Millie Bobby Brown has spent nearly a decade in the public eye, but she recently revealed a small detail about her identity that most fans and even some coworkers didn’t know: “Bobby” isn’t her real middle name. While promoting Netflix’s The Electric State, Brown told BuzzFeed UK that her given name is Millie Bonnie Brown, and that she swapped in “Bobby” largely because she felt like it.
The moment played out as a surprised, on-camera back-and-forth with her costar Chris Pratt. When Pratt asked about her middle name, Brown explained that “Bonnie” is the real one and that “Bobby” was a change she made “for … giggles,”—a quote that some outlets printed with the profanity partially censored. Pratt’s reaction (equal parts shock and amusement) helped turn what could’ve been a throwaway detail into a viral clip.
It’s also a reminder of how stage names can be less “carefully engineered Hollywood branding” and more “teenage whim that stuck.” Brown has been credited as Millie Bobby Brown since her early breakout on Stranger Things, and by the time she became one of Netflix’s most recognizable faces, the name was already part of the brand, so there was no real reason to change it back professionally, even if “Bobby” wasn’t technically the name she was born with.
More recently, Brown has been open about another name change that was tied to a life milestone: after marrying Jake Bongiovi, she confirmed she has legally adopted “Bongiovi” into her name. Entertainment Weekly reported that she clarified her official name as Millie Bonnie Bongiovi during a later exchange with Stranger Things costar Noah Schnapp, while still being publicly known and credited onscreen as Millie Bobby Brown.
The bigger takeaway is that Brown’s “real name” revelation isn’t some dramatic reinvention—her first name and last name remain the same, and “Bonnie” versus “Bobby” is a small tweak. But it resonated because it shows a side of her that’s playful and unbothered, even as she navigates adulthood in a spotlight that’s been on her since she was a kid.
