The famous nepo babies who completely dropped their recognisable last names

Nicolas Cage had a lot riding on his film career from the time he was born. Nephew to famed director Francis Ford Coppola, and cousin to Sofia Coppola, there’s a lot of star power packed into this celebrity family.

Instead of profiting off of this established fame, Nicolas decided to go by Cage instead and has since made the swap a legally binding change. 

In 2015, it seemed like every radio station was playing Elle King’s hit track ‘Ex’s & Oh’s’ at least three times an hour. Thanks to her stage name, you’d never guess that Elle’s father was comedy legend Rob Schneider.

The Saturday Night Live stalwart welcomed daughter Tanner Elle Schneider with his then wife London King. To separate from her family fame and forge her own career, Elle chose to go by her middle name and her mother’s maiden name for a now-iconic pseudonym.

Angelina Jolie now has a famous family of her own, but she was born an heiress to an acting dynasty. Her father Jon Voight starred in Midnight Cowboy, Anaconda and Deliverance, making him a certified A-lister.

The Lara Croft actress decided to drop her father’s distinctive last name, opting to go by her first and middle names instead. 

Scott Reeves is a rare case of a celebrity child who decided to drop their famous last name… and then pick it back up again – now going by his birth name, Scott Eastwood. As the actor explained, no matter your surname, you’ve still got to make your way into the audition room and give it your all.

The star of Regretting You and The Longest Ride bears a striking resemblance to his famous father Clint Eastwood. They’ve even worked together on screen, appearing in projects like Flags of Our Fathers and Invictus.

Louisa Jacobson has taken the acting world by storm in beloved period drama The Gilded Age and a notable supporting role in Materialists. But she already had some serious star power behind her, thanks to her famous parents.

Born Louisa Gummer, she is the daughter of successful sculptor Don Gummer and A-list movie star Meryl Streep. Instead of opting to go by her mother’s recognisable surname, Louisa has started fresh and is now a well-known name in her own right.

It doesn’t get much more famous than belonging to the so-called First Family. Barack and Michelle Obama welcomed their oldest daughter Malia in 1998 and she has since gone on to graduate from Harvard and become a rising star in the world of filmmaking. 

Her written and directed short film The Heart premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, with Malia presenting the project under her professional name Malia Ann. 

Where some celebrity heirs and heiresses draw on their mother’s maiden name or middle names to create a distinct persona, others opt to follow in the footsteps of stars like Cher and Madonna.

WILLOW, born Willow Smith to famed actor Will Smith, has done just that. She’s forging a successful music career under just her first name, including viral track ‘Whip My Hair’ and two Grammy Award nominations for her critically acclaimed album Empathogen.