Oprah Winfrey is one of the few celebrities whose first name is so iconic they go by a mononym. But it turns out that the former television host was actually given a different name at birth.
The 72-year-old journalist appeared as a guest on the July 21 episode of the โBaby, This Is Keke Palmerโ podcast where she spoke about the start of her career and her success. Host Keke Palmer began the interview by sharing a fun fact she heard about the original spelling of Winfreyโs name.
Palmer revealed that Winfreyโs name is really โOrpah.โ
Winfrey confirmed the fact and said, โIt was Orpah from the Bible. Ruth, first chapter, 14th verse.โ
She added that her name stems from the biblical story involving Ruth and Naomi.
โYou know, Ruth said, โWherever thy goest, I will go.โ And then Orpah said, โIโm going back. Iโm sorry. I canโt. Too long. The roadโs too long,โโ Winfrey playfully explained.
She recalled that she wasnโt the one who decided to adjust the spelling of her name and that the change happened following a mishap shortly after she was born.
โNobody knew how to spell it,โ she continued. โSo, it turned out on my birth certificate, itโs Orpah. Then people started calling me Oprah. So itโs just the difference between the P being before the R or after the R. So once they started with Oprah, thatโs it.โ
Although the switch occurred when she was a child, Winfrey revealed she didnโt discover the truth about her name until decades later.
โI didnโt learn until I was, like, probably 20 or something that, โOh, this isnโt really my name,โโ she shared.
Winfrey told Palmer that the original spelling of her name remains on her birth certification.
The story about the origin of Winfreyโs name has resurfaced over the years.
During a November 2005 episode of โThe Oprah Winfrey Show,โ she introduced a clip from 1983 that showed her talking about her name while auditioning for a morning show in Chicago, according to E! News.
In the clip, Winfrey said, โMy name is Oprah Winfrey. Oprah, spelled O-P-R-A-H, and if you notice, itโs Harpo spelled backwards.โ
She added, โMy folks did not really like Harpo Marx. We did not even have a television set for a number of years. Originally, I was named from the Bible by Aunt Ida, who named me from Ruth, the first chapter at the 14th verse, Orpah. But no one knew how to spell in my home, and thatโs why I ended up being Oprah.โ
The mogul has also responded to a few X users for over a decade with the correct spelling and inspiration behind her name.
When journalist Yashar Ali celebrated Winfreyโs 64th birthday on X in 2018, he included her real name in the tweet, surprising some social media users in the comments.
In 2024, one X user learned the spelling error for the first time and expressed their disbelief in a tweet. The post reached over one million views.
More learned the truth following Palmerโs podcast. Beneath a clip of the conversation between Winfrey and Palmer, one comment read, โImagine changing your name because people couldnโt pronounce it, then becoming one of the most famous people in the world.โ
Another said, โOrpah realizing she got the better stage name by accident is kind of incredible.โ