Manchester United
Newton Heath just doesn't have the same ring to it as Manchester United; now one of the world's biggest football clubs. But Newton Heath is what the club was originally called but thankfully in 1902 the club identified itself to the city of Manchester, finally changed its strip to red and white (from originally green and gold and then, God forbid, blue and white!!) and the nickname 'Red Devils was born.
Arsenal FC
Woolwich Arsenal was the original name of Arsenal FC which was fine when they were based south of the Thames in Woolwich but when they moved north of the river in 1913 to Highbury, the prefix was tactfully dropped!
Sir Elton John
If 1970s pop was about anything at all, it was glamour and exotic names, such as Ziggy Stardust, Gary Glitter and Alice Cooper. So it comes as little surprise that plain Reginald Dwight decided to rename himself Elton John. Reg just doesn't really work as the name of one of the great sequined showmen of pop music!
Cliff Richard
There have been a long line of pop singers and actors who have sensibly decided that their names lack that certain panache for the stage. Harry Webb was a clean cut kid from Hertfordshire but after changing his name to Cliff Richard slicking back his hair and pouting, he became Britain's answer to Elvis in the late 50s.
Elvis Costello
Declan McManus is not the sort of name you would typically put up in lights which is why the singer songwriter opted for the name Elvis Costello instead.
Marilyn Monroe
Mention the name Marilyn Monroe and the immediate image is of a curvaceous blonde bombshell who could charm any man – from Hollywood to the Whitehouse. But would Marilyn have had the same allure with her real name of Norma Jean Baker?
Bob Dylan
Robert Zimmerman sounds like the guy you call to sort out the plumbing so just as well that 60s folk and rock legend Bob Dylan decided to make the name change.
Cary Grant
If you want to be a Hollywood heart-throb then a name like Archibald Leach is just not going to cut it. Thankfully the Bristol-born actor changed his name to a more box office friendly Cary Grant and a star was born.
Pepsi-Cola
Some of the world's biggest brands may never have got off the ground if it wasn't for a strategic name change. Pepsi-Cola was first made in New Bern, North Carolina in the US in the early 1890s by pharmacist Caleb Bradham. But significantly in 1898, 'Brad's drink' as it was known then was changed to 'Pepsi-Cola' and the rest is history.
Pele
Brazilian footballers frequently have names so long they have to opt for an abbreviated nickname. So it is lucky for commentators like John Motson that players such as Edson Arantes Do Nascimento decided to become known as Pele.