Shania Twain's Real Name: Eilleen Regina Edwards

Quick answer: Shania Twain was born Eilleen Regina Edwards on August 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. As a child she took the surname of her stepfather, Jerry Twain, becoming Eilleen Twain. In 1991 she changed her first name to Shania. She became one of the best-selling crossover artists of the 1990s with The Woman in Me and Come On Over (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives her original name as Eilleen Regina Edwards and her birthplace as Windsor, Ontario. The Library of Congress name authority files her as "Twain, Shania," with the variants "Edwards, Eilleen" and "Twain, Eilleen." One cited source reads "b. Eilleen Edwards, Aug. 28, 1965, Windsor, Ont.; changed name 1991 to Shania." Another spells her first name "Eileen," a common variant. One LOC citation describes an album cover printed "Eilleen Shania Twain."

Britannica says she took her stepfather's surname at a young age. After the family moved north to Timmins, Ontario, she was singing in clubs by age eight to help supplement her parents' irregular income. In high school she sang with a Top 40 cover band called Longshot. At 21 she moved to Toronto, working by day and singing at night. Less than a year later her parents were killed in a traffic accident, and she returned home to raise her sister and two brothers.

Career highlights

In 1991 producer Norro Wilson noticed her and took her to Nashville to record. Britannica says that around then she changed her name to Shania, meaning "I'm on my way," as a nod to her stepfather's Ojibwa heritage. Her debut album, Shania Twain, sold modestly. Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, known for work with Def Leppard and Bryan Adams, became her songwriting partner, and they married in 1993.

The Woman in Me (1995) sold more than 18 million copies and won the Grammy for best country album. Come On Over (1997) produced crossover hits including "You're Still the One" and "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" By the end of the 1990s, Britannica notes, she was the best-selling female country musician. She was also the first female artist in any genre to have two consecutive albums each sell more than 10 million copies.

She released the double album Up! in 2002 and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease. Her Las Vegas residencies include Shania: Still the One (2012–14) at Caesars Palace and Let's Go!, which began in 2019. She released Queen of Me in 2023 and began another Las Vegas residency in May 2024.

Name notes for searchers

Edwards is her birth surname, and Twain is the surname of her stepfather. Shania is a name she adopted in 1991; her birth first name is spelled Eilleen, with two l's. "Eileen Twain" is the spelling some references use.