Oprah leaves fans stunned after revealing her real name and the reason she changed it

Oprah Winfrey has left people stunned after sharing a little-known detail about the name recognised by millions around the world.

The television host and media mogul appeared on Keke Palmer’s Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast, where the pair discussed everything from self-worth and success to friendship and the lessons Oprah has picked up throughout her career.

During the wide-ranging conversation, however, Keke brought up a surprising fact from Oprah’s childhood that many listeners may never have heard before. Despite becoming one of the most famous women in television under the name Oprah, the celebrity explained that this was not actually the name written on her birth certificate.

Although her original name only had a slight adjustment to become who her know her as today, the origins of said birth name have some really interesting context.

(YouTube/Baby, This is Keke Palmer)

It turns out Oprah’s birth name is actually Orpah, a biblical name taken from the Book of Ruth.

Also shared on X (formerly Twitter), Keke began by asking: “I found out that your name… it was originally Orpah?”

Oprah replied: “It was Orpah, from the Bible. Ruth, first chapter, 14th verse.”

She continued: “You know, it’s that whole Ruth and Naomi story. And, you know, Ruth said, ‘Wherever thou goest, I will go,’ and then Orpah said: “I’m going back. I’m sorry, I can’t…’”

Laughing, she added: “…too long. The road’s too long.”

When Keke asked what had made her go from Orpah to Oprah, the presenter clarified that it had not been a deliberate name change.

She said: “It’s not what made me, I was a kid! And nobody knew how to spell it.”

“So it turned out, on my birth certificate, it’s O-R-P-A-H. And then people started calling me Oprah.

“And so, it’s just the difference between the ‘P’ being before the ‘R’ or after the ‘R’. So once they started with Oprah, that’s it.”

Perhaps most surprisingly, Oprah said she did not realise until years later that the name everyone used was not technically her own.

“I didn’t learn until I was like, probably 20 or something that, ‘Oh, this isn’t really my name. My name is Orpah.’”

Keke then checked: “And it’s still on your birth certificate as Orpah?”

Oprah simply replied: “As Orpah.”

Clearly taken aback, Keke said: “Wow. We have so much in common, because I’m actually Eeky.”

The light-hearted exchange continued as Oprah revealed she already knew Keke’s full name was Lauren Keyana Palmer, having heard it during her TED Talk.

The podcast episode, uploaded on 21 July, also saw Oprah speak about her long friendship with Gayle King, advice from Maya Angelou and the importance of knowing your worth — though she didn’t mention the major side effect she experienced from quitting weight loss drugs.