10 Famous Historical Figures Who Changed Their Name

6. George Orwell

The man who brought the world the dystopian novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four" and the allegorical story "Animal Farm" actually used a pen name when he did so - that of "George Orwell". Orwell, who was born in British India in 1903 but spent time England, Burma, France and in Iberia during the Spanish Civil War, was actually named "Eric Arthur Blair". Famed for introducing many concepts into the English language - including "cold war", "Big Brother" and "Room 101" - Blair used the pen name of "George Orwell" to avoid embarrassment to his family due to the fact he had spent time as a tramp on the streets in Paris and London. Other pseudonyms he used included "PS Burton", "Kenneth Miles" and "H Lewis Allways" - although "George Orwell" remained his favourite. It was for this reason that he adopted this name officially because, as he termed it, "it is a good round English name".