A name can carry a legacy, a family identity, and sometimes, baggage. From Miley Cyrus choosing to go simply by Miley to members of the Jolie-Pitt family stepping away from their famous surname, several celebrities have recently made changes to the names they want the world to know them by. Take a dekko
Smith in 2004. The duo who got married in August 2014, separated in September 2016 after 12 years together and two years of marriage. In December 2025, the actor revealed that she had officially changed her name following her marriage to Jake Bongiovi.
The change came alongside the announcement of her 10th album, Bass Persuades, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. her father Billy Ray Cyrus described it as a “natural progression While Miley has not publicly explained the decision. Academy Award-winning actor Angelina Jolie and Oscar-winning actor Brad Pitt began dating while filming Mr. & Mrs. Zahara’s elder brother Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt followed a similar path. For Millie Bobby Brown, the name change came with a change in family identity.
On August 31, the American singer dropped “Cyrus” from her social media handles and began presenting herself simply as Miley. In July 2026, reports revealed that he had filed to legally change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie, removing “Pitt” from his surname. She dropped both “Bobby” and “Brown” and took the name Millie Bonnie Bongiovi.
Born Christina Flores, the actor and singer adopted her mother’s maiden name, Milian, early in her career after finding that casting directors’ perceptions of her Latina surname were limiting her opportunities. In May 2026, Cage revealed that he had legally changed his name in 2025, making official the identity he had long used professionally.
Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, the actor adopted “Cage” professionally decades ago, distancing himself from his famous Coppola family background. In January 2026, Christina revealed that the change was “absolutely a business decision” and said it ultimately “changed the trajectory” of her career.
For Nicolas Cage, the decision to move away from a famous surname came much earlier, but became official only recently.
