Will Ferrell Reveals Why His Real Name “Embarrassed” Him Growing Up

Where there’s a Will, there’s a way. 

And that’s why Will Ferrell chose to not go by his legal name. Born John Ferrell, the Saturday Night Live alum recently detailed why he felt self-conscious going by a different name for his whole life. 

“This is a minor thing in terms of—it's not really even trauma—but I remember feeling so embarrassed because my real name is John, John William Ferrell, so first day of school, I'd be John,” he explained to Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler on the July 9 episode of the MeSsy podcast. “The teacher would be like 'John Ferrell?' and it was so embarrassing to me to have to say 'Here, but I go by Will, I don't go by John.’”

The 56-year-old—whose parents opted to call him ‘Will’ rather than by his first name from his birth—described the first week of school as “excruciating” as he waited for teachers to catch on, but he couldn’t pinpoint why it bothered him so much. 

"I don't know why it was so embarassing to me to have to explain, 'I'm actually Will,'" he added. "People are probably going to be listening to this going, 'This is the lamest thing ever.'"

But Will—who shares sons Magnus, 20, Mattias, 17 and Axel, 14 with wife Viveca Paulin—also shared another thing that gave him grief in middle school: his hair. 

“The one thing that was an issue in my life was I went from having really straight blond hair to—it naturally got curlier and curlier,” he added. “So in fourth grade I would’ve had a part, like a wavy part. By the time I left elementary school—the first day I junior high was very traumatic because I just had to go full ‘fro. I couldn’t comb it anymore."

In addition to sharing his challenges with school roll call and his hair, the Zoolander star also gave insight into what he was like as a young student.  

“Fourth grade Will would’ve been really into sports, very conscientious student,” he recalled. “But at an early age, still trying to make my friends laugh. I was like a conscientious class clown. I would goof around to a point. If the teacher said ‘Please stop,’ I was like, ‘You got it.’”

It may not have been Will’s choice to change his moniker, but he is not the only member of Hollywood to do so. Keep reading for every star who goes by an alias.

Though the singer initially released a Christian album under her birth name in 2001, she felt the stage name Katy Perry—inspired by her mom's maiden name—might meet pop fans more in awe, awe, awe. 

Cardi B took on the name Bacardi after family and friends started calling her sister Hennessy. Later on she shortened the name to something that suited her quite a bit more.

Before she became the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle was briefly known as Rachel. 

Shania Twain shared the origin story of her stage name during an appearance on Apple Music's Home Now Radio: "In short, I was born, Eilleen Regina Edwards, and then I was adopted and I became Eilleen Regina Twain. Then I became a professional singer and I needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother's name, because I'm named after my grandmother, both my grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina. I think, in my mind, I was just not really wanting to be called my grandmother's name onstage, so I decided to change it to Shania Twain. I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born."

Oddly enough, Gigi Hadid got her stage name in school when the teacher would confuse her and a girl named Helena. Since her mom called her "gigi" as a term of endearment at home, she told the teacher to just call her Gigi and it simply stuck. 

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Miley Cyrus' bright smile is what inspired her childhood nickname, Smiley. Eventually the name was shortened to Miley and it stuck. 

Apparently the singer looked more like a Bruno than a Peter, so one day his dad started calling him Bruno. Ever since, he has been known as Bruno Mars.

Before the meat dresses and chart-topping music, Lady Gaga was just an everyday girl from New York.

Jason Sudeikis confirmed on Today that he was named Daniel after his father, but following some confusion, his mom started using his middle name Jason to avoid confusion. 

Emma Stone ended adopting this stage name after finding out that the Screen Actors Guild already had a member registered under her birthname. 

Turns out Reese isn't even Reese Witherspoon's middle name. The actress chose the moniker in honor of her mother, whose maiden name is Reese.

Every artist has an alter ego, and Lana Del Rey just happens to be the persona of choice for the singer. 

In 2014, Frank Ocean legally changed his name because, why not? 

A little known fact about 30 Rock's Tina Fey is that she is actually named Elizabeth. The comedian made a not so subtle tribute to her birth name by naming her character Liz Lemon.

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Turns out the "Royals" singer is really into learning about the aristocracy, hence the reason why she chose the name Lorde, but with a feminine 'e.'

Before he started shaking his bonbon for the masses, music superstar Ricky Martin went by this everyday name.

It's hard to believe that Iggy Azalea was born Amethyst Kelly!

Fans were confused when Taylor Swift thanked then-boyfriend Adam in an acceptance speech, which lead people to the discovery that Calvin Harris is simply a stage name. The DJ told Shortlist magazine he chose the name because his first single was more soulful and wanted something a bit more "racially ambiguous."

Before she became a household name, this was what erstwhile Friend Jennifer Aniston answered to.

Alicia Keys didn't always have such a musical name.

Before he became arguably the biggest movie star in the world, Tom Cruise went by this name.

Back when she was born in 1980, this was how the future bigtime actress Natalie Portman greeted the world.

Before she became a big-time TV star and married Ellen DeGeneres, this was the name Portia de Rossi answered to.

Guess music superstar Elton John didn't think his original name would be a hit with audiences.

Check The Simple Life alum Nicole Richie's birth certificate and this is the name you'll see.

All it took was a nickname from some high school friends, and U2 frontman Bono's famous moniker was born.

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"I went on as Eric Bishop, killed, standing ovation," Jamie Foxx has said of his early comedy days, revealing that for weeks after his fellow comedians blocked him from getting back onstage. So he took his act to a new location and wrote down three unisex-sounding names in the hopes of getting picked. "I go up and get a standing ovation, so the name sticks." 

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