Top Ten Rock Musicians Who Changed their Last Name

As the name implies, this list is about famous rock musicians who changed their last name but kept their first name as part of their stage name.

As always, feel free to add more examples. If you do, please tell me what their original last name was and (if possible) some information on where they got the idea to change it.

1. Steven Tyler

   

   Steven Tyler is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith. He also plays the harmonica and occasionally plays keyboard and percussion. Tyler served as a judge on the tenth season of American Idol in 2011 and has held... read more

   Steven Tyler's real name is actually Steven Tallarico. Most people don't know this.

2. David Bowie

   

   David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016), was an English singer born in London, the son of a sales promotion officer and a housewife.

   He earned praise for his experimental and creative music, won numerous awards, and gained admiration from critics... read more

   Bowie's birth name was originally David Jones. After calling himself Davey Jones for a couple of years, he changed his last name to Bowie to avoid confusion with Davy Jones from The Monkees.

3. John Paul Jones

   

   John Baldwin, better known professionally as John Paul Jones, is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger, and record producer. He is best known as the bassist and keyboardist for the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Years after Led Zeppelin disbanded, Jones joined the supergroup... read more

   His original name was John Baldwin. A friend of his, original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham, suggested the new name after seeing a poster for the movie John Paul Jones while he was in France.

4. Jon Bon Jovi

   

   John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, philanthropist, and actor. He founded the rock band Bon Jovi in 1983, with keyboardist David Bryan among its original members.... read more

5. John Lydon

   

   John Joseph Lydon, known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols and later formed the post-punk group Public Image Ltd. Lydon is widely recognized for his influential role in the punk movement... read more

   I think most music fans know by now about "Johnny Rotten" and how John Lydon changed his name back as soon as the Sex Pistols were finished.

6. Johnny Ramone

   

   John William Cummings, known by his stage name Johnny Ramone, was an American guitarist. He was a founding member of the influential punk rock band the Ramones. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and Johnny Ramone remains recognized as one of punk's most iconic guitarists... read more

   Everybody knows that the Ramones adopted the same last name as part of their image, but Johnny and Tommy Ramone were the only two original members who kept their first name. His original name was John Cummings.

7. Chris Cornell

   

   Christopher John "Chris" Cornell (July 20, 1964 to May 18, 2017) was an American rock musician and singer-songwriter. He was best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the frontman of Audioslave. Renowned for his powerful voice, he possessed a wide... read more

8. Michael Anthony

   

   Michael Anthony Sobolewski, known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American bassist and backing vocalist. He was the longtime bass player for Van Halen, performing with the band from 1974 until 2006 and appearing on their first 11 studio albums. Anthony later joined the supergroup Chickenfoot... read more

   His full name is Michael Anthony Sobolewski. He had it legally shortened in 1978 after Van Halen started to take off.

9. Johnny Thunders

   

   John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 - April 23, 1991), better known by his stage name Johnny Thunders, was an American rock and punk guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. Thunders later played with the Heartbreakers and also pursued... read more

   His birth name was John Genzale. The other guitarist in the New York Dolls, Sylvain Sylvain, also changed his name (from Sylvain Mizrahi).

10. Bob Dylan

    

    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and visual artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than six decades. He gained fame in the 1960s with songs that became associated with the civil rights and anti-war movements. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel... read more

    Born Robert Zimmerman. Since Bob is a common nickname for Robert, I thought this would fit the concept of the list. Dylan was taken from the poet Dylan Thomas.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Henry Rollins

    

    Henry Lawrence Garfield, born February 13, 1961, is an American singer, writer, spoken-word artist, actor, comedian, and radio host known professionally as Henry Rollins. He rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of the hardcore punk band State of Alert from 1980 to 1981 and later sang for Black Flag... read more

    Changed his last name from Garfield to Rollins. He never stated why when asked. I have two theories but take them with a grain of salt.

    Theory #1: He didn't want to carry the name that his father passed to him due to the resentment he has towards him (abandoning him and his mom and not being involved in his life). Theory #2: Angry tough guy "Rollins" didn't want the name of a famous fat cat cartoon character (Lol).

12. ?

    Tom Verlaine

    

    The guitarist for the band Television changed his name from Thomas Miller to Tom Verlaine because he took inspiration from French poet Paul Verlaine. He was also inspired by the story of how Bob Dylan changed his name as a form of inspiration from Dylan Thomas.

The Contenders

13. Lonnie Mack

    

    Lonnie McIntosh, better known by his stage name Lonnie Mack, was an American blues-rock guitarist and vocalist. He was an influential figure in the development of blues and rock guitar, particularly noted for his use of the whammy bar. His guitar work inspired many musicians, including Stevie Ray Vaughan... read more

    Lonnie Mack, one of the original pioneers of blues-rock, shortened his name from Lonnie McIntosh.

14. Peter Green

    

    Peter Green was a British blues rock guitarist. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Green was known for his emotive playing style and wrote several of the band's early hits, including Albatross and Black Magic Woman.

15. Bill Wyman

    

    William George Wyman, born William George Perks and known professionally as Bill Wyman, is an English musician, songwriter, singer, and photographer best known as the bassist for the Rolling Stones from 1962 until 1993. From 1997 to 2018, he recorded and performed with his own band, Bill Wyman's Rhythm... read more

    His birth name was William George Perks Jr. He said he took the name Wyman from a friend he met while serving in the Royal Air Force. He first changed it to Lee Wyman, and then changed it again to Bill Wyman.

16. Johnny Marr

    

    Johnny Marr is an English musician, songwriter, and singer. He is best known as the guitarist and co-songwriter, alongside Morrissey, of The Smiths. The band was active from 1982 to 1987, and Marr was born in Ardwick, Manchester, to Irish parents. He formed his first band at the age of thirteen.

    His birth name is John Martin Maher. He started spelling it as Marr at the age of 14 to make it easier to pronounce and to avoid any confusion with Buzzcocks drummer John Maher.