Tons of celebrities change their names at the beginning of their careers, whether because their agents recommend it or because they opt for something a little catchier (or easier to pronounce) than what they were born with.
But for some, there are more meaningful reasons behind the change, like family ties (such as Guy Fieri honoring his grandpa's name pre-immigration) or Katy Perry opting not to use "Katheryn" as a stage name.
So while fans will recall that Dove has always been Dove Cameron, at least since she started on her Disney journey, that wasn't the name she was born with.
Of course, the 25-year-old star isn't averse to sharing the back story with her fans. It's true: Dove Cameron was born Chloe Celeste Hosterman in 1996. But when she was 15, she changed her legal name.
It wasn't for her growing career, though — Dove hadn't quite debuted by that time. In fact, her first credited project was two episodes on 'Shameless' in 2012. Before that, Dove was a theater actress with two stage productions to her name. Today, of course, she's worth about $3 million thanks, in part, to Disney.
No, what happened in 2011 was what spurred her name change: her father passed away. Dove's dad, Philip Alan Hosterman, took his own life.
Dove shared the news via Twitter in 2017, notes TeenVogue, in response to a fan asking why she chose to swap Chloe for Dove. The answer was that Cameron didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her dad, so she wanted a special way to honor his memory.
Hosterman's nickname for his daughter was always "Dove," so the actress felt it was a natural choice. Fans teared up over learning the backstory of Dove's name, with one commenter pointing out that "every time someone calls you Dove your dad is talking to you."
Her moniker isn't the only tribute Dove has left for her dad, though. She often shares photos of her father on Instagram, penning thoughts she wishes she could share with him.
But as the actress and singer explained in one post remembering her dad, the older she gets, the more she understands him and who he was, saying "I know I am never without you because you are in me." In another, lengthier IG post, Dove wrote about her own struggles with depression, anxiety, and trauma — but also shared that she's working at 'being OK' daily.
Knowing that Dove changed not only her stage name but her legal name to honor her father and that she has experienced some of the same struggles he did is heartwrenching to fans.
But it's a story that matters, and one with a whole lot more heart than other actors' tales of changing their names on an agent's advice before their first big break.