• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • ABOUT US
  • MEDIA
  • PRIVACY
  • TERMS
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS
do you remember

DoYouRemember?

The Home of Nostalgia

  • Celebrity News
    • Family
    • Obituaries
    • Life Behind the Fame
    • ICONS
    • Celebrity Feuds
  • Entertainment
    • Cast
    • Showbiz Rewind
    • Music
    • Beauty & fashion
  • STORIES
  • Celebrity Buzz!?
  • Sitcoms
    • Bewitched
    • Little Rascals
    • The Partridge Family
    • I Dream of Jeannie
    • All in the Family
    • MASH
    • Happy Days
    • Cheers
  • Celebrity Collections
  • SHOP DYR
    • DYR Book

Stories

Reese Witherspoon Changed Her Name When She Became Famous

by Lauren Novak

Published June 18, 2021

Reese Witherspoon changed her name

Reese Witherspoon is a famous actress and you might be surprised to learn that her first name wasn’t always Reese! Reese was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon. She was born in 1976 in New Orleans, to parents who both worked in the medical field. Her father was an otolaryngologist for many years while her mother earned her Ph.D. in pediatric nursing and later became a professor.

Being raised in the South, her full name is quite common in Southern culture. Reese attended Standford University as an English literature major but left to pursue an acting career. When she began acting, it appears that she changed her name to just Reese. Reese is her mother’s maiden name and she probably thought it would be easier for people to remember than Laura Jeanne.

Related:

  1. Reese Witherspoon Celebrates Daughter’s 25th Birthday And She Looks Just Like Her Famous Mom
  2. ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ Stars, Reese Witherspoon And Josh Lucas, Want To Film A Sequel

Reese Witherspoon’s birth name was Laura Jeanne

HOME AGAIN, Reese Witherspoon, 2017
HOME AGAIN, Reese Witherspoon, 2017. ph: Karen Ballard /© Open Road Films /Courtesy Everett Collection

Reese has never said when exactly she changed her name, but it says Reese Witherspoon in the credits of her first film, The Man in the Moon. She was only 14 years old then! Reese got her big break in 2001 when she played Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. The movie is so beloved, there was a sequel, a musical, and now a third film is in the works. She is also best known for her roles in Walk the Line, Big Little Lies, and Sweet Home Alabama.

RELATED: Reese Witherspoon Opens Up About Her Abuse As A Child Actor

FEAR, Reese Witherspoon, 1996
FEAR, Reese Witherspoon, 1996. © Universal / courtesy Everett Collection

Did you know that Reese’s real name was actually Laura Jeanne? I had no idea!

Next up: WATCH: Dolly Parton Performs Hilarious Song She Wrote For Johnny Carson
Previous article: WATCH: Dolly Parton Performs Hilarious Song She Wrote For Johnny Carson
Next Post: Diana Ross Is Releasing Her First Album In 15 Years

Primary Sidebar

© 2025 DoYouRemember? Inc.

  • about us
  • media
  • privacy
  • terms
  • DMCA
  • CONTACT US
  • AUTHORS