These famous names weren’t born famous. From Bob Dylan to David Bowie, discover how six stars reinvented themselves—starting with a name change.
What do Bob Dylan, Katy Perry, and David Bowie have in common? None of those were their original names. In this final episode of You Won’t Believe Who These Names Belong To, we explore how six celebrities—and two curveball bonus entries—changed their public identity by changing their names.
This isn’t just trivia. It’s transformation.
You’ll meet artists who dodged confusion, dropped Roman numerals, or launched candy-coated personas to take control of their legacy.
⭐ Who will surprise you the most?
⭐ Which name feels like a total mismatch?
⭐ And what does your name say about you?
🧠 Watch the whole series and see how a name—just a name—can change everything.
👉 Like, subscribe, and share this with someone who thinks Engelbert Humperdinck was a Muppet.
📺 Catch more surprising stories on An Ounce: real history, weird twists, and small things that changed everything.
🎧 You might also like:
Watch How Four Marines Created a Rock Legend—By Accident — The bizarre fight that changed Peter Cetera’s voice, and music history.
https://youtu.be/CYsCINKQJaA
#NameChanges #CelebrityOrigins #AnOuncePodcast #TrueStories #popculturehistory
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🟨Chapters
00:00 - Intro: The Power of a Name
00:45 - Robert Zimmerman → Bob Dylan
01:40 - Thomas Mapother IV → Tom Cruise
02:41 - Katheryn Hudson → Katy Perry
03:45 - Faith Perry → Faith Hill
04:35 - Ruth Elizabeth Davis → Bette Davis
05:41 - David Robert Jones → David Bowie
07:00 - Bonus: Engelbert Humperdinck (Real!)
07:40 - Bonus: Reese Witherspoon (Also Real!)
08:29 - Final Thoughts: The Reinvention Game
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🟩 References
• Bob Dylan – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dylan
• Tom Cruise – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tom-Cruise
• Katy Perry – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Katy-Perry
• Faith Hill – Wikipedia (no Britannica entry):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith_Hill
• Bette Davis – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bette-Davis
• David Bowie – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Bowie
• Engelbert Humperdinck – Wikipedia (biographical focus):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engelbert_Humperdinck_(singer)
• Reese Witherspoon – Britannica:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Reese-Witherspoon
Credits: Images via iStock and Getty, additional images through Wikimedia (as noted in video)
Music: A New Orleans Crawfish Bowl by Unicorn Heads via YouTube Music
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10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube
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