Elton John, Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage)

They say a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet, but does that apply to rock n roll? Nah.

Lots of artists have changed their names in pursuit of fame and art, some because their names needed shortening to be more memorable, and many because their birth names just didn't really say "rock star". Here are some that we think wouldn't have had quite the same impact had they not chosen catchy a stage name.

Alice Cooper (real name: Vincent Damon Furnier)

Elton John (real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight)

Bono (real name: Paul David Hewson)

Benjamin Orr (real name: Benjamin Orzechowski)

Billy Idol (real name: William Michael Albert Broad)

Joan Jett (real name: Joan Marie Larkin)

David Bowie (real name: David Robert Jones)

Bob Dylan (real name: Robert Allen Zimmerman)

Gene Simmons (real name: Chaim Witz)

Iggy Pop (real name: James Newell Osterberg, Jr.)

Rob Zombie (real name: Robert Bartleh Cummings)