Elton John, born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, changed his name as part of his transformation into a music icon. The decision to adopt a stage name was both a creative and personal reinvention, allowing him to craft a new identity separate from his shy, reserved childhood.
The name “Elton John” was inspired by two musicians he admired from his early band, Bluesology: Elton Dean, a saxophonist, and Long John Baldry, a British blues singer. He officially changed his name to Elton Hercules John in 1972, with “Hercules” being an unexpected middle name choice—not from the mythological hero, but after a horse in a British sitcom.
The name change symbolized his break from his past and the creation of his flamboyant, larger-than-life stage persona. It helped him step into the confident, eccentric performer that would later dominate the music world.
