10 Famous Historical Figures Who Changed Their Name

7. Genghis Khan

Born as Temüjin in 1162, Genghis Khan was supposedly originally named after a Tatar chieftain named Temüjin-üge, who his father had just captured. Yet the man who would go on to conquer almost all of Asia and rule over close to 25% of the world's population, starting from his base in Mongolia, would not become known as "Genghis Khan" until 1206. By this year, Temüjin had managed to unite or subdue the tribes of the Merkits, Naimans, Mongols, Khereids, Tatars, Uyghurs and other smaller groups under his rule - with the new collective empire known as the "Mongols". At a council of the Mongol chiefs in 1206, he was then referred to as "Genghis Khan" for the first time - due to the fact he was now considered as "Khan" of all the tribes - and this is why we know this fearsome ruler by this name today.