25 celebrities whose real names will surprise you

BERLIN – FEBRUARY 16: Singer George Michael poses at the ‘George Michael: A Different Story’ Photocall during the 55th annual Berlinale International Film Festival on February 16, 2005 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

George Michael (Georgios Panayiotou)

Speaking of famous people using the name Michael, the late George Michael will be remembered for being a pioneering force in pop music. But a lot of people may not know that George Michael is not his real name.

George was born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, the son of a Greek Cypriot father and an English mother. Throughout his whole childhood, he dreamed of being a performer. As a teen, he met Wham! co-founder Andrew Ridgeley, and they started making music together — first in a ska band and later as the duo Wham!.

On his road to fame, Georgios realized his name might be a problem. He decided to go from Georgios Panayiotou to a simpler George Michael. It rolls off the tongue much easier, don’t you think?

Besides, under that name, he made and sold plenty of records — including Faith and Twenty Five, with plenty of other albums in between.