12 K-Pop Idols Who Decided To Legally Change Their Birth Names
Idols mostly go by their stage names while promoting as an artist, to help differentiate them in an industry as big as K-Pop. As many birth names overlap or are no longer favourable to them, many idols end up changing their birth names as well! Here are 12 K-Pop idols who legally changed their birth names to ones they believed were better suited for them!
1. TWICE’s Jihyo
Many fans know that TWICE‘s Jihyo was initially named Park Jisoo! But prior to SIXTEEN, the survival show that created TWICE, she decided to legally change her name from Jisoo to Jihyo, and has been promoting under the name for her whole career!
2. Apink’s Eunji
Apink‘s Jung Eunji was born Jung Hyerim. She changed it after a fortune-telling session, and has been promoting under her changed birth name, Jung Eunji, for her entire career!
3. BLACKPINK’s Lisa
BLACKPINK‘s Lisa is another idol who decided to change her name after a fortune-telling session! Born Pranpriya Manoban, she soon changed it to Lalisa Manoban, which spawned her stage name, “Lisa”!
4. Kang Daniel
Kang Daniel was born Kang Eui Geon, but decided to change his name to “Daniel”. He made the decision to change his birth name after he realised that most people around him had a hard time pronouncing his original name.
5. Super Junior’s Yesung
Super Junior‘s Yesung changed his name from Kim Jongwoon to Kim Jonghoon in 2016. Actually, it wasn’t him that changed his name- it was his mother! She decided to change his name to Jonghoon because she believed the name was not favourable for him, and had it changed by herself; eventually telling Yesung she changed it around three months later!
6. NCT 127’s Jaehyun
NCT 127‘s Jaehyun also had his birth name legally changed! His current stage name is actually his birth name; he changed his birth name from Jung Jaehyun to Jung Yoon Oh!
7. Yoon Jisung
The former leader of Wanna One is another idol who changed his name legally! Yoon Jisung was born Yoon Byeong Ok, and after changing his name, he has also been promoting with it for his entire career!
8. Former T-ARA member Soyeon
Former T-ARA member Soyeon was born Park Injung, but as long as she’s been active as an idol, has ever only gone by Soyeon!
9. MONSTA X’s Joohoney
MONSTA X‘s Joohoney has changed his birth name twice! He was initially named Lee Hojoon, then Lee Jihwan, and finally settled on Lee Jooheon! He changed his name multiple times as he faced many hardships, and believed that his name brought him bad luck. He also promoted as an idol under “Jooheon” for a while, but then changed it to “Joohoney” as he thought it would be easier for fans to pronounce!
10. OH MY GIRL’s YooA
OH MY GIRL‘s YooA is another idol who has legally change her birth name! She was initially named Yoo Yeonjoo, but then changed her name to Yoo Shiah, which fits perfectly with her stage name!
11. Former SPICA member Park Sihyun
Former SPICA member Park Sihyun was originally named Juhyun, but grew up being called Sihyun by everyone around her. She then later decided to change her legal name from Park Juhyun to Park Sihyun, as everyone called her by the latter anyway!
12. TWICE’s Jeongyeon
TWICE‘s Jeongyeon was initially named Yoo Kyungwan, but after being teased for her “masculine” name, she decided to change it to Yoo Jeongyeon instead, and has been promoting as “Jeongyeon” for her entire career!
