Would you change your name?

Which famous actor's name means “Praise God for Beef”?

Image: Ainur Iman

A great name can take you a long way in show business—but alas, not everyone is blessed with a glamorous or even interesting birth name. These 12 talented individuals decided to change their real names to something that—at least to them—sounded better suited for their purposes. Did you already know any of these?

Image: Noah Näf

While it may surprise some that certain celebrities don’t use their real names, others are quite obviously fabricated. Lady Gaga’s parents gave their daughter the more traditional name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

Her friends later nicknamed her "Gaga," inspired by a lyric from the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga," which reminded them of her musical style—and the name stuck.

Image: ZENG YILI

The West Coast rapper was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., but he grew up in a family that called him Snoopy because they thought he bore a resemblance to the animated beagle cartoon character. When Calvin launched his music career, the nickname stuck.

Image: Chase Fade

Back in the early days of rap music, a young James Todd began calling himself LL Cool J —short for "Ladies Love Cool James"— in hopes of making a name for himself. As fame eventually found him, the name became his signature.

Image: Joey Banks

As you might have guessed, Vin Diesel’s parents didn’t name him that way but, instead, Mark Sinclair. Mark began going by his stage name while working as a bouncer at a New York nightclub, wanting a tougher-sounding name for his job.

Image: BRUNO CERVERA

Eric Marlon Bishop decided to change his name to a unisex one upon entering the stand-up comedy business. He thought that women performers got more chances than men, and if his name sounded female, his chances of being called were greater. Right or wrong, the strategy worked, and he became famous in the end.

Image: Johannes Plenio

When Alicia Augello Cook was searching for the perfect stage name, she turned to the dictionary for inspiration. She was drawn to the word "Keys" because it reminded her of her favorite instrument, the piano — and because keys open many doors.

Image: Lisa

Nicolas Kim Coppola changed his name to avoid being associated with his famous uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola. He chose "Cage" as a tribute to two of his inspirations: Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage, a character he admired, and avant-garde composer John Cage.

Image: Janine Robinson

This one is pretty straightforward: the phonetic pronunciation of Marshall Mathers’ initials —"M.M."— is, you guessed it, Eminem.

Image: Madie Hamilton

Granted, the name does sound exotic to begin with—but the real meaning is even stranger. "Shia" means "praise God" in Hebrew, and "LaBeouf" means "beef." So, this actor’s name quite literally means "Praise God for beef."

Image: Gabriel Gurrola

Stevie may be a wonder when it comes to singing and playing the piano, but he wasn’t born with that name. His real name is Stevland Hardaway Judkins. When he signed with Motown in 1961, his surname was legally changed to Morris, an old family name.

He adopted the stage name Stevie Wonder because people were astounded by his talent and called him "a little wonder."

Image: Church of the King

As we’ve seen so far, some names are just too great to be real—and that’s certainly the case with Queen Latifah, who was born Dana Elaine Owens. In her own words, she chose her stage name because "Latifah" means "delicate and very kind" in Arabic, and she liked the juxtaposition of that softness with the boldness of "Queen."

Image: Rosa Rafael

Taylor Swift’s real name is, indeed, Taylor Swift—and it was chosen because her parents were big James Taylor fans. As James himself once said: "It’s hugely flattering and was a delightful surprise when she told me that. Obviously, it wasn’t her choice; it was her mom and dad, but a great connection, I think."

Secrets of heights

Unsolved mysteries, strange finds, and fossils: The truth about Everest

Image: Martin Jernberg

At 29,032 feet, Mount Everest is known as the "rooftop of the world." While that's a fact most people already know, this ancient mountain holds more secrets than you might expect. From mythical creatures to the most unusual objects ever found there, today we're taking a journey up Everest, and what we'll discover might surprise you!

Image: Ben Lowe

Most of us know it simply as Everest, but this mountain has more identities. In the 19th century, the British named it after Sir George Everest, a British surveyor. But in Nepal, it's called Sagarmatha, which means "Forehead of the Sky." In Tibet, meanwhile, it's known as Chomolungma, meaning "Goddess Mother of the World." Beautiful, right?

Image: Konstantin Mishchenko

If you think marriage is only for the daring, you won't believe this. Despite the danger and harsh weather, several couples have chosen the world's highest peak as the location for their wedding. A recent example is Ashley Schmieder and James Sissom, who in 2017 became the first couple to get married on the summit of Everest wearing traditional wedding outfits. Imagine wearing a wedding dress at -10°F!

Image: Sebastian Pena Lambarri

On average, 800 to 900 people try to climb Everest each year, with many more visiting its base. Along the way, climbers often leave behind a surprising amount of items like crampons, clothing, cooking utensils, climbing tools, and oxygen bottles. In fact, there are "Trash zones" filled with these and many other articles left behind by people. You can imagine what else might be found there, especially since not everyone makes it to the summit.

Image: Joseph Corl

At the top of Everest, there's more than just leftover climbing gear. There, at almost 30,000 feet above sea level, they have found something else: marine fossils!

Although the summit is far from the sea today, it wasn't always that way. Millions of years ago, the area where Everest now stands was once part of a seabed at the bottom of the ocean. Over time, tectonic plates pushed the land upward, forming not just Everest but the entire Himalayan mountain range.

Image: Jonathan Ansel Moy de Vitry

Experienced climbers typically take 6 to 9 weeks to reach the summit of Everest, something incredible given the mountain's extreme conditions. But hear this: In 2003, expert Nepalese climber Lakpa Gelu reached the summit in just 10 hours and 56 minutes. And as if that wasn't impressive enough, in 2004, Sherpa Pemba Dorje beat that record, making it to the top in only 8 hours and 10 minutes!

Image: Luo Lei

The movement of tectonic plates causes the Himalayas to rise. Incredible as it may seem, Mount Everest isn't just tall: It's actually growing a fraction of an inch every year! It may not sound like much, but over millions of years, it really adds up.

Image: Ehab Al-Hakawati

There's an unsolved mystery on Everest involving two British climbers, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who aimed to be the first to reach the summit back in 1924. They were reportedly last seen close to the top, but no one knows if they actually made it.

Both climbers disappeared, and while Mallory's body was discovered in 1999, Irvine has never been found. Many people report encountering ghosts that haunt the mountain and sometimes even offer help. Could those spirits be the two of them?

Image: Kirsten Frank

In 2024, Nat Geo explorers found a boot with a sock inside that read "A. C. Irvine." That's right! It took a hundred years before they finally discovered this boot, believed to have belonged to Irvine.

If it took a century to find just one boot, imagine everything else that might still be up there!

Image: Agnès Maillard

Part of the mountain's folklore is the mythical Yeti, also known by his stage name: the Abominable Snowman. Reports of a huge, ape-like creature walking on two legs date back as early as the 19th century.

Most research suggests it's likely all about a bear species, but even today, some people still claim to have seen the Yeti. In the mountain, there have also been discoveries of footprints too large to be human, and even enormous bones!

Image: JC Gellidon

The extreme altitude, cold, and other harsh conditions make life on Everest tough. However, to many people's surprise, the mountain does have its own unique plants and animals, all known for their ruggedness. On one hand, you can find hardy plants like mosses, lichens, and the Himalayan Blue Poppy. When it comes to animals, the area is home to snow leopards, Himalayan tahr (wild goats), and yaks. Of course, the higher you go, the scarcer wildlife becomes.