8 of the Weirdest Celebrity Names—and Their Stories

A whoopee cushion, bottled water and a German composer all turn up in celebrity naming stories. “Weirdest” is subjective, but these eight names have especially unexpected backstories—or look nothing like the names their owners started with.

Seven are stage names or nicknames. Moon Unit Zappa is the birth-name exception.

1. Whoopi Goldberg

Born: Caryn Elaine Johnson.

The name almost went further: Whoopi Cushione, a whoopee-cushion reference pronounced with a French accent. Goldberg told Seth Meyers that her mother objected, worrying that the joke would make people underestimate her abilities. Her mother suggested Goldberg instead, and the combination stuck. In her memoir, Goldberg also connected “Whoopi” to colleagues’ nickname for her habit of letting out gas. Entertainment Tonight’s account

A comedy name with a comedy origin—and a parental edit.

2. Engelbert Humperdinck

Born: Arnold George Dorsey.

This wasn’t an invented string of impressive syllables. The singer borrowed the name of an existing German composer. His manager, Gordon Mills, proposed the change when Dorsey’s career was struggling; the singer adopted it in 1965. Two years later, “Release Me” became his breakthrough hit. His official website recounts the transformation.

The useful trivia distinction: the singer and the composer are different people. The name is the connection, not the career.

3. Awkwafina

Name behind the persona: Nora Lum.

Awkwafina told Jimmy Kimmel that she picked the name as a teenager, mainly because it amused her and a friend. She hadn’t expected people to actually call her that. Another candidate was Dassani, with two s’s—which they rejected.

The bottled-water resemblance eventually produced a real perk: she confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Aquafina sent her water. THR’s report

For spelling, remember that the performer’s name begins Awk-, not Aqu-.

4. Childish Gambino

The performer: Donald Glover.

Glover has said this name came from typing his name into an online Wu-Tang name generator.

The story acquired its own internet mystery: two generators produced different results for Tim Carmody’s name, yet both returned “Childish Gambino” for Donald Glover in Carmody’s 2014 comparison. WNYC’s TLDR subsequently investigated the tale.

Treat it as Glover’s account of how he acquired the musical alias, not a birth name.

5. Meat Loaf

Born: Marvin Lee Aday; also known as Michael Lee Aday.

A name that sounds like dinner became the billing for the singer of Bat Out of Hell and “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.” Note the two-word spelling: Meat Loaf, rather than the ordinary dish’s “meatloaf.”

He also supplied a memorable answer to the etiquette problem. When NPR’s Scott Simon asked, “Do I call you Mr. Loaf?”, the singer replied: “Meat.” NPR’s archived exchange and obituary transcript

6. Flea

Born: Michael Peter Balzary.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist’s tiny stage name is commonly traced to his youthful energy. Loudwire’s account cites a 2014 Larry King interview in which Flea described himself as a jumping-around, “feral type of young man,” then said, “Yeah, that’s how [the name] came.” The article also notes that other origin stories have circulated. Loudwire’s account, republished by WRRV

To match name and person, think Flea → bass → Red Hot Chili Peppers. Balzary is the surname behind the insect-sized alias.

7. Lady Gaga

Born: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

The stage name comes from Queen’s “Radio Ga Ga.” That gives it a musical reference rather than a title of nobility or a family-name origin. Britannica documents both her full birth name and the song connection. Britannica biography

It’s also a useful name-trivia contrast: a four-part birth name became two short words. If the question asks who Stefani Germanotta is, the answer is Lady Gaga.

8. Moon Unit Zappa

Birth name: Moon Unit Zappa.

Unlike the aliases above, this one wasn’t adopted for an adult performing career. Her biographical record lists Moon Unit as her birth name.

Frank Zappa’s daughter became known for her contribution to the 1982 hit “Valley Girl.” She later wrote the memoir Earth to Moon, whose title turns her unusual name into a phrase with a personal history: her mother used “Earth to Moon” when scolding her as a child. Associated Press’s memoir review

A quick name-recall challenge

Look away from the list. Which four celebrities connect to a whoopee cushion, bottled water, a name generator and a Queen song?

Then try matching their public names to the names behind them. For another round of alias trivia, explore famous pen names and the writers behind them.