 in Washington D.C., the daughter of and...
. - Mlle. HervezBéjart-Background:They were children of Marie Hérve and Joseph Béjart , the holder of a smallgovernment post. There were 11 children in the family which was very poor and lived in the Marais, then the theatrical quarter of Paris...
, French actress; born Geneviève Béjart, she later adopted a variation of her mother's maiden name (Hervé) as her stage name. - Dana HillDana HillDana Hill was an American actress and voice actor with a raspy voice and childlike appearance, which allowed her to play adolescent roles into her 30s...
, American film, television and voice actress; born Dana Lynne Goetz, she adopted her mother's maiden name (Hill) as her professional acting name in the 1970s to avoid the appearance of nepotism as her father worked in the entertainment industry. - Norah JonesNorah JonesNorah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
, American singer-songwriter, was born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar to Indian sitar player Ravi ShankarRavi ShankarRavi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
and concert producer Sue Jones; she changed her name at age 16. - Louis Jourdan, French actor, was born as Louis Gendre in Marseille, the son of Yvonne (née Jourdan) and Henry Gendre.
- Madeline KahnMadeline KahnMadeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
, American actress and singer; originally named Madeline Gail Wolfson. Kahn was her mother's maiden name. - Garry KasparovGarry KasparovGarry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
, Russian chess champion, was born Garry Kimovich Weinstein in the former Azerbaijan SSR to an Armenian mother and a Jewish father. When Garry was seven years old, his father died of leukemiaLeukemiaLeukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and five years later he adopted his Armenian mother's maiden name, Gasparyan, which he modified to the more Russian-sounding "Kasparov". - Diane KeatonDiane KeatonDiane Keaton is an American film actress, director, producer, and screenwriter. Keaton began her career on stage, and made her screen debut in 1970...
, American actress, was originally named Diane Hall, but could not use that name professionally because it was the name of another actress, thus she selected her own mother's maiden name as her professional surname. - Barbara KentBarbara KentBarbara Kent was a Canadian-born U.S.-based silent film actress. Following the death of Miriam Seegar, she was the last North American actor still alive to have achieved substantial fame during the silent film era as an adult.-Career:Born as Barbara Cloutman in Gadsby, Alberta, to Jullion Curtis...
, Canadian-American film actress, was born Barbara Cloutman in Gadsby, AlbertaGadsby, AlbertaGadsby is a small village in central Alberta, Canada, located east of Red Deer. Gadsby is officially the smallest village in Alberta. It was incorporated in 1909.-Name:...
to Jullion Curtis and Lily Louise (née Kent) Cloutman. She later adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional name. - Olga KernOlga KernOlga Kern is a Russian classical pianist. Born as Olga Pushechnikova to a family of musicians with ties to Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, she later adopted her mother's maiden name professionally...
, Russian classical pianist whose original surname was Pushechnikova. - Imran Khan (Indian-American actor)Imran Khan (actor)Imran Khan is an Indian American film actor. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan and producer-director Mansoor Khan.Khan rose to stardom for his debut role in the 2008 blockbuster film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. The film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut...
was born Imran Pal. After his father (Anil Pal) and mother (Nuzhat Khan) divorced he took his mother's maiden name as his legal name. - Freddie KingFreddie KingFreddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
, American blues musician, adopted the surname "King" primarily because it was his mother's maiden name, but also possibly because it suggested an association with noted bluesmen Albert KingAlbert KingAlbert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
and B. B. KingB. B. KingRiley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, although he was not related to either. - Dorothea LangeDorothea LangeDorothea Lange was an influential American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration...
, American photographer, was born Dorothea Margaretta Nutzhorn, but after her father abandoned his wife and daughter, she stopped using both her middle name and her father's surname, adopting her mother's maiden name in their place. - C. S. LewisC. S. LewisClive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
published the poem "Dymer" under the name "Clive Hamilton", based on his mother's maiden name. - Anne Lockhart, American actress, was born Anne Kathleen Maloney in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the daughter of actress June LockhartJune LockhartJune Lockhart is an American actress, primarily in 1950s and 1960s television, but with memorable performances on stage and in film too. She is remembered as the mother in two TV series, Lassie and Lost in Space. She also portrayed Dr...
and Dr. John F. Maloney. Professionally, she used her mother's maiden name throughout her career. - Cissie Loftus, Scottish variety hall performer, was born Marie Cecilia Loftus Brown in Glasgow, Scotland to Ben Brown and Marie Loftus (also a variety hall performer). Cissie adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional name.
- Norman LumsdenNorman LumsdenNorman Lumsden was a British opera singer and actor. He first came to prominence during the 1940s and 1950s in several operas by composer Benjamin Britten, often performing at Covent Garden and the Aldeburgh and Glyndebourne festivals. He later began a television acting career during the 1970s...
, English actor, was born Norman Thompson. He made his first radio broadcast for the BBC in the 1930s, singing Negro spirituals and Czech songs by Dvorak. At this time he changed his surname to Lumsden (his mother's maiden name). - Phil LynottPhil LynottPhilip Parris "Phil" Lynott was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy....
, Irish musician born to Philomena Lynott (from Ireland) and Cecil Parris (a native of what was then known as British Guyana). - Shirley MacLaineShirley MacLaineShirley MacLaine is an American film and theater actress, singer, dancer, activist and author, well-known for her beliefs in new age spirituality and reincarnation. She has written a large number of autobiographical works, many dealing with her spiritual beliefs as well as her Hollywood career...
, American actress, was born Shirley MacLean Beaty; she adopted a variation of her mother (Kathlyn Corinne MacLean)'s maiden name as her professional name. - Edgar Lee MastersEdgar Lee MastersEdgar Lee Masters was an American poet, biographer, and dramatist...
, American writer, first published his early poems and essays under the pseudonym Dexter Wallace, derived from his mother's maiden name and his father's middle name. - Juliano Mer-KhamisJuliano Mer-KhamisJuliano Mer-Khamis was an Israeli actor, director, filmmaker and political activist of Jewish and Christian Arab parentage. On 4 April 2011, he was assassinated by a masked gunman in the Palestinian city of Jenin, where he established the Freedom Theatre....
, Israeli-Palestinian actor and director. Added his mother's maiden name ("Mer") to his surname later in life. - Christina MilianChristina MilianChristine Flores , better known by her stage name Christina Milian , is an American singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, and model....
, American singer was born Christine Marié Flores to Cuban parents, Carmen (néeNEENEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Milian) and Don Flores. She adopted her mother's maiden name in the hopes of landing a wider range of acting roles. - Crispian MillsCrispian MillsCrispian Mills is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is the son of actress Hayley Mills and director Roy Boulting, the grandson of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell , nephew of Juliet Mills and Jonathan Mills, and half-brother to Jason "Ace" Lawson...
, British musician (Kula ShakerKula ShakerKula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by outspoken frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed great commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10 hits on the UK Singles...
), son of Roy Boulting and actress Hayley MillsHayley MillsHayley Mills is an English actress. The daughter of John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and sister of actress Juliet Mills, Mills began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising newcomer, winning the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for Tiger Bay , the Academy Juvenile Award...
; adopted his mother's surname professionally and presumably legally. - Yvonne MitchellYvonne MitchellYvonne Mitchell was an English stage, television and film actor. She was born Yvonne Frances Joseph, but in 1946 changed her name by deed poll to Yvonne Mitchell . Her mother's maiden name was Mitchell. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s...
, English stage, television and film actor, was born Yvonne Frances Joseph. In 1946 she changed her name by deed pollDeed pollA deed poll is a legal document binding only to a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an active intention...
to Yvonne Mitchell (without the Frances). Her mother's maiden name was Mitchell. - Melissa MolinaroMelissa MolinaroMelissa Molinaro also credited or known as Melissa S. or Melissa Smith is a Canadian, pop singer, actress, choreographer and model. She is perhaps best known for her reality TV appearances on Making The Band 3 and Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search For the Next Doll...
, Canadian-born actress and singer, born Melissa Ann Smith; she adopted her mother's maiden name (Molinaro) as her professional surname. - Marilyn MonroeMarilyn MonroeMarilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
, American actress who was born as Norma Jeane Mortenson and later known as Norma Jeane Baker, followed the example of Jean HarlowJean HarlowJean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
in deciding to use her own mother's maiden name (Monroe) as part of her stage name. She initially chose the name "Jeane Monroe", but eventually settled on the name Marilyn Monroe on the advice of a movie studio executive. - Poppy MontgomeryPoppy MontgomeryPoppy Montgomery , is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Samantha Spade on Without a Trace...
, AustralianAustralian peopleAustralian people, or simply Australians, are the citizens of Australia. Australia is a multi-ethnic nation, and therefore the term "Australian" is not a racial identifier. Aside from the Indigenous Australian population, nearly all Australians or their ancestors immigrated within the past 230 years...
actress, born Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue to Nicola (née Montgomery) and Philip Donahue; she adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional name. - Ivor NovelloIvor NovelloDavid Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
, Welsh musician, composer and actor, born David Ivor Davies, adopted part of his mother's maiden name, "Novello", as his professional surname, although he did not change his name legally [by deed poll] until 1927. - Chris PacielloChris PacielloChris Paciello is a convicted felon who was a nightclub owner in Miami in the 1990s. After serving a prison sentence, he is currently a restaurant owner in Los Angeles....
, American mobster and nightclubNightclubA nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
owner, was originally named Christian Ludwigsen, but started calling himself Chris Paciello at age 19. He was reported to have told his friends that he decided to use his mother's maiden name of Paciello as a rejection of his father, as well as a claim on the ItalianItalian peopleThe Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
side of his family background. - Philippe PannetonPhilippe PannetonPhilippe Panneton was a Canadian physician, academic, diplomat and writer....
, Canadian diplomat, writer, academic and physician, used the pen name "Ringuet", which had been his mother's maiden name. - Prince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of EdinburghPrince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, adopted his mother's name of MountbattenMountbattenMountbatten is the family name originally adopted by a branch of the Battenberg family due to rising anti-German sentiment among the British public during World War I...
in 1947, along with a new nationality and religious affiliation, before his marriage to Elizabeth II. - Piero PiccioniPiero PiccioniPiero Piccioni , was an Italian lawyer turned major film score composer. A pianist, organist, conductor, composer, he was also the prolific author of more than 200 film soundtracks.-Early life:...
, Italian lawyer, film score composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and author; his mother's maiden name was Marengo, hence his pseudonym Piero Morgan, which he adopted until 1957. - Martha PlimptonMartha PlimptonMartha Campbell Plimpton is an American actress and singer and former model. Plimpton is a screen, stage and television actress. She first appeared as Jonsy in the feature film River Rats before rising to prominence in the Richard Donner film The Goonies portraying the character Stef...
, American actress, is the daughter of actors Keith CarradineKeith CarradineKeith Ian Carradine is an American actor who has had success on stage, film and television. In addition, he is a Golden Globe and Oscar winning songwriter. As a member of the Carradine family, he is part of an acting "dynasty" that began with his father, John Carradine.-Early life:Keith...
and Shelley PlimptonShelley PlimptonShelley Plimpton Carradine is an American former actress and Broadway performer.Plimpton was born in Roseburg, Oregon, to a father who ran an auto parts store. She is a "very distant" cousin of writer George Plimpton. She moved to New York with her researcher mother when she was 14, after her...
. Her parents never married and she was raised by her mother. Some sources indicate she was born Martha Campbell Carradine, others cite Martha Campbell Plimpton. - Natalie PortmanNatalie PortmanNatalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
, Oscar-winning American actress; born Natalie Hershlag, she took her grandmother's maiden name "Portman" as her stage name. - RavacholRavacholFrançois Claudius Koenigstein, known as Ravachol, , was a French anarchist. He was born 14 October 1859 at Saint-Chamond and died guillotined 11 July 1892 at Montbrison.-Biography:...
, French anarchist; born François Claudius Koenigstein, the son of a Dutch father (Jean Adam Koenigstein) and a French mother (Marie Ravachol); he adopted his mother's maiden name after his father abandoned the family. - Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Irish actor, born to Geraldine Meyers and musician John O'Keeffe; his stage name is partially derived from his mother's maiden name.
- Isla St ClairIsla St ClairIsla St Clair , is a Scottish singer, actress and former game show co-host.-Early career:Isla St Clair was born in Grangemouth, central Scotland, in 1952. Her family came from North East Scotland and it was here that she spent her early years...
, a Scottish singer, actress and former game show co-host, born Isabella Margaret Dyce, adopted a variation of her mother's maiden name, Sinclair, after her parents' divorce. - Dmitry SalitaDmitry SalitaDmitry Salita is a Ukrainian-born Jewish-American boxer from Brooklyn, New York in the welterweight division.He has a 33–1–1 record, with 16 KOs. He is , and his reach is 69".He is a practicing Orthodox Jew, and became so after he moved to Brooklyn...
, Ukraine-born American boxer, born Dmitry Aleksandrovich Lekhtman, adopted his mother's maiden name as his professional name. - Henri SauguetHenri SauguetHenri Sauguet , was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux as Henri-Pierre Poupard, he adopted his mother's maiden name as his pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies , concertos, chamber and choral music and numerous songs, as well as film music...
, French composer, born Henri Pierre Poupard. He first used his mother's maiden name when he began performing as a musician in deference to his father, a businessman, who did not want his family name associated with a profession he deemed to be "undignified." - Prunella ScalesPrunella ScalesPrunella Scales CBE is an English actress, known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:Throughout her long career, Scales has usually been cast...
, English actress, was born Prunella Margaret Rumney Illingworth. Her mother was actress Catherine Scales. - Lev and Sergei SedovSergei SedovSergei Lvovich Sedov was Leon Trotsky's younger son by his second wife, Natalia Sedova, and an engineer. He was killed in the Great Purges.Sedov was a Moscow-based engineer who published works on thermodynamics and diesel engines...
were the sons of the Russian Communist leader Leon TrotskyLeon TrotskyLeon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
and his second wife Natalia SedovaNatalia SedovaNatalia Ivanovna Sedova is best known as the second wife of Leon Trotsky, the Russian revolutionary. She was, however, also an active revolutionary in her own right and wrote on cultural matters pertaining to Marxism...
; they took their mother's (maiden) name for political reasons. - Ayrton SennaAyrton SennaAyrton Senna da Silva was a Brazilian racing driver. A three-time Formula One world champion, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time...
, Brazilian racecar driver, was born Ayrton Senna da Silva, but as "Silva" is a very common Brazilian name, he adopted his mother's maiden name ("Senna"). - Mallika SherawatMallika SherawatMallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...
, Bollywood actress, was born Reema Lamba. "Sherawat" is her mother's maiden name. She has stated that she uses her mother's maiden name because of the support she received from her mother. - Simone SignoretSimone SignoretSimone Signoret was a French cinema actress often hailed as one of France's greatest movie stars. She became the first French person to win an Academy Award, for her role in Room at the Top...
, French actress, was born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker. Her family name was a Jewish name. In order to get acting work in Nazi-occupied France in the early 1940s, she adopted her Catholic mother's maiden name of "Signoret" as her professional name. - John StandingJohn StandingSir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet is an English actor.-Early life:Standing was born John Ronald Leon in London, the son of Kay Hammond , an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker...
, British actor, born John Ronald Leon, the son of Kay Hammond (née Dorothy Katherine Standing), an actress, and Sir Ronald George Leon, a stockbroker. From a well-known acting family on his mother's side, including his great-grandfather Herbert Standing (1846–1923) and his grandfather, Sir Guy Standing (1873–1937), he adopted his mother's maiden name as his acting name. He is officially titled as Sir John Ronald Leon Standing, 4th Baronet. - Jean Stapleton, American actress, born Jeanne Murray, the daughter of Joseph E. and Marie (née Stapleton) Murray, she adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional name.
- Mary StuartMary Stuart (actress)Mary Stuart was an American actress and singer/songwriter.She was born as Mary Stuart Houchins in Miami, Florida and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she graduated from Tulsa Central High School and attended the University of Tulsa before embarking on her professional career...
, American actress and singer-songwriter, was born Mary Stuart Houchins. She used her middle name of Stuart, which was her mother's maiden name, as her professional name. - JenniferJennifer TillyJennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
and Meg Tilly, American-Canadian actresses, born Jennifer Chan and Margaret Chan, respectively, adopted their mother Patricia (née Tilly)'s maiden name. - Henrietta TreffzHenrietta TreffzHenrietta "Jetty" Treffz was best known as the first wife of Johann Strauss II and a well-known mezzo-soprano appearing in England in 1849 to great acclaim.-Biography:...
, born Henrietta Chalupetzky (1 July 1818 — 8 April 1878), "was best known as the first wife of Johann Strauss II and a well-known mezzo-soprano... the only child of a Viennese goldsmith and studied music in Vienna, adopting her mother's maiden name, Treffz, for professional purposes." - Martin van MaëleMartin van MaëleMartin van Maële was a French illustrator of early 20th century literature. He is renowned for his work in the field of erotic literature...
, French illustrator, born Maurice François Alfred Martin, combined his original surname and his mother's maiden name to create the pseudonym under which he published erotic artwork. - Antonia WhiteAntonia WhiteAntonia White was a British writer.-Early life:White was born as Eirine Botting to parents Cecil and Christine Botting. She later took her mother's maiden name, White. Her father taught Greek and Latin at St. Paul’s School...
, British writer, was originally named Eirene Adeline Botting. She used her mother's maiden name as her pen name, which she said she adopted because she felt her original name was not "sufficiently imposing" for her personality. - Shelley WintersShelley WintersShelley Winters was an American actress who appeared in dozens of films, as well as on stage and television; her career spanned over 50 years until her death in 2006...
, American actress, was originally named Shirley Schrift. Her stage name of "Winters" was based on her mother's maiden name ("Winter"). - John WojtowiczJohn WojtowiczJohn Stanley Wojtowicz was an American bank robber whose story inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon.-Background:...
, the American bank robber whose story was the basis for the movie Dog Day AfternoonDog Day AfternoonDog Day Afternoon is a 1975 drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, written by Frank Pierson, and produced by Martin Bregman. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, Chris Sarandon, Penny Allen, James Broderick, and Carol Kane. The title refers to the "dog days of summer".The film was...
, used the alias Littlejohn Basso in gay barGay barA gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
s. His adopted name was based on a combination of a nickname and his mother's maiden name.