NOT EVERY ARTIST WAS BORN WITH A COOL NAME

Does Sting's wife call him Sting? Discover the real names of 10 stars

Image: Tim Mossholder

Not every artist is born with a name that is destined for greatness. Not every artist has parents as cool as Prince did, who actually named their son Prince Rogers Nelson. Most of the famous musicians, actors, and actresses we know were born with normal, middle-of-the-road names, like the rest of us. And, while many have decided to keep their given names, some have changed their monikers to something better suited to their chosen identities. The following ten are examples of successful artists who made this bold move. Did you know already any one of these?

Image: David Preston

Perhaps the greatest rock and roll star of all time, the Thin White Duke, reinvented himself and his whole style every few years. David Bowie’s name has become an icon in itself, but that wasn’t always the case.

Back in 1966, when the young David Jones was 18 and taking his first steps under the spotlight, he changed his name to avoid confusion with another British musician of the same name, Davy Jones, who later became the frontman for The Monkees. Bowie chose his moniker as a homage to the Bowie knife and James Bowie, a famous American pioneer.

Image: Jon Tyson

Another name that has long turned into an icon is Bob Dylan. Until 1962, his name was Robert Zimmerman and the most popular theory about why he chose Dylan was that it was done as an homage to poet Dylan Thomas. But the Nobel Prize winner has denied this a few times.

Apparently, the name came to him as a mixture of his own nickname, Bob, and the last name of jazz artist David Allyn. That same name, Allyn, sounded similar to Dylan, which the singer-songwriter preferred.

Image: Alexander Wark Feeney

While it may come as a surprise that some famous people’s names are not their real ones, others are quite obviously fabricated. Lady Gaga’s parents gave their daughter the more standardized name of Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

The young Stefani’s friends gave her the name Gaga after a lyric from the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga," which sounded similar to Lady Gaga.

Image: Austin Loveing

Elvis Costello may not have been born with that name but his parents gave him an even more flamboyant title: Declan Patrick Aloysius Macmanus. Granted, that name might have probably worked wonders for him in other endeavors, but in the realm of showbiz, shorter and easier-to-remember names are preferred.

And probably that is why ol’ Declan eventually chose a stage name after signing his first recording contract, combining ‘Elvis’ from Elvis Presley and his own father’s stage name, Costello.

Image: Andrik Langfield

Is Elton John an elegant name? You bet. Especially with the added "Sir." Is it real? Not a chance. Sir Elton was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, a very British name indeed, but apparently not the one he wanted for his career.

The Rocket Man creator started going by the name "Elton John" in honor of saxophonist Elton Dean and singer Long John Baldry.

Image: Edward Cisneros

A name so iconic that it doesn’t even need a last name, Cher is, in fact, short for the Pop Goddess's real name, Cherilyn, whose full birth certificate name is Cherilyn Sarkisian.

But before deciding to go with Cher, she recorded songs under the names Bonnie Jo Mason and Cherilyn. Even when she formed a duo with Sonny Bono, they went by "Caesar & Cleo," before landing on "Sonny & Cher."

Image: Noah Näf

When you sing as incredibly well as Freddie Mercury did, you can name yourself anything you want and people will come. But the man who gave us "Bohemian Rhapsody" thought that his birthname, Farrokh Bulsara, was not the best suited for his career.

The Queen frontman legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury around 1970, when the band was formed.

Image: Tim Gouw

Stevland Hardaway Judkins was a wonder from a very early age. In 1961, 11-year-old Stevie was discovered by Ronnie White of the Motown group the Miracles. After a meeting at Motown Records, Berry Gordy renamed the young prodigy "Little Stevie Wonder," later dropping the "Little" as he matured.

Image: Marc Schulte

It probably won’t be a shock to know that Sting, the British musician, wasn’t born with that name. Instead, his parents gave him the most normal name of Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner.

While in school, Sumner played in local clubs as part of bands called Pheonix Jazzmen and Last Exit. It was one of his Pheonix Jazzmen bandmates who first dubbed Sumner, "Sting." The nickname stemmed from a black-and-yellow striped sweater he often wore while performing. And it stuck.

Image: Yvette de Wit

Another rock star who decided that surnames were not a good look for him is U2’s frontman, Bono. Paul Hewson was born and raised in Ireland. While still in his teens, he was a member of a group called "Lypton Village."

One evening, hanging out on the street across from a local hearing aid shop called Bono Vox, his friends decided that such a name would be a good nickname for Paul because, in addition to being an Irish hearing aid company, "Bono Vox" means ‘good voice’ in Latin. At one point, Mr. Hewson dropped the "Vox," and from then on, became known simply as Bono.

Be articulate

There is a word for that; you just never heard it: 12 odd & useful terms

English has a word for almost everything, even the things most people never think to name. From the tiny metal ring on a paintbrush to the groove above your upper lip, countless everyday objects, sounds, and sensations have surprisingly specific names. Most of these words come from Latin, Greek, or centuries-old trades, and many are still used by doctors, architects, musicians, and craftspeople today. Here are 12 wonderfully obscure terms that might just become your new favorite vocabulary words.

That little metal band holding the bristles onto a paintbrush or reinforcing the end of an umbrella has a name: a ferrule. Its job is to strengthen the object and prevent wood or other materials from splitting after repeated use. Without ferrules, many everyday tools simply wouldn't last as long.

The word entered English in the early 1600s and ultimately traces back to Latin. Today, you'll find ferrules on fishing rods, golf clubs, pool cues, pencils, electrical cables, furniture, and even dental restorations. It's one of those tiny parts you've probably seen thousands of times without ever knowing its name.

Peek inside a high-quality grand piano and you may find an agraffe, a small metal guide that keeps the strings perfectly aligned as they leave the tuning pins. That tiny piece plays an important role in producing the instrument's clear, balanced sound.

Borrowed from the French word for "hook" or "clasp," agraffe also refers to decorative fasteners used in jewelry and clothing. It's a highly specialized word that is used in two very different worlds: elegant fashion and world-class music.

The narrow groove between your nose and your upper lip isn't just part of your face, it has a name. It's called the philtrum, and everyone has one, although its shape and depth vary from person to person.

The name comes from the ancient Greek philtron, meaning "love charm" or "love potion." Physicians sometimes examine the philtrum when diagnosing certain congenital conditions, but for most of us, it's simply one of those familiar facial features we never realized deserved its own entry in the dictionary.

Look at the base of your thumbnail, and you'll probably notice a pale, crescent-shaped area. That's the lunula, the visible portion of the nail matrix where new nail cells are formed before the nail grows outward.

Its name comes from the Latin word for "little moon," an obvious nod to its shape. Lunulae are usually easiest to spot on the thumbs and may be faint or even invisible on other fingers. Surprisingly, that's perfectly normal and varies widely from one person to another.

Ever rubbed your closed eyes and seen flashes, sparkles, or floating patterns of light? Those mysterious little bursts are called phosphenes, and they happen even though no actual light is entering your eyes.

Scientists have studied phosphenes for centuries because they reveal how the brain processes visual information. Even astronauts have reported seeing them aboard spacecraft, where cosmic rays can stimulate the visual system and create brief flashes in the darkness of space.

Some words sound like what they describe, and susurration is one of the best examples. It refers to a soft whispering, rustling, or murmuring sound, like leaves swaying in the wind, gentle ocean waves, or rain falling through a forest.

The word comes from the Latin susurrare, meaning "to whisper." Writers and poets have long adored it because the repeated "s" sounds seem to imitate the quiet noises themselves. It's hard to say susurration without almost whispering it.

Butterflies in your stomach before a speech? A nervous feeling before an exam? The British have a delightfully funny word for that: collywobbles. It refers to mild stomach discomfort, jitters, or anxious digestive unease.

Unlike many entries on this list, its exact origin isn't entirely clear, though it became popular in Britain during the early twentieth century. Today, it's usually used humorously, making an unpleasant feeling sound a little less unpleasant.

Those thin strips dividing old-fashioned window panes into neat little rectangles aren't just decorative; they're called muntins. Before modern manufacturing made large sheets of glass practical, muntins helped hold many small panes together.

Today, they're often added purely for appearance, giving newer homes a classic look. They're frequently confused with mullions, but there's an important difference: mullions separate entire window units, while muntins divide the individual panes within a single window.

The pointed parts of your dinner fork aren't simply "prongs." Their proper name is tines. The same word also describes the spikes on rakes, pitchforks, combs, and even the branching points on a deer's antlers.

The term has existed since Old English and remains surprisingly useful. Hunters count antler tines, gardeners replace broken rake tines, and engineers carefully design tine shapes for farming equipment.

Slice open an apple, and you'll find several pips inside. In British English, pip is the everyday word for the small seeds found in fruits like apples, grapes, oranges, and lemons, while American English usually sticks with simply "seed."

The word has branched into many other fields as well. The tiny dots on dice, the symbols on playing cards, and even certain military insignia are all called pips. It's proof that one small word can sprout into several completely different meanings.

Almost everyone has experienced paresthesia, even if they've never heard the word. It's the medical name for the tingling "pins and needles" sensation that happens when a nerve is temporarily compressed, like after sitting awkwardly or sleeping on your arm.

Most episodes disappear within minutes as normal nerve function returns. However, persistent paresthesia can sometimes signal nerve disorders, diabetes, or vitamin deficiencies, which is why doctors pay close attention when the symptom doesn't go away.

A newborn baby's first cry has a surprisingly mysterious name: vagitus. That first loud wail does much more than announce a new arrival, it helps expand the lungs as the baby begins breathing independently for the very first time.

Derived from the Latin word for "cry" or "wail," vagitus remains a standard medical term in obstetrics and pediatrics. Doctors even use the expression vagitus uterinus for the exceptionally rare phenomenon of a baby crying before complete delivery, one of medicine's most unusual recorded events.