Sometimes, your government name fails to slap. Luckily, this is something that’s fairly easy to change. Many Bravo stars have actually done this, because making it “big” means you’ve got to put your best foot name forward. From Jax Taylor to Danielle Staub, these are the Bravolebrities who have traded in their birth names for their stage-adjacent names.
RHOC – Taylor Armstrong and Tamra Judge
Taylor Armstrong held court on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from Seasons 1-3, before dropping down as a guest for Seasons 4-6. In Season 17, Taylor crossed over to a new franchise, reappearing alongside Tamra Judge on Real Housewives of Orange County. Yet, before she became a household name via the Real Housewives, Taylor went by an entirely different name, x2. As did her girl Tamrat.
Taylor was born and raised as Shana Lynette Hughes. After she graduated from high school in 1989, she moved to California and changed her name to Taylor Ford. Originally, reports circled that she had done so simply to forge relations with the Ford auto family. But then, she went on the Dr. Phil show and explained that nope, “I’m a big fan of Tom Ford and he’s a designer. Tom Ford, Taylor Ford, it’s similar so I just decided to legally change it.”
In 2005, Taylor’s name changed for the final time, for now. Here, she married Russell Armstrong, taking on his last name in the process. Sadly, Russell died by suicide in 2011. Even though Taylor went on to remarry in 2014, she still maintains the name of Taylor Armstrong.
On her end, Tamra starred on RHOC from Seasons 3-14. Just like Taylor, she, too, popped back up for Season 17. At birth, she was named Tamra Sue Waddle, but as she explained to ET, “Growing up, my mom called me ‘Tammy.’” When she was cast in Season 3 though, the name Tammy wasn’t an option.
“When I got [cast on] the show, there already was a Tammy, Tammy Knickerbocker.” Therefore, production said “we’re calling you Tamra,” she explained. Now married to Eddie Judge, Tamra took his last name on in 2013.
RHONJ – Danielle Staub
Danielle Staub was not the one to mess with on Real Housewives of New Jersey. We learned this quickly during Seasons 1 and 2, where she played the villain role to a T. Danielle later reappeared as a “friend of,” but even then, her gentle era never arrived. If you’re looking to piss her off even further these days (don’t recommend), just call her by her birth name of Beverly.
After her adoption as a baby in 1962, her name became Beverly Ann Merrill. In 1986, she was reportedly involved in a kidnapping case, but instead of time served, she flipped. To ensure her safety, she changed her name to Angela Minelli, and later, Danielle Staub. As for where the name Staub came from, it belonged to her second husband, the father of her two girls.
RHONY – Luann de Lesseps
My love for Luann de Lesseps is large. If I could have just one ounce of her self-esteem, I’d, well, I’m not sure, but I’d do something, maybe. That said, her life’s played out on Real Housewives of New York, and it’s been a roller coaster of a ride. In my correct take, Lu deserves a solid love story next, because the pirates can’t relocate, and Tom D’Agostino sucked.
After marrying Tom at the end of 2016, a giddy Luann immediately changed her socials to reflect his last name. Only 7-months later, her Twitter name changed back, as the pair were already divorcing. That’s ok though Luann, as until your true north arrives, you’ll always have the infamous title/name of Countess.
Vanderpump Rules – Jax, Lala, and Rachel
The cast of Vanderpump Rules holds the trophy for the most name changes seen on Bravo. Let’s start first with Jax Taylor, because he’s likely got an interview soon down in Tampa, so we need to let him get to it. Also, Tampa resident here, and…no. But, born as Jason Michael Cauchi, this guy changed his name to Jax in his early twenties, as he thought that it would help launch his modeling career.
Lala Kent‘s up next. As she explained in her memoir “Give Them Lala,” she was born Lauren Elyse Burningham. Then, she changed her name to Lauryn Burningham. Not happy yet, she changed her name again to Lauryn Kent, before finally settling on Lala.
Rachel Leviss is actually a name that was given to our final VPR alum at her birth, but, vying for fame and looking to stand out, Rachel changed her first name to Raquel. After the Scandoval fallout, she decided via counseling that she needed to live her full truth. This included a return back to Rachel, but not a return to filming for Season 11, which we get.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK A NAME CHANGE STRENGTHENS A BRAVOLEBRITIES CAREER?
