There are several stars who go by names that aren't their real ones. Lana Del Rey is a stage name and Queen Latifah's real name is Dana Elaine Owens.
Miley Cyrus has been a huge star for years now, after first finding fame on her Disney show Hannah Montana. After a music career and starring in some movies, such as The Last Song, she quickly became a total household name.
Fans might not know that Miley is not her real first name and she decided to go by it for a specific reason. Let's take a look at the story of Miley's name.
Her Real Name
It's interesting to look back on Miley's music and acting careers as she has had such success. She starred in the 2012 movie LOL and she was even in an episode of Black Mirror.
Her name fits her so perfectly but it turns out it's not her given one.
Miley Cyrus's real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus.
According to Capitalfm.com, her fans began sharing how surprised they were to learn this on social media. One fan said, “Am I the only person who didn’t know Miley Cyrus’ real name was Destiny Hope?”
The publication explains that in 2008, Miley changed her name officially, so this was now the name that she would go by. It turns out that "Smiley" is her family's nickname for her and she began calling herself "Miley."
According to Cheat Sheet, she changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus when she was 15. Ray, her middle name, was given to her because of her grandfather's name, and of course, her dad is Billy Ray Cyrus.
The publication also notes that Miley became Miley Ray Hemsworth after marrying Liam Hemsworth and he was thrilled about that: he said, "She will still be, obviously, known as Miley Cyrus, but she took my name, which is great. I think that was honestly one of the best things about it. I didn’t ask her to take my name, and then she was like, ‘No, of course I’m taking your name.’ I’m like, ‘[Gasp] that’s awesome!'”
Destiny Hope
According to CTV News, Billy Ray Cyrus talked about deciding to give Miley the name Destiny Hope and how he could tell that she would inspire and move people with her life and career.
He said, "This was Miley's dream. This was her - I believe to touch people's lives. Through her music and her life. I still believe that. You know, her name was originally Destiny Hope, I had given her the name before she was born because I had a vision. I felt it was her destiny to bring hope to the world."
He continued, "When I see her selling out arenas around the world or on her TV show, making people laugh, bringing families into the living room together, we always, you know, try to put positive messages in each episode if we could. And, you know, I do think that she - this is her purpose - her path."
Growing Up Famous
While Destiny Hope is a cool name, Miley is a great one as well and it's cool to learn that the star knew what name she wanted to go by.
In an interview with Elle, Miley shared more about her famous childhood and said of becoming an actress at such a young age, "I was a little girl. It’s crazy that a decision you can make when you’re a kid can affect your whole life – that someone would trust a child with her own future. It was just lucky that I was able to love it and turn it around."
The publication says that Miley would wake up at six a.m. and film Hannah Montana, write music, tour, and even more. It sounds like a super busy time.
In a 2017 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Miley was about to release album number six, which was a totally new sound for her and unlike her previous music.
Miley talked about how she likes that she is okay with change and that it's a positive thing, although people don't see it that way. She explained, “People get told that it’s a bad thing to change. Like, people will say, ‘You’ve changed.’ And that’s supposed to be derogatory. But you are supposed to change all the time."
While Destiny Hope is a beautiful name and it has a cool hippie vibe, it's true that people will always associate Miley Cyrus with the name that she decided to go by, and her nickname "Smiley" is totally adorable.