Carmen Electra has filed to legally change her name, and the result is a name that we are already quite familiar with.
Carmen has been a household name since the early '90s when she first gained fame through iconic roles such as on Baywatch.
Throughout her career, she has maintained the stage name Carmen, even through marriages, never adopting the surnames of her spouses.
Carmen, 51, has now taken a legal stride to change her name formally. Born as Tara Leigh Patrick, she has been widely known by her stage name, Carmen Electra, for over three decades.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ confirm her request to make the moniker Carmen Electra her official and legal identity.
The filing, dated December 29, 2023, just days before the New Year, suggests that Carmen is looking to kick off 2024 with a fresh start.
While there are no particularly notable details in the legal documents, the timing of the request hints at a symbolic new beginning for the actress.
As of now, there is no confirmation on whether the court has granted Carmen's request for the name change. However, such procedures are typically swift and uncomplicated, indicating that she may soon be officially recognized as Carmen.
The actress's parents, Patricia and Harry Patrick, share her original last name, prompting curiosity about their reaction to this significant change. At this point, it remains unclear why Carmen has chosen this moment to embrace her stage name officially.
Despite being married twice, Carmen has never taken the last name of either of her husbands. Her first marriage was a brief union with NBA star Dennis Rodman in 1998, concluding with a divorce in 1999, followed by her marriage to musician Dave Navarro from 2003 to 2007.
The origin of Carmen's famous moniker traces back to her association with Prince's Paisley Park Records in the early '90s. Recounting the story on The Yo Show in 2014, she revealed: "I auditioned for an all-girl group that he was putting together, and he ended up signing me to his label Paisley Park. After I danced for him, he said, 'You look like Electra. That should be your name.'"
Initially hesitant about the superhero-esque name, Carmen eventually embraced it. She explained: "I thought it sounded kinda like a superhero type of name, which actually it is. So I was hesitant, but it just sorta grew on me, and that's it. I'm Electra now," per Yahoo Entertainment.
Carmen's career includes a Playboy magazine cover, a self-titled debut studio album in 1993, and numerous television and movie roles.
Notably, she made a splash as the lifeguard Lani McKenzie in Baywatch in 1997, solidifying her status as a sex symbol. Despite leaving the series after one season due to a demanding schedule and her mother's illness, Carmen later returned for the reunion movie, Baywatch: Hawaiian Wedding, in 2003.