25 celebrities whose real names will surprise you

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 16: Nicki Minaj performs onstage during the Meadows Music and Arts Festival – Day 2 at Citi Field on September 16, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

Nicki Minaj (Onika Tanya Maraj)

A lot of the celebs on this list didn’t want to change their name but were forced to by record execs or studio heads because that’s just how showbiz is. Nicki Minaj was one of those people.

Nicki Minaj was born Onika Maraj. Nicki was a nickname she went by, but she didn’t pick “Minaj” herself, unfortunately.

“Somebody changed my name,” Nicki told The Guardian in 2012. “One of the first production deals I signed, the guy wanted my name to be Minaj, and I fought him tooth and nail. But he convinced me. I’ve always hated it.”

Nicki has said, much like Rihanna, that she insists her friends still refer to her as Onika. If they knew her before the fame, then that’s what they should call her because, as she’s said, “I’m not Nicki Minaj when I’m with them.”