For decades, Sir Elton John has dazzled audiences around the world with his flamboyant outfits, iconic piano playing and an extraordinary catalogue of hits – but many fans are only just learning that “Elton John” isn’t the name he was born with.
The 77-year-old singer, songwriter and pianist was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 in Pinner, Middlesex. He went on to become one of the best-selling music artists of all time, selling over 300 million records and collecting every major showbusiness accolade along the way, including an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award – making him the 19th person in history to achieve EGOT status.
But in a recent Reddit thread, many users admitted they were stunned to discover his original name.
“TIL that Elton John’s given name is Reginald Dwight,” one user wrote, sparking a flood of surprised replies. Another joked: “Sir Elton HERCULES John. Apparently Reginald wasn’t epic enough for him.”
The post attracted thousands of views, with many commenters confessing they had “no idea” about the Rocket Man’s early identity.
Elton has spoken candidly about why he decided to leave Reginald behind. Appearing on Good Morning America, he explained: “Reginald is a really old-fashioned name. It’s shortened to Reggie, which I hated. I just didn’t like it, and as soon as I could, I changed my name.
“I was very clever, I thought, ‘No one’s really called Elton, so I’ll be Elton and I’ll be the only Elton’. I wanted to leave my childhood and that persona behind, and that caught up with me. I realised I put everything into my work and my art, my recording, and there was nothing underneath there. I was just a void. I left little Reggie behind, but little Reggie was still inside of me.”
Elton adopted his stage name in 1967, borrowing “Elton” from Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and “John” from singer Long John Baldry, both of whom he had performed alongside during his early musical years.
He later legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John on 7 January 1972. The unusual middle name wasn’t inspired by the Greek hero but by Hercules, the horse featured in the classic British sitcom Steptoe and Son.
“Reginald Dwight sounds like the name of a bank manager, not a rock legend,” one Reddit user joked. Another added: “I thought Hercules was his actual birth name and that made him even cooler. Guess not!”
Others praised the transformation, saying the stage name suits his larger-than-life persona. “Elton John sounds like someone who was born to headline Wembley,” one comment read.