As a teenager, Saul Hudson, the performer best known as the lead guitarist for Guns ‘N Roses, was nicknamed Slash by his friend’s father — actor Seymour Cassel — because he was always hustling and never stopped to chat. With a name like Slash, it’s no wonder why this rock legend uses a stage name. (Here are 25 of the strangest band names and where they came from.)
It is not uncommon for musicians to use stage names. Whether they choose to go by their first name (such as Prince, Adele, or Madonna) or to change their name entirely to something like Elvis Costello or Iggy Azalea, many rock and pop stars utilize a unique and memorable moniker when they perform. (Speaking of unique names, here are the most popular never-seen-before names in 2020.)
24/7 Tempo has compiled the birth names of 60 rock and pop stars who are better known by their stage names. Many of these artists have kept their first names but chosen a catchier last name for the stage. Some of these stars, including Lorde and Macklemore, are still known by their birth names to friends and family.
To determine the birth names of numerous rock and pop stars, 24/7 Tempo consulted lists published on several music and general interest sites, including Rolling Stone, CapitalFM, Ultimate Classic Rock, Classic Bands, and Cosmopolitan, verifying information wherever possible on the artists’ own sites. Information on each artist’s biggest song and both its peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and its number of weeks on the chart came from Billboard.
Click here to see the birth names of 60 rock and pop stars
1. Adele
> Birth name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
> Biggest hit: Rolling In The Deep (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 65)
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2. Avicii
> Birth name: Tim Bergling
> Biggest hit: Wake Me Up! (peak: 4, weeks on the Hot 100: 54)
3. Iggy Azalea
> Birth name: Amethyst Amelia Kelly
> Biggest hit: Fancy (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 39)
4. Pat Benatar
> Birth name: Patricia Mae Andrejewski
> Biggest hit: Love Is A Battlefield (peak: 5, weeks on the Hot 100: 22)
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5. Jon Bon Jovi
> Birth name: John Francis Bongiovi
> Biggest hit: Blaze Of Glory (From “Young Guns II”) (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 21)
6. Bono
> Birth name: Paul David Hewson
> Biggest hit: With or Without You (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 18)
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7. David Bowie
> Birth name: David Robert Jones
> Biggest hit: Fame (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 21)
8. Cher
> Birth name: Cherilyn Sarkisian
> Biggest hit: Believe (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 31)
9. Eric Clapton
> Birth name: Eric Patrick Clapp
> Biggest hit: I Shot The Sheriff (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 14)
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10. Alice Cooper
> Birth name: Vincent Damon Furnier
> Biggest hit: Poison (peak: 7, weeks on the Hot 100: 19)
11. Elvis Costello
> Birth name: Declan Patrick McManus
> Biggest hit: Veronica (peak: 19, weeks on the Hot 100: 14)
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12. David Crosby
> Birth name: David Van Cortland
> Biggest hit: Immigration Man (peak: 36, weeks on the Hot 100: 9)
13. Jason Derulo
> Birth name: Jason Joel Desrouleaux
> Biggest hit: Whatcha Say (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 32)
14. Bo Diddley
> Birth name: Otha Ellas Bates McDaniel
> Biggest hit: Say Man (peak: 20, weeks on the Hot 100: 12)
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15. Dr. John
> Birth name: Malcolm John Rebennack
> Biggest hit: Right Place Wrong Time (peak: 9, weeks on the Hot 100: 20)
16. Bob Dylan
> Birth name: Robert Allen Zimmerman
> Biggest hit: Like A Rolling Stone (peak: 2, weeks on the Hot 100: 12)
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17. Mama Cass Elliot
> Birth name: Ellen Naomi Cohen
> Biggest hit: Make Your Own Kind Of Music (peak: 36, weeks on the Hot 100: 9)
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18. Gloria Estefan
> Birth name: Gloria Maria Milagrosa Fajardo
> Biggest hit: Anything For You (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 23)
19. Boy George
> Birth name: George Alan O’Dowd
> Biggest hit: The Crying Game (From “The Crying Game”) (peak: 15, weeks on the Hot 100: 17)
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20. Halsey
> Birth name: Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
> Biggest hit: Without Me (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 52)
21. Janis Ian
> Birth name: Janis Eddy Fink
> Biggest hit: At Seventeen (peak: 3, weeks on the Hot 100: 20)
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22. Billy Idol
> Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad
> Biggest hit: Mony Mony (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 22)
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23. Joan Jett
> Birth name: Joan Marie Larkin
> Biggest hit: I Love Rock ‘N Roll (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 20)
24. Elton John
> Birth name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight
> Biggest hit: Candle In The Wind 1997/Something About The Way You Look Tonight (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 42)
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25. Chaka Khan
> Birth name: Yvette Marie Stevens
> Biggest hit: I Feel For You (peak: 3, weeks on the Hot 100: 26)
26. Lady Gaga
> Birth name: Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta
> Biggest hit: Just Dance (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 49)
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27. Little Richard
> Birth name: Richard Wayne Penniman
> Biggest hit: Baby Face (peak: 41, weeks on the Hot 100: 10)
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28. Lorde
> Birth name: Ella Yelich-O’Connor
> Biggest hit: Royals (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 44)
29. Macklemore
> Birth name: Ben Haggerty
> Biggest hit: Thrift Shop (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 49)
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30. Christine McVie
> Birth name: Christine Perfect
> Biggest hit: Got A Hold On Me (peak: 10, weeks on the Hot 100: 16)
31. Madonna
> Birth name: Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
> Biggest hit: Take A Bow (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 30)
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32. Manfred Mann
> Birth name: Manfred Sepse Lubowitz
> Biggest hit: Blinded By The Light (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 20)
33. Marilyn Manson
> Birth name: Brian Warner
> Biggest hit: The Beautiful People (peak: N/A, weeks on the Hot 100: N/A)
34. Bruno Mars
> Birth name: Peter Gene Hernandez
> Biggest hit: That’s What I Like (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 52)
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35. Meatloaf
> Birth name: Marvin Lee Aday
> Biggest hit: What You See Is What You Get (peak: 71, weeks on the Hot 100: 6)
36. Freddie Mercury
> Birth name: Farouk Bulsara
> Biggest hit: Another One Bites The Dust (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 31)
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37. Joni Mitchell
> Birth name: Roberta Joan Anderson
> Biggest hit: Help Me (peak: 7, weeks on the Hot 100: 19)
38. Frank Ocean
> Birth name: Christopher Breaux
> Biggest hit: Thinkin Bout You (peak: 32, weeks on the Hot 100: 28)
39. P!nk
> Birth name: Alecia Beth Moore
> Biggest hit: Just Give Me A Reason (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 36)
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40. Iggy Pop
> Birth name: James Jewell Osterberg Jr.
> Biggest hit: Candy (peak: 28, weeks on the Hot 100: 15)
41. Prince
> Birth name: Prince Rogers Nelson
> Biggest hit: When Doves Cry (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 23)
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42. Dee Dee Ramone
> Birth name: Douglas Colvin
> Biggest hit: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker (peak: 81, weeks on the Hot 100: 13)
43. Diana Ross
> Birth name: Diane Ernestine Earle
> Biggest hit: Upside Down (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 29)
44. Johnny Rotten
> Birth name: John Lydon
> Biggest hit: Anarchy in the U.K. (peak: N/A, weeks on the Hot 100: N/A)
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45. Leon Russell
> Birth name: Claude Russell Bridges
> Biggest hit: Tight Rope (peak: 11, weeks on the Hot 100: 12)
46. Gene Simmons
> Birth name: Chaim Witz
> Biggest hit: Beth/Detroit Rock City (peak: 7, weeks on the Hot 100: 21)
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47. Slash
> Birth name: Saul Hudson
> Biggest hit: Sweet Child O’ Mine (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 24)
48. Ringo Starr
> Birth name: Richard Starkey
> Biggest hit: Act Naturally (peak: 47, weeks on the Hot 100: 7)
49. Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam)
> Birth name: Steven Demetre Georgiou
> Biggest hit: Morning Has Broken (peak: 6, weeks on the Hot 100: 14)
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50. Sting
> Birth name: Gordon Matthew Sumner
> Biggest hit: If You Love Somebody Set Them Free (peak: 3, weeks on the Hot 100: 18)
51. Sly Stone
> Birth name: Sylvester Stewart
> Biggest hit: I Get High On You (peak: 52, weeks on the Hot 100: 9)
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52. Joe Strummer
> Birth name: John Graham Mellor
> Biggest hit: Mondo Bongo (peak: N/A, weeks on the Hot 100: N/A)
53. Donna Summer
> Birth name: LaDonna Andrea Gaines
> Biggest hit: Hot Stuff (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 21)
54. The Edge
> Birth name: David Howell Evans
> Biggest hit: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 17)
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55. Tina Turner
> Birth name: Annie Mae Bullock
> Biggest hit: What’s Love Got To Do With It (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 28)
56. Shania Twain
> Birth name: Eilleen Regina Edwards
> Biggest hit: You’re Still The One (peak: 2, weeks on the Hot 100: 42)
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57. Eddie Vedder
> Birth name: Edward Louis Severson III
> Biggest hit: My City Of Ruins (Live From The Kennedy Center Honors) (peak: 92, weeks on the Hot 100: 1)
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58. Sid Vicious
> Birth name: John Simon Ritchie
> Biggest hit: Something Else (peak: N/A, weeks on the Hot 100: N/A)
59. Stevie Wonder
> Birth name: Steveland Hardaway Judkins
> Biggest hit: I Just Called To Say I Love You (peak: 1, weeks on the Hot 100: 26)
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60. Bill Wyman
> Birth name: William George Perks Jr.
> Biggest hit: In Another Land (peak: 87, weeks on the Hot 100: 5)
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