Susan Boyle's Real Name: Susan Boyle

Quick answer: The singer is known professionally as Susan Boyle. Britannica and AllMusic independently date her birth to April 1, 1961, in West Lothian, Scotland. AllMusic also lists the longer name Susan Magdalane Boyle. This page titles her under the public name. Published accounts describe more than one community in West Lothian in connection with her birth and upbringing.

Real name and early life

Independent publishers identify her under the professional name Susan Boyle. Britannica dates the birth to April 1, 1961, at Bangour Village Hospital, West Lothian, Scotland, and says she grew up in Blackburn, a small Scottish industrial town, as the youngest of nine children. AllMusic independently lists a birth date of April 1, 1961, in Dechmont, West Lothian, Scotland, and in its biographical essay says she was born in Blackburn, West Lothian, in 1961. The same AllMusic listing records the longer name Susan Magdalane Boyle.

Career highlights

Britannica says that in April 2009 she appeared on Britain's Got Talent and performed "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical Les Misérables, and that her first studio album, I Dreamed a Dream, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts in November 2009. AllMusic independently says she became an overnight sensation after appearing on the first round of Britain's Got Talent in 2009 with that song, and that the debut album I Dreamed a Dream was released in 2009 and reached number one on both the U.S. and U.K. charts, setting a record in her homeland for first-week sales. AllMusic also says the album ranked among the biggest sellers of 2009 in the United States and topped charts elsewhere in Europe. AllMusic later lists The Gift (2010), Someone to Watch Over Me (2011), and Standing Ovation: Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012), and says she made her acting debut in a 2013 Christmas feature film. Britannica independently notes a 2012 stage musical titled I Dreamed a Dream, based on her life, that toured the United Kingdom.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Susan Boyle are looking for the same singer, including the Britain's Got Talent appearance and debut album most often associated with her work. This page uses the public professional name. Search traffic often uses the professional name Susan Boyle alone. AllMusic later lists follow-up albums including The Gift (2010), Someone to Watch Over Me (2011), and Standing Ovation: Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012).