What's In A Name?

Everything! Think about it. A good name can take us places we could never have gone without it. A bad name can also take us places we would never have gone.
Sometimes our names cause us lots of problems. Remember the song by Johnny Cash about a boy named 'Sue'?" What's in a name?

I came across a list of some celebrities who thought it necessary to change their given names. As you read the list, you'll see why they changed their names. You will be familiar with the first name listed, and you'll be amused by the given names that follow.

Cher....................................Cherilyn Sarkisian
Kathie Lee Gifford ...........Kathie Epstein
Whoopie Goldberg............Caryn Johnson
Hulk Hogan ......................Terry Gene Bollea
Jerry Lewis.......................Joseph Levitch
Liberace.............................Wladziu Lee Valentino
Courtney Love..................Michelle Harrison
Dean Martin .....................Dino Crocetti
Groucho Marx..................Julius Henry Marx
Meat Loaf .........................Marvin Lee Aday
Freddie Mercury............. Frederick Farookh Bulsara
George Michael ................Georgios Panayiotou
Marilyn Monroe................Norma Jean Mortenson
Demi Moore.......................Demetria Guynes
Chuck Norris......................Carlos Ray
Jack Palance......................Walter Palanuik
Joan Rivers .......................Joan Sandra Molinsky
Sugar Ray Robinson..........Walker Smith, Jr.
Mr. T...................................Lawrence Tero
Ringo Starr........................Richard Starkey
John Wayne...................... Marion Morrison

So.....what do you think? Want to stick with that moniker that someone else hung on you or do you want to recreate your image? Here's a thought: Image has much more to do with the person we are than the name we carry.