Elle Fanning real name has been a point of curiosity for fans, as the celebrated actress, along with her sister Dakota Fanning, actually goes by her middle name rather than her first. Both sisters, known for their impressive work in Hollywood, decided early on to use their middle names professionally and personally, a tradition stemming from their family.
The Truth Behind Elle and Dakota Fanning’s Names
The famed siblings, who have built notable Hollywood careers in projects like All Her Fault and The Neon Demon, were born Hannah Dakota Fanning and Mary Elle Fanning. Rather than using their given first names, the sisters made a conscious choice to go by their middle names, long before stepping onto red carpets or film sets. This decision, as explained by Elle, comes from a family custom, as their mother herself also goes by her middle name.
“My mom goes by her middle name, and my sister goes by her middle name. Her first name is Hannah,”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
“It’s possibly a Southern thing, I don’t know. But since my mom goes by her middle name, we go by our middle names too.”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
This tradition, though practical within the family, did present some awkward moments during their formative years. Elle described how school settings required some explanation given that official records listed her as Mary.
“It was awkward in school when they were calling roll call,”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
“because they’d go, ‘Mary? Mary?’ Kids would be like, ‘There’s no Mary here.’ I’d awkwardly raise my hand, like, ‘Uh, it’s me.’”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
Dakota similarly addressed the origin of her chosen name, crediting her father for the selection of her middle name. While her official name is Hannah Dakota Fanning, she has always identified as Dakota.
“So it is Hannah Dakota Fanning. But I have always been called Dakota.”
— Dakota Fanning, Actress
Taking Hollywood by Storm as Sisters
The Fanning sisters have each achieved individual success in Hollywood before teaming up for their first film together, The Nightingale. Based on Kristin Hannah’s 2015 novel, the screen adaptation will see them portray siblings facing the anguish and danger of a Nazi-occupied France during World War II. This upcoming film, set to hit theaters in February 2027, marks the first time Hannah Dakota Fanning and Mary Elle Fanning share the screen as sisters, despite their familiar bond in real life.
Before joining the project, the two made personal vows to maintain professionalism during production.
“[Dakota] promised me that she’s not gonna boss me around,”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
“I’m like, ‘You have to treat me like a fellow actor.’”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
Dakota also extracted a similar promise, ensuring that her younger sister would not be too bothersome during filming. This mutual understanding reflects the respect both actresses have cultivated over the years. As producers and actresses in the project, the Fanning sisters are eager to bring dynamic sibling energy to the big screen.
“It’s taken a couple years in the making,”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
“but we are finally really doing it this time.”
— Elle Fanning, Actress
Other Well-Known Celebrities With Surprising Real Names
The Fanning sisters are not alone in adopting different names for their careers—many high-profile figures in the entertainment industry have tweaked or entirely changed their given names for various reasons. This list reveals a number of public figures whose stage names differ from what appears on their birth certificates, including musicians, actors, and television personalities.
-
Austin Richard Post
Post Malone, known for fusing hip-hop with genre-bending sound, integrated his real surname into his stage name. However, his closest friends continue to refer to him as Austin, as highlighted when Taylor Swift addressed him by his birth name at the 2024 MTV VMAs after winning the Best Collaboration award for their song “Fortnight.”
-
Aubrey Frances Anderson-Emmons
The actress who played Lilly on Modern Family transitioned to using the name Frances Anderson professionally as she ventured into music, choosing to highlight her middle name, which was inspired by a family friend.
“Frances is actually part of my legal name—it’s my middle name, and it’s after my mom’s old family friend,”
— Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Actress
“I thought, one, it was a bit shorter than ‘Aubrey Anderson-Emmons.’ I do have a long, hyphenated last name.”
— Aubrey Anderson-Emmons, Actress
-
William Carl Radke
Carl Radke of Summer House fame revealed that William is his legal first name, but he has always gone by Carl, his middle name, throughout his nine seasons on the Bravo reality show.
“My I.D. and my passport—my first name is William,”
— Carl Radke, Reality Star
“So, my middle name is Carl, but I’ve always, since day one, been called Carl.”
— Carl Radke, Reality Star
-
Sterling Kelby Brown
Sterling K. Brown, well known for his roles in television, initially used his middle name Kelby during his youth, finding his first name too reminiscent of older generations. Inspired to honor his father after his passing, he eventually reclaimed Sterling as his main moniker.
“My dad’s name is Sterling Brown Jr., my grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr.,”
— Sterling K. Brown, Actor
“I wanted my own name and it felt like Sterling was an old man’s name.”
— Sterling K. Brown, Actor
“Because he passed away when I was 10, by the time I turned 16 and I hadn’t heard his name for five, five-and-a-half years,”
— Sterling K. Brown, Actor
“I was like, ‘I kinda just want to hear that name again.’ So I asked people to call me Sterling.”
— Sterling K. Brown, Actor
-
Nicholas Dylan Harrison Efron
The winner of The Traitors, Nicholas Efron, uses Dylan as his public identity, shifting Harrison to his middle name.
“That’s my first name and everything gets bumped up,”
— Nicholas Dylan Efron, TV Personality
-
Andrew, Matthew, and Joey Mignogna
Better known professionally as the Lawrence brothers—Andrew Lawrence, Matthew Lawrence, and Joey Lawrence—these siblings adopted a new surname when Joey, whose middle name is Lawrence, decided to use it after feedback from a talent agent regarding their original family name.
-
Katherine Victoria Litwack
Kat Dennings selected her stage name as a young child, before her acting debut. She was influenced by the character Kat from Casper and the surname from her mother’s best friend Janine Denni, believing her birth name did not fit as a marquee name.
-
Cheryl Sarkisian
The legendary singer Cher long believed she was legally named Cherilyn, only to learn upon seeking her birth certificate to change her name that she was registered as Cheryl.
“I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break.”
— Georgia Holt, Mother of Cher
-
Collins Obinna Chibueze
The country star known as Shaboozey adopted this moniker when his high school in Virginia misspelled his surname, eventually using it as his stage name.
-
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson
Katy Perry, whose birth name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, first released music under her own name. She adopted her mother’s maiden name, Perry, to develop a separate pop persona capable of resonating with fans worldwide.
-
Belcalis Almanzar
Cardi B earned her famous name through childhood nicknames, first being called Bacardi when her sister was nicknamed Hennessy, and eventually modifying it into Cardi B, which made for a catchy stage name.
-
Rachel Meghan Markle
Before her marriage to Prince Harry and her role as Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was known by her birth name, Rachel, which she briefly used in her early life and acting career.
-
Eilleen Regina Edwards
Shania Twain unveiled the origins of her stage name, explaining that it was chosen to sound less like those of her grandmothers, after whom she was named. She drew inspiration from someone named Shania whom she once met.
“In short, I was born, Eilleen Regina Edwards, and then I was adopted and I became Eilleen Regina Twain. Then I became a professional singer and I needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother’s name, because I’m named after my grandmother, both my grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina. I think, in my mind, I was just not really wanting to be called my grandmother’s name onstage, so I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born.”
— Shania Twain, Singer
-
Kayleigh Rose Amstutz
Chappell Roan, the performer behind the independent pop hit “Good Luck, Babe!,” adopted her stage identity to maintain boundaries between her personal and professional lives, describing the persona as an ongoing “drag project.”
-
Jelena Noura Hadid
Gigi Hadid’s well-known moniker originated in school when teachers struggled to differentiate her from another student named Helena. Since her mother called her Gigi as a term of endearment, that name quickly became her public identity.
-
Mark Vincent
Action film star Vin Diesel crafted his charismatic stage name as a play on his birth name, Mark Vincent, seeking a more memorable and explosive screen persona.
-
Destiny Hope Cyrus
Miley Cyrus was known for her cheerful disposition as a child, earning the nickname Smiley, which was later shortened to Miley. This nickname eventually became her professional name as her career took off.
-
Peter Gene Hernandez
Singer Bruno Mars’ stage name began as a childhood nickname bestowed by his father, who thought he resembled a Bruno. Mars adopted this identity as he emerged as a chart-topping artist.
-
Stefani Germanotta
Before rising to fame as Lady Gaga, Stefani Germanotta was simply recognized by her given name growing up in New York. Her eccentric persona and stage name would later define her global superstardom.
-
Daniel Sudeikis
Comedian and actor Jason Sudeikis was born Daniel, named after his father, but confusion in the household led his mother to start calling him Jason instead, a practice that stuck throughout his career.
-
Emily Stone
After learning that SAG already had a registered member with her birth name, Emma Stone changed her professional moniker, choosing a name that was distinct within the acting community.
-
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon
Though neither Laura nor Jeanne made it onto marquees, Reese Witherspoon chose her mother’s maiden name as her professional identity, creating a name that’s become iconic in film.
-
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant
Lana Del Rey adopted her glamorous stage persona well before releasing hits, transforming her image and career with the alias that drew on a vintage, cinematic aura.
-
Christopher Edwin Breaux
Frank Ocean, born Christopher Edwin Breaux, eventually legally changed his name, a decision he described as simply personal preference.
-
Elizabeth Stamatina Fey
Comedian and television icon Tina Fey was actually born Elizabeth, with her SNL and 30 Rock character Liz Lemon serving as a nod to her real given name and her penchant for subtle tributes.
-
Calvin Broadus
The legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, a pioneer of West Coast rap, started life as Calvin Broadus before adopting the nickname that would become iconic in music and pop culture.
-
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor
International pop sensation Lorde, whose interest in aristocracy inspired her to choose a regal-sounding stage name, added a feminine “e” for a memorable twist.
-
Enrique Morales
Before his worldwide success under his new persona, Ricky Martin was known to friends and family as Enrique Morales.
-
Amethyst Kelly
Despite her distinctive stage presence as Iggy Azalea, fans might be surprised to learn that Amethyst Kelly is her birth name.
The Enduring Appeal of a Great Name
Choosing a different name in the public eye can shape an artist’s entire brand and legacy. For Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning, their decision to use their middle names has not just defined their professional personas but is part of a family tradition that traces back to their mother. This approach, seen across Hollywood and the music industry, connects personal identity with professional image—often creating lasting recognition that separates them from the crowd.
As the Fanning sisters step into new roles, both as producers and actresses in The Nightingale, they continue to demonstrate how a name—given or chosen—can reflect not only family history, but also the complex and evolving identities that actors and musicians bring to their craft. For those curious about the true origins of their favorite stars’ names, stories like these serve as a reminder of the personal and cultural layers behind every famous moniker.
