This is a list of notable people whose full legal name is (or was) a mononym, either by name change or by being born mononymic (e.g. Burmese, Indonesian, or Japanese royalty). Titles (e.g. Burmese honorifics) do not count against inclusion, because they are not part of the name itself.
This list does not include people who are mononymous only as a stage name, pen name/pseudonym, in certain contexts, or by dint of fame.
+Legally monomymous personsReasonSourceMononymTitle(s)Other nameBornDiedDescriptionRef.Birth Japanese royalty Aiko Princess Toshi 2001 - daughter of Emperor Naruhito Birth Japanese royalty Akihito Emperor Emeritus 1933 - former Emperor of Japan (abdicated 2019) Birth Burmese Ba Sir U 1887 1963 Burmese president and Supreme Court justice Birth Nepali Balkrishna Acharya - Nepali billionaire businessman and chairman of the consumer goods company Patanjali Ayurved Birth Arakanese royalty Bin Min 1493 1554 King of Arakan in Myanmar from 1531 to 1554 Birth Indonesian Boediono 1943 - former Vice President of Indonesia Name change Cher Cheryl Sarkisian 1946 - American singer and actress Name change Chyna Joan Marie Laurer 1969 2016 American professional wrestler and actress Name change religious Dhammaloka U Laurence Carroll 1856 1914 Irish-born Buddhist monk, celebrity preacher and editor in British Burma Name change promotion DotComGuy Mitch Maddox American computer specialist; changed to mononym as promotion, later reverted to birth name Birth Japanese royalty Fumihito Prince Akishino 1965 - heir presumptive of Emperor Naruhito Name change religious Gambira U Nyi Nyi Lwin 1979 - Burmese Buddhist monk leader of All Burma Monks' Alliance during the 2007 Saffron Revolution Birth Indian Govindjee 1932 - Indian-American biochemist Birth Japanese royalty Hirohito Emperor Shōwa 1901 1989 former Emperor of Japan Birth Vietnamese Hổ 1998 - footballer of Sedang ethnicity Name change Indrani Indrani Pal-Chaudhuri 1983 -Indian-British-Canadian director, photographer, girls' empowerment activist and author Name change iOTA Sean Hape 1968 - Australian musician and actor Birth Burmese Kyan Binnya 1538 senior minister at the court of King Takayutpi of Hanthawaddy Birth Australian aboriginal Loongkoonan 1910 2018 Australian aboriginal artist Birth Japanese royalty Mako former Princess Mako Komuro 1991 - Daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, lost royal status and gained surname by marriage to commoner Kei Komuro Birth Indian Mayawati 1956 - Indian politician who formerly served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Name change Japanese royalty by marriage Michiko Empress Michiko Shōda 1934 - Japanese empress consort Birth Japanese royalty Naruhito Emperor 1960 - Emperor of Japan Name change Nenê Maybyner Rodney Hilario 1982 - Brazilian basketball player Birth Burmese Nu U or Thakin 1907 1995 leading Burmese statesman and nationalist politician Birth Burmese Ponnya U 1812 1867 Burmee dramatist Name change transitioning Quinn Rebecca Quinn 1995 - Canadian soccer player Name change religious Rajneesh Chandra Mohan Jain 1931 1990 Indian mystic and founder of the Rajneesh movement Name change religious Ramdev Swami Ram Kisan Yadav 1965 - Indian ayurvedic and yoga practitioner Birth Pakistani Riazuddin 1930 2013 Pakistani physicist Name change Burmese San Saya Yar Kyaw 1876 1931 Leader of the 1930–1932 Saya San Rebellion in British Burma Birth Burmese Saw U or Galon U 1900 1948 Burmese politician who served as Prime Minister during the colonial era before WW2 Name change Shez Efrat Yerushalmi1959 -Israeli poetBirth Indian Siddaramaiah 1948 - Indian politician who served a full-chief ministerial term of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018 Birth Indonesian Sjumandjaja 1934 1985 Indonesian director, screenwriter, and actor Birth Indonesian Sudirman 1916 1950 Indonesian National Hero and the first commander of Indonesian Armed Forces Birth Indonesian Suharto 1921 2008 former President of Indonesia Birth Indonesian Sukarno 1901 1970 former President of Indonesia Birth Indonesian Supriyadi 1923 c. 1945 Indonesian National Hero and the first appointed Minister of Defense of Indonesia Birth Indonesian Sutomo 1920 1981 Indonesian National Hero and the founder of Indonesian People's Revolutionary Front Name change Teller Raymond Joseph Teller 1948 - American magician Birth Burmese Thant U 1909 1974 Burmese diplomat and longest-serving Secretary-General of the United Nations Birth Indonesian Triyatno 1987 - Indonesian weightlifter and Olympic silver medalist Birth Mon royalty U Binnya 1323 1384 King of Hanthawaddy in Myanmar from 1348 to 1384 Name ChangeVEve Ensler1953 -American playwrightName change Warrior James Hellwig 1959 2014 American professional wrestler Name change Winter Rafael Antonio Lozano Jr. 1972 - American software programmer best known for his goal to visit every company-owned Starbucks location in the world; changed name first to John Winter Smith, then to mononym Winter Name change Ye Kanye Omari West 1977 - American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer Birth Indian Zoramthanga 1944 -Indian politician and current Chief Minister of Mizoram
See also List of one-word stage names Mononym
References