What Is Shania Twain's Real Name? Here's Why She Changed It

Shania Twain is a major name in the music industry, specifically in the country music space. Even the biggest country music haters know her mega-hits "Man! I Fell Like A Woman!" and "You're Still The One." And her big power move by name-dropping Brad Pitt in "That Don't Impress Me Much," saying that even the A-list actor needs to give her something of substance to live up to her standards, is still an iconic karaoke moment. 

Despite taking time off after having her son, Eja, in 2001 (per People) — not realizing that the break would become a years-long one — Twain is still relevant in the music industry. While it's hard to top such career highs like "Up!" Twain is churning out new albums. In 2017, she released "Now," her first studio album since 2002, and she has a brand new album, "Queen of Me," that came out earlier in February 2023. Twain is also taking bold risks with fashion, like her wacky Grammys 2023 look. But she's having fun with it all!

Whether with crowd-pleasing, upbeat songs or emotional ballads, Twain has had a pretty long and successful career. But she wasn't always "Shania" Twain. The singer uses a stage name like so many other celebrities, but why did she change it in the first place?

Not all celebrities or musicians come from a life of luxury; many came from humble beginnings. And that's definitely the case for Shania Twain, whose life hasn't been easy. She grew up in poverty and told Rolling Stone in 1998 that she would often go hungry at school. She doesn't regret it and learned how to adapt in ways that a lot of kids going through trauma or poverty have to do. Through all of those fears and tough years, Twain actually wasn't known by "Shania," but instead was born as Eilleen Regina Edwards. She took on the last name "Twain" after she was adopted by her stepfather, Jerry Twain — who she saw as her true father, per Smooth Radio.

When talking about her stage name on her Apple Music Hits show, "Home Now Radio," in 2021, Twain said that it's normal for celebrities to have a different name than the one they were born with (via PopCulture). She was named after both of her grandmothers, Eilleen and Regina, and "needed a stage name that sounded a little less like my grandmother's name." For her, Shania was the perfect fit. "I met somebody with the name Shania, thought it was beautiful, and Shania Twain was born," the Canadian singer said.

It might be a bit confusing to have everyone in the world call you a name that you weren't born with for the sake of show business. But, for Shania Twain, she still sees herself as having a "relationship" with both "Eilleen" and "Shania." She told The Guardian in 2018 that she sees herself as both names, which subsequently represent two parts of herself. "When I speak to myself I say Eilleen: 'Come on, Eilleen!'" She insists that they're not all that different from one another. However, "Eilleen" is more of the tomboy whereas "Shania" is the professional, charismatic front.

But despite the glitz and glamour, and Twain singing "That don't impress me much" about men around her, the singer does say that she's always been very shy. "I'm a quiet person. I do like solitude," Twain told The Guardian. "When I was a teenager, I was energetic but annoyingly energetic. People called me 'spaz'. It wasn't a compliment. It was a little bit hurtful." Decades later, the shy teen who got bullied is now one of the most well-known musicians in the world. And even though she suffers from Lyme disease — which made her sicker than she previously revealed — she is set to tour to promote her new album in 2023, according to Rolling Stone.