(Left) GAB Archive / Contributor / Getty Images / (Center) LeAnn Rimes / Instagram / (Right) GAB Archive / Contributor / Getty Images
It’s a pretty common thing for celebrities to go stage names instead of their real names. Country stars are no exception!
Many country singers don’t go by their real last names. For example, Thomas Rhett is actually named Thomas Akins, Jason Aldean is Jason Williams, and Toby Keith’s name was Toby Covel.
But today we’re talking about artists who don’t (or didn’t) go by their real FIRST names…and there’s a lot of them! We’re sharing 20 in this list, so keep reading to see who they are.
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Garth Brooks’ real first name is actually Troyal. He dropped Troyal to go by his middle name, which is Garth.
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The singer you all know and love as Conway Twitty changed his first AND last name when he started his career. His birth name was Harold Lloyd Jenkins.
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Did y’all know that Tammy Wynette was born as Virginia Wynette Pugh? If not, now you do.
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Keith was actually Keith Whitley’s middle name. His true first name was Jackie.
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Dierks is such a unique name! But it’s actually his middle name…his first name is Frederick.
It should probably go without saying that Jelly Roll’s true first name isn’t Jelly (and his last name isn’t Roll, for that matter). He was born as Jason Bradley DeFord.
Jelly Roll was a nickname his mom gave him as a child. Reason being? He loved doughnuts!
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Patsy Cline was born as Virginia Patterson Hensley. When it came time for her to choose a stage name, she used her married name “Cline” and drew “Patsy” from her middle name, which was her mother’s maiden name.
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Faith Hill’s real first name is actually Audrey! She and her husband Tim McGraw later named their youngest daughter Audrey as well.
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Speaking of Tim, he also has a different first name. He was born as Samuel Timothy Smith. He later took on the last name McGraw when he learned that his dad was baseball player Tug McGraw.
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The late, great Hank Williams was actually named Hiram. His middle name was King, which seems fitting considering his status as a country music icon.
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Like his father, Hank Jr. also has a different first name. He was born with the first name Randall, though his middle name is Hank.
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Guess what? Eric Church’s real first name is Kenneth!
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Kix Brooks’ real first name is quite the departure from the name we know him by. His birth name is Leon Eric Brooks III.
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Did y’all have any idea that Travis isn’t Travis Tritt’s first name? It’s actually James!
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LeAnn is LeAnn Rimes’ middle name. Her true first name is Margaret!
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Wynonna Judd legally changed her name to the one we now know. But she was born Christina Claire Ciminella.
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Like Wynonna, Shania also legally changed her last name to Twain before she made it big. She also opted to take on a different first name. She was born as Eileen Regina Edwards.
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The man we now know as Luke Bryan was born as Thomas Luther Bryan. He was named in honor of his dad, Tommy.
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RaeLynn only goes by a single moniker on stage, so y’all had to know she has a longer name. She was born as Racheal Lynn Woodward.
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Gayle is Crystal Gayle’s true middle name (kind of, it’s actually spelled Gail). But her real first name is Brenda!
Which one of these country stars’ real first names surprised you the most?
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