Miley Cyrus fans can't believe star's birth name as she says she'd 'never go back' to it

Fans have been left astounded after discovering chart-topping artist Miley Cyrus legally changed her name back in 2008.

A TikTok video has recently resurfaced showing the now-31-year-old expressing her dislike for her original name. In a throwback chat with Entertainment Tonight , the "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker discussed her decision to change her name.

During an interview conducted backstage at one of her shows , the interviewer quizzed Miley on what she had legally changed her name to. The former Hannah Montana sensation responded: "Miley. What I've always been called, yeah."

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Following this, Miley is seen making a disgusted face before revealing her parents initially called her Destiny Hope Cyrus. She joked: "Never again, it doesn't technically legally count!"

In a candid moment on Netflix's 'My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman' in 2024, Miley delved into the story behind her birth name. Letterman probed the "Flowers" singer: "Let me ask you: Destiny Hope Cyrus. What was going on there?" to which Miley retorted: "It's a big shoe to fill."

She then said her mother, Tish Cyrus, and father, country legend Billy Ray Cyrus, picked the name believing she was destined to bring hope to the world. Letterman remarked: "That's lovely but a lot to load on a kid."

Miley agreed, telling the veteran host: "It is lovely. It is a lot but I do think that from the beginning it set an intention, which we don't always have."

Miley's new name was inspired by a family nickname. She revealed that her parents used to call her Smiley due to her cheerful nature, which eventually morphed into Miley.

In March 2008, at the age of 15, the singer legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus in the Los Angeles Superior Court, as per court documents obtained by TODAY.com. Her request was approved in May of the same year.

A brief video of Miley expressing disdain for her former name sparked surprise among fans, who were quick to express their astonishment that the singer once had a different name.

One viewer remarked: "I never even knew that was her name before." Another user chimed in: "I never knew this." A third person wrote: "Why am I just finding this out."

Miley is not the only actor and musician to use a different name than the one they were born with. Consider Marshal Mathers, better known as Eminem, or Winona Ryder, whose real name is Winona Laura Horowitz.

Sometimes celebrities change their names because they feel their birth name lacks the 'star appeal' necessary to stand out in the industry, while others simply dislike their given name and seize the first opportunity to change it.

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