25 celebrities whose real names will surprise you

American actor and singer Judy Garland (1922-1969) holds her hands up near her face, circa 1950s.(Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Judy Garland (Frances Ethel Gumm)

The beloved Judy Garland may be best known for her role as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz or for being the mother of Liza Minnelli, but most people don’t know her real name!

Born Frances Ethel Gumm, she was performing by the age of two and toured as a vaudeville act with her older sisters, known as The Gumm Sisters. By the time she was four, the family was in California.

Of course, in Hollywood’s heyday, it was customary for stars to change their names to something more “attractive.” Who says Frances wasn’t attractive? MGM, probably. . . . although Frances herself had already had some name changes that would have made the studio happy.

Prior to making a contract with MGM at 13, she and her sisters had become The Garland Sisters in 1934, and Frances started going by Judy as well instead of the stage name of “Baby Gumm” — yeah, we have to say we’d probably like Judy Garland better.