Most fans recognize the name Guy Fieri. It has a certain flair, just like the man who goes by the moniker. But he wasn't always Guy Fieri, and there's a good reason he is today.
As Insider confirms, Guy Fieri was born Guy Ramsey Ferry. Now, fans might think that Guy dropped his middle name to avoid any connotation with Gordon Ramsay. After all, it appears that the pair don't exactly get along, with rumors of Gordon taking a dig at Guy.
Whatever beef the two may have (or, arguments over beef, more like), that's not the reason Guy changed his name.
In fact, Guy's name change happened back in the '90s, even before he opened his first Johnny Garlic's restaurant or starred on Food Network. And it wasn't a classic case of rebranding himself to stand out against other up-and-coming chefs.
Though plenty of celebs (or wannabe celebs) have changed their names for fame — like Brad Pitt, AKA William or Katy Perry, AKA Katheryn Hudson — Guy wasn't one of them. In all his quirkiness, the edgy chef is true to his roots when it comes to acknowledging his heritage.
So, what's the reason for Guy's swapping his name, and did it have anything to do with fame and fortune?
While he did drop the "Ramsey" part, Guy switched his last name from Ferry to Fieri for a good reason. Pre-fame, Guy was Ferry. But his family name was actually Fieri, an Italian surname brought to the United States by Guy's grandfather.
Like many other immigrants of his time, Guy's grandfather streamlined his very Italiano last name into something more "American," hence "Ferry." Guy's dad went by Ferry as well, so it became Guy's family name.
When Guy married his wife Lori in 1995 (he shared their love story with Delish), he took that opportunity to change his last name. Which was smart, given that changing your name when you get married is free (and changing it via the courts is not).
So while Guy and Gordon might have some (friendly?) competition between the two of them, Guy had other motivations behind going from Guy Ramsey Ferry to Guy Fieri.
Of course, Guy isn't worth quite as much as Gordon, who boasts a $220 million net worth, but he's in his own niche that's quite profitable on its own.
Even more important, Guy is offering tribute to his grandfather, Giuseppe Fieri. Though it seems his parents, Penelope and Lewis, might have named him Guy as a tribute to Grandpa Giuseppe in the first place.
Fans can only imagine that Grandpa Giuseppe would be thrilled to know his grandson brought back the traditional family name (and maybe traditional family recipes, too?).