Miley Cyrus's Real Name: Destiny Hope Cyrus (now Miley Ray Cyrus)

Quick answer: Miley Cyrus was born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992, in Franklin, Tennessee. She legally changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus in 2008, adopting the childhood nickname Miley. Singers is the better primary category than actors alone.

Real name and early life

Biography.com and Library of Congress authority data identify the birth name Destiny Hope Cyrus and the later legal form Miley Ray Cyrus (Biography.com; LOC). Cyrus is the family surname shared with country singer father Billy Ray Cyrus; mother is Tish Cyrus. “Miley” came from “Smiley” as a cheerful toddler nickname; Ray honors her father. She grew up near Nashville with siblings and half-siblings; Dolly Parton is her godmother. Child acting included Dad’s series Doc and Tim Burton’s Big Fish (2003) before Disney fame.

Career highlights

She won the dual role of Miley Stewart / Hannah Montana on Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana (from 2006), driving soundtracks, tours, and Hannah Montana: The Movie. Solo albums progressed from Breakout and Can’t Be Tamed through Bangerz (“Wrecking Ball”), experimental Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, Younger Now, Plastic Hearts, and Endless Summer Vacation, anchored by the global hit “Flowers.” She won Grammys in 2024 for “Flowers” and in 2025 for “II Most Wanted” with Beyoncé (Biography.com). Other work includes The Voice coaching, Black Mirror (“Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too”), and the 2009 autobiography Miles to Go. She married Liam Hemsworth in 2018; they later divorced. Across Disney and adult-pop billing, the public name stayed Miley Cyrus; birth and legal forms are Destiny Hope Cyrus / Miley Ray Cyrus.

Name notes for searchers

Both Destiny Hope (birth) and Miley Ray (2008 legal change) are correct depending on the date asked. Prefer Biography.com and LOC over tabloid stubs. Wikipedia is useful only as a pointer after primary citations.

Soundtrack albums, concert films, and the Miles to Go autobiography give retailers multiple product lanes under the Miley Cyrus brand after the legal name change.