Featured Image Credit: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Miley Cyrus, Music, Celebrity
Callum Jones
Topics: Miley Cyrus, Music, Celebrity
Whether it's for her role as Hannah Montana or her musical career, Miley Cyrus is a name known across the world. However, it's not the 33-year-old's real name.
Miley, the daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus and his ex-wife Tish Cyrus-Purcell, initially rose to fame as Miley Stewart and her pop alter-ego Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel series of the same name.
Following the end of the kids' TV favourite, the 33-year-old has gone on to scoop two Grammy Awards, three MTV VMAs, and a handful of prestigious Spotify Plaques.
While the 'Flowers' singer may have grown up in the public eye, it seems many fans are not fully aware of Miley's past and how her well-known name is not what she was known as at birth.
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Her mother, Tish, shared that her daughter was originally named Destiny Hope, but legally changed her name to Miley Cyrus in 2008.
Speaking on the Raven and Miranda Podcast, Tish said: "Billy Rae came up with that [the Miley nickname]. She always smiled when she was little, so we would call her smiley Miley, and it just stuck."
Many flocked to social media to express their disbelief after the revelation. "Today years old when I found out Miley is her stage name," one person penned.
Miley spoke about her name change in 2008 when she was 16 in a discussion with Entertainment Tonight.
The outlet was backstage with the actor during one of her concerts, and asked her what she’d changed her legal name to, to which Miley replied: "Miley. What I've always been called, yeah."
The star then made a vomiting gesture before revealing her true name was Destiny Hope Cyrus.
She joked: "Never again, it doesn't technically legally count!"
The resurfaced clip and Miley’s confession continue to shock fans to this day, with one X user recently commenting: “Welp. At trivia, I learned that the mustang came out before the Camaro….and Miley Cyrus’s real name is Destiny. WTF.”
A second said: “You’re telling me Miley Cyrus real name is Destiny Hope and not Miley?!?!”
“Yeah Destiny Hope…Miley comes from the nickname Smiley she had as a kid. no idea why I know that,” commented someone else, while a fourth typed: “Miley Cyrus real name being Destiny still tickles me. She looks nothing like a Destiny.”
While another person said: “Miley Cyrus’ real name is Destiny Hope and she’s also a Sagittarius and I wanna hug her someday.”