World Leaders Bios
Some of history's best-known leaders were born under different names. These bios explain each original name, when it changed and why, with sources.
- Pope Adrian IV (Nicholas Breakspear)
Pope Adrian IV's real name is Nicholas Breakspear. See how they got the name, plus amazing facts. 
Gerald Ford (Leslie Lynch King Jr.)
Gerald Ford's real name at birth was Leslie Lynch King Jr.
Bill Clinton (William Jefferson Blythe III)
Bill Clinton's birth name is William Jefferson Blythe III.
Ulysses S. Grant (Hiram Ulysses Grant)
Ulysses S. Grant's real name was Hiram Ulysses Grant.
Woodrow Wilson (Thomas Woodrow Wilson)
Woodrow Wilson's full birth name was Thomas Woodrow Wilson.
Calvin Coolidge (John Calvin Coolidge Jr.)
Calvin Coolidge's real name was John Calvin Coolidge Jr.
Dwight D. Eisenhower (David Dwight Eisenhower)
Dwight D. Eisenhower was born David Dwight Eisenhower.
Joseph Stalin (Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili (Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili))
Joseph Stalin's real name was Ioseb Jughashvili (in Russian, Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili).
Vladimir Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov)
Vladimir Lenin's real name was Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov.
Leon Trotsky (Lev Davidovich Bronstein)
Leon Trotsky's real name was Lev Davidovich Bronstein.
Ho Chi Minh (Nguyen Sinh Cung)
Ho Chi Minh's birth name was Nguyen Sinh Cung.
Pol Pot (Saloth Sar)
Pol Pot's real name was Saloth Sar.
Tito (Josip Broz)
Tito's real name was Josip Broz.
Kim Il Sung (Kim Song Ju)
Kim Il Sung's birth name was Kim Song Ju.
Golda Meir (Golda Mabovitch)
Golda Meir was born Golda Mabovitch.
Kemal Atatürk (Mustafa)
Kemal Atatürk's real name was Mustafa; "Kemal" was a name added by a teacher, and "Atatürk" was a surname granted in 1934.
Mahatma Gandhi (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)
Mahatma Gandhi's real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi; "Mahatma" is an honorific title.
Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio)
Pope Francis's real name was Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Aloisius (Alois) Ratzinger)
Pope Benedict XVI's real name was Joseph Ratzinger (full name Joseph Aloisius, or Alois, Ratzinger).
Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła)
Pope John Paul II's real name was Karol Józef Wojtyła.
Pope Leo XIV (Robert Francis Prevost)
Pope Leo XIV's real name is Robert Francis Prevost.
All presidents & world leaders' real names →
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