There are several very famous people who are known by just one name, but did you know that there is a name for this phenomenon? These celebs – such as Adele, Enya and Bono – are known as mononymous people. While there are only a handful of people who are legally mononymous, many celebrities are known by just one name. Below is a list of mononymous celebrities and the stories behind their names!
Adele
Real Name: Adele Laurie Blue Adkins
Adele, the romantic songstress who shot to fame by making grown women (and men) weep with her love songs, was actually born Adele Adkins. However, she became so famous that people didn’t even need to know her full name to know you were talking about her. She follows in the footsteps of fellow one name singers Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone), Cher (born Cherilyn Sarkisian) and Beyoncé (born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles).
Enya
Real Name: Eithne Ní Bhraonáin
The reason why Enya changed her name from Eithne is probably for practical reasons – Enya is the Anglicised version of her very Irish name, Eithne. She was probably annoyed with people unable to pronounce her name and made the leap.
Bono
Bono’s name was born from an old nickname. His friend, Gavin Friday, bestowed the name “Bono Vox” onto young Paul, which is a Latin phrase meaning “good voice”. Apparently, Bono initially disliked the name but accepted it once he realised what it meant. And now, the name has stuck!
Moby
Real Name: Richard Melville Hall
The story behind Moby’s name is due to his famous roots. Moby is related to “Moby Dick” author, Herman Melville (he is Moby’s great-great-great-grand uncle). The name was bestowed upon him by his parents, and the rest is history, as they say.
Sting
Real name: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner
Gordon became Sting not because his real name was a mouthful, but because of a jumper. During college, Sting would often play jazz on the weekends. He had a habit of wearing a black and yellow sweater, which made him look like a bee – hence the name Sting!
Pink
Apparently, Pink’s name comes from the movie “Reservoir Dogs”. The character of Mr. Pink was extreme and had a smart mouth, and all her friends agreed she resembled him. We assume her friends meant Mr. Pink’s personality, because Pink looks nothing like Steve Buscemi.
