Maria Sharapova's name change brings back memories of other sportstars doing the same

1) Chad Johnson/Chad Ochocinco/Chad Johnson

Chad Johnson was an NFL wide receiver playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in late 2006. His favoured shirt number was 85, so in honour of Hispanic Heritage month, Johnson decided he would like to be called Chad Ochocino, as Ochocinco in Spanish means “eight five”. Johnson also put a label bearing the words “Ocho Cinco” on his shirt instead of the usual C.Johnson, a stunt for which he was fined $5000.

In 2008, Johnson decided to legally change his name to Chad Javon Ochocinco.

But that’s not all. In 2009, Ochocinco revealed to his fans that he was going to change his name once again, this time to “Hachi Go”. “Hachi Go” is Japanese for eight five, just as Ochocinco was Spanish for eight five. Mercifully, Ochocinco did not go ahead with the name change.

In 2012, Ochocinco moved to the Miami Dolphins and legally changed his name to back to Chad Johnson. The reason for this backtracking? He wanted to “reconnect with his former self”.

So there you have it. Chad Johnson to Chad Ochocinco to almost Chad Hachi Go, and all the way back to Chad Johnson.

Notable Mentions

Snooker player Jimmy White for becoming Jimmy Brown to reflect the colour of his sponsor, HP Sauce’s product.

Pakistan cricketer Yousuf Youhana changing his name to Mohammad Yousuf after converting to Islam.

NFL Player Mark Dupas changing his middle and last name to Mark Super Duper, presumably in the hopes of becoming awesome.

Players and managers of Farnborough FC changing their names to iconic football players and managers.