Celebrities come from all walks of life to make it in entertainment, and there is no right path for anyone. Sacrifices will need to be made, and some people will do anything and everything to get to the top. This could even include changing their name.

Many stars go by their given names, but plenty of others will change things up. It's common for rappers to do so, as Eminem sounds better than Marshall Mathers, and Jay-Z sounds better than Shawn Carter. The stars on this list also swapped names to something a bit more palatable.

Let's take a look at some stars who changed their names for Hollywood.

8 Lana Del Rey - Elizabeth Woolridge Grant

These days, Lana Del Rey is one of the most popular singers in the world, but long before she was able to top the charts, she was Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, which bears absolutely no resemblance to the name that she goes by now. Fortunately, the name change and the music career completely worked out for this singer, and we can't imagine too many people calling her Elizabeth these days.

7 Mahershala Ali - Mahershalalhashbaz Gilmore

Mahershala Ali is one of the top actors working in Hollywood today, and the future MCU star is poised to become an even bigger presence in the entertainment industry. His given name is a lot more complex than what he goes by now, and a change in religion is what sparked the shift in last name from Gilmore to Ali. Mahershala is simply a shortened version of his original first name.

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6 Mindy Kaling - Vera Chokalingam

Most people have absolutely no idea who Vera Chokalingam is, but millions of fans are familiar with the name Mindy Kaling. The former Office and Mindy Project star made the decision to go by her middle name as opposed to her first name long ago, and Kaling is simply a shortened version of her last name. Interestingly, she was gong by Mindy even before she was famous, so this was a natural choice for a stage name.

5 Vin Diesel - Mark Sinclair

Before living his life a quarter-mile at a time and practically turning into a car himself, Vin Diesel was originally known as Mark Sinclair. Vin Diesel is clearly a fake name, but it is one that fits the actor so perfectly, that it could be easy to assume that it was his given name. There are conflicting stories about where his current stage name actually came from, but one thing we do know is that millions of fans know him is Vin and not Mark.

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4 Shania Twain - Eilleen Edwards

Now this one should blow people's minds. Country music legend Shania Twain became a global powerhouse back in the 1990s, and the vast majority of people have absolutely no idea that her real name is Eilleen Edwards. To be fair, she was going to make it in music no matter what, but Shania Twain does have an undeniable ring to it, especially when compared to the seemingly normal-sounding Eilleen Edwards.

3 Michael Caine - Maurice Micklewhite

Having been in the world of acting since the 1950s, it is almost bizarre to think that Michael Caine is a stage name and not the real name of the actor who has been in so many amazing movies. Born Maurice Micklewhite, Michael Caine made the decision to go by his stage name early on in his career, but he would eventually change his name for good, meaning that Maurice Micklewhite is no more.

Related: Jimmy Fallon Named This Acting Legend His Most Awkward Interview

2 Nina Dobrev - Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva

Former Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev made a name for herself on the small screen, and millions of people are all too familiar with her. For her stage name, she simply shortened her name up, which made it significantly easier to pronounce and more palatable for audiences. Thankfully, everything worked out, and Nina Dobrev became a household name that still carries a lot of weight.

1 Jamie Foxx - Eric Marlon Bishop

This is one particular name change that sounds especially interesting, and this is largely due to the fact that Jamie Foxx sounds like a normal name. However, the actor and singer was initially known as Eric Marlon Bishop before becoming a star. While coming up in the comedy scene, the future movie star knew that women were getting stage time before men, so he changed his name to something a little more ambiguous to get stage time.

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