In an industry where a last name can open doors before an audition even begins, a surprising number of celebrities have gone out of their way to shut those doors behind them. Rather than leaning on family connections, these figures intentionally distanced themselves from their famous parents by changing or avoiding their surnames altogether. Whether it was about dodging assumptions, escaping scrutiny, or carving out an identity of their own, these stars built their careers the long way.
Angelina Jolie
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Though she is the daughter of Academy Award winner Jon Voight, the Maleficent star began using her middle name as a professional surname very early in her journey. This decision was rooted in both a desire for professional independence and a famously strained relationship with her father that lasted for decades.
Olivia Wilde
While she is now a powerhouse director and actress, few fans realize she was born Olivia Jane Cockburn to a family of highly influential journalists and writers. Seeking a professional moniker that reflected her love for literature and art, she adopted her stage name during high school as a tribute to the legendary Irish writer Oscar Wilde. This shift allowed her to distance her Hollywood pursuits from the political and investigative journalism worlds inhabited by her parents, Andrew and Leslie Cockburn.
Elle King
The “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer is the daughter of Saturday Night Live alum and movie star Rob Schneider, yet she entered the music industry under her mother’s maiden name. Born Tanner Elle Schneider, she made a conscious choice to establish her blues-rock career without the shadow of her father’s comedy fame. King has often noted in interviews that she wanted to be signed for her voice and songwriting rather than her proximity to a Hollywood heavyweight, a gamble that clearly paid off with multiple Grammy nominations.
Emilio Estevez
Unlike his brother Charlie Sheen, who adopted their father Martin Sheen’s professional stage name, Emilio chose to retain the family’s legal Spanish surname. By keeping “Estevez,” he honored his heritage while simultaneously distancing himself from the “Sheen” brand that had become synonymous with Hollywood royalty. This choice forced him to forge his own path through the Brat Pack era, eventually leading to a successful career as both a leading man and a respected director.
Micheál Richardson
The star of Made in Italy is the son of Oscar-nominee Liam Neeson and the late Natasha Richardson. While he began his career using his father’s world-famous surname, he legally changed it to Richardson in 2018 as a permanent tribute to his mother, who passed away following a skiing accident in 2009. By choosing to carry the name of the Richardson acting dynasty—which includes his grandmother Vanessa Redgrave—he successfully honored his maternal roots while carving out a niche separate from his father’s action-hero persona.
Malia Ann
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The eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama recently made headlines by opting for a professional name that omits “Obama” entirely. For her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival with the short film The Heart, she was credited simply as Malia Ann. By leaning into her middle name, she signaled a desire to be judged on the merits of her filmmaking and creative vision rather than the massive political shadow of her parents.
Nicolas Cage
Born Nicolas Kim Coppola, the Oscar winner is the nephew of legendary The Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola. Early in his career, Cage grew weary of being accused of riding his uncle’s coattails, particularly after working on Fast Times at Ridgemont High. He famously drew inspiration from Marvel Comics character Luke Cage and avant-garde composer John Cage to create a new identity that would allow him to audition without the weight of the Coppola dynasty hanging over every performance.
Norah Jones
The world-renowned jazz singer, born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar, is the daughter of legendary sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. Jones made the definitive choice to drop “Shankar” from her name long before her multi-Grammy-winning debut, Come Away with Me, took the world by storm. By distancing herself from her father’s massive global influence in traditional Indian music, she ensured that her success in the Western pop and jazz world was seen as a result of her own soulful songwriting and distinct vocal style, rather than a byproduct of her father’s musical royalty.
Leila George
The Animal Kingdom star, born Leila George D’Onofrio, is the daughter of acclaimed actor Vincent D’Onofrio and actress Greta Scacchi. From the onset of her career, she opted to use her middle name as her professional surname to navigate the industry as a blank slate. By shedding the “D’Onofrio” name, she successfully avoided the immediate expectations and comparisons that come with being the child of an Emmy nominee.
Louisa Jacobson
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The youngest daughter of Meryl Streep, Louisa Jacobson’s name change was driven by both personal conviction and professional necessity. While she shared the un-nepo sentiment of wanting to carve out a path separate from her mother’s monumental shadow, she also faced a practical hurdle: Screen Actors Guild (SAG) regulations. Because another actress was already registered under her legal name, Louisa Gummer, she adopted “Jacobson”—her middle name—to satisfy union rules while simultaneously ensuring her breakthrough role in The Gilded Age wasn’t overshadowed by her famous family ties.
