Would Anna Nicole Smith have found equivalent fame if she had kept her real but much more boring name of Vickie Lynn Hogan? Many celebrities do a name makeover before they become famous. See a more complete list here.

al pacino --- alfredo james pacino
albert brooks --- albert lawrence einstein
alec guinness --- alec guinness de cuffe
alex trebek --- giorgi suka-alex trebek
ali macgraw --- alice macgraw
alice cooper --- vincent damon furnier
alicia keys - alicia augello cook
andy garcia - andres arturo garci-menendez
andy warhol - andrew warhola
angelina jolie - angelina jolie voight
ann landers - esther "eppie" pauline friedman lederer
anne bancroft - anna maria louisa italiano
anne rice - anne rampling
arsenio hall - chuckton arthur hall
artie shaw - arthur arshawsky
ashanti - ashanti shaquoya douglas
audrey hepburn - Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston
audrey meadows - audrey cotter
ava gardner - lucy johnson
axl rose - william bruce bailey
b.b. king - riley b. king
babe ruth - george herman ruth
baby spice - emma bunton
babyface - kenneth brian edmonds
bam margera - brandon cole margera
barbara eden - barbara huffman
barry gibb - douglas gibb
barry manilow - barry alan pinkus
bea arthur - bernice frankel
benny hill - alfred hawthorne hill
bernie mac - bernard jeffrey mccollough
bette davis - ruth elizabeth davis
bianca jagger - bianca perez morena de macias
big boi - antwan andre patton
big bopper - jiles perry richardson
big daddy kane - antonio harding
big pun - christopher lee rios
bill bixby - wilfred bailey bixby
bill wyman - william perks
billie holiday - eleanora fagan gough
billy idol - william michael albert broad
billy ocean - leslie sebastian charles
billy the kid - william h. bonney
bing crosby - harry lillis crosby
blondie - debbie harry
bo bice - harold elwin bice
bo derek - mary cathleen collins
bo diddley - ellas bates, later ellas mcdaniel
bob barker - robert william barker
bob dylan - robert allen zimmerman
bob hope - leslie townes hope
bobbie gentry - roberta streeter
bobby rydel - robert lugi ridarelli
bonnie tyler - gaynor hopkins
bono - paul david hewson
bow wow - shad gregory moss
boy george - george o dowd