Miley Cyrus was not born Miley Cyrus. During an appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" with his daughter, Billy Ray Cyrus explained how he and his wife, Tish Cyrus, gave Miley the name Destiny Hope Cyrus and had been planning on calling her that the whole time they were expecting.

"Before she was born, I just felt like it was her destiny to bring hope into the world," the "Achy Breaky Heart" hitmaker said. The couple later gave their daughter the nickname "Smiley" because she was a happy child, and Smiley evolved into Miley — and the "Hannah Montana" star legally changed her name in 2008.

Miley also gave herself the middle name "Ray" as a tribute to her father and grandfather. Even though she’s been famous for over a decade, fans are still shocked when they find out her birth name is Destiny Hope Cyrus. "MILEY CYRUS REAL NAME IS DESTINY HOPE?!? Since when?!?" one Twitter user wrote in 2021.