'Hannah Montana' Star Changes Her Name

Zap2It.com | January 29, 2008

Miley Cyrus

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Miley Cyrus honors her dad with new name

From here on out, Miley Cyrus will be known by a new name -- and it's not Hannah Montana.

The 15-year-old pop singer-actress has officially changed her name to Miley Ray Cyrus.

It doesn't seem like a big change until you learn that she was actually born with the moniker Destiny Hope Cyrus. The Miley came from a childhood nickname from dad, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who noticed that his little girl was very "smiley." Where the "S" went is anyone's guess, but everyone quickly latched onto the name.

The "Ray" was adopted to honor her father.

Father and daughter are particularly close, not only because she inherited his musical talent, but also because he plays her character's father on "Hannah Montana." She in turn encouraged him to compete on "Dancing With the Stars."

The elder Cyrus recently gave his daughter a shoulder to lean on when she fell ill during her New Orleans concert on Saturday, Jan. 26. The young warbler stopped the concert for a few minutes and left the stage. She quickly returned with her dad in tow and sat on a stool to finish out the set.

The "Hannah Montana: One in a Million" hit DVD shelves Tuesday, Jan. 29.