Although the stars on this list may not have familial ties, most do share something because of their chosen career paths.

In other instances, the shared last name is because one or both individuals have chosen it as a stage name rather than using the moniker given at birth.

However, there are those celebrities who people are convinced are related because they’ve got something in common besides gobs of talent — the same surname. Born with this seeming connection, some celebs share the same last name originating from a location or profession of an ancestor long ago.

01 of 18 Heather Matarazzo and Gaten Matarazzo Heather Matarazzo attends the Los Angeles opening night for ‘Pretty Woman: The Musical’ at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on June 17, 2022; Gaten Matarazzo arrives on the red carpet before the 2024 NHL Award Show at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on June 27, 2024. David Livingston/Getty; Jeff Vinnick/NHLI via Getty With a last name as unique as theirs, it’s unsurprising that fans thought Princess Diaries actress Heather Matarazzo was mom to Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo. Age-wise, it works out … and Gaten’s mom is named Heather. She’s just not this Heather. In a video shared on TikTok in July 2022, Heather posted an FYI, saying, “I just wanted to clarify something because I’ve been getting a number of messages regarding this,” she said. “I absolutely adore Gaten Matarazzo. I think he is brilliant; I think he is wonderful, but I cannot claim him as my son. Because he is not.”

02 of 18 Mandy Moore and Demi Moore Mandy Moore attends the 29th annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Jan. 14, 2024; Demi Moore attends the premiere of ‘The Substance’ during the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival at Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto on Sept. 5, 2024. Frazer Harrison/Getty; Isaiah Trickey/FilmMagic Mandy Moore — Princess Diaries preppy and This Is Us matriarch — has been in the entertainment industry since she was a teenager, releasing iconic early-2000s hits like “Candy” and “Crush.” Likewise, Demi Moore made her screen debut before she turned 20 in the 1981 film Choices. Demi went on to have a breakout role in 1985’s St. Elmo’s Fire, kick ass in 1997’s G.I. Jane and earn an Oscar nomination for 2024’s The Substance. Though both Moores have had huge successes on the big and small screens during their decades-long careers, these talented women are not related. Moore isn’t even Demi’s family’s surname. Born Demi Gene Geynes, Demi professionally took on the last name of her first husband, musician Freddy Moore, to whom she was married from 1980 to 1985.

03 of 18 Denzel Washington and Kerry Washington Denzel Washington attends the Museum of Modern Art’s 16th annual Film Benefit in N.Y.C. on Oct. 23, 2024; Kerry Washington attends the TIME100 Women’s Leadership Forum at Chelsea Piers, Studio 59 in N.Y.C. on Sept. 10, 2024. Arturo Holmes/Getty; Shannon Finney/Getty for TIME When rattling off the most influential Washingtons in American history, Denzel Washington and Kerry Washington would make the list alongside George, for sure. Both acclaimed actors of stage and screen, while also having a hand in producing (and Denzel directing), the landscape of theater, TV and film have been directly impacted by the work these non-president Washingtons have done. Though not related, both are connected via Shonda Rhimes. Kerry famously starred as Olivia Pope on Scandal from 2012 to 2018, while Denzel directed a season 12 episode of Grey’s Anatomy in 2016, “The Sound of Silence.” The actors have not worked on a project together yet, though.

04 of 18 Charisma Carpenter and Sabrina Carpenter Charisma Carpenter attends Alzheimer’s Association Imagine Benefit kick-off party hosted by Peter Thomas Roth in N.Y.C. on Oct. 4, 2023; Sabrina Carpenter attends the 66th annual Grammy Awards pre-Grammy gala and Grammy Salute to Industry Icons at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 3, 2024. Patrick McMullan via Getty; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Though Charisma Carpenter and Sabrina Carpenter are not related, they did both get their big breaks on TV shows aimed at their respective generations. Charisma became a multi-season staple on The WB after being cast as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She stayed with that show from 1997 to 1999 and then reprised the role on its spinoff, Angel, from 1999 to 2004. A decade later, Sabrina would make her mark on teen TV, playing Maya Hart on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World from 2014 to 2017, a spinoff series from the ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World — on which Charisma appeared as a guest star on its third season in 1995.

05 of 18 Kristen Stewart and Martha Stewart Kristen Stewart attends the 2024 Sundance Film Festival opening night gala celebrating 40 years at DeJoria Center in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 18, 2024; Martha Stewart attends Netflix’s ‘Martha’ premiere at The Paris Theater in N.Y.C. on Oct. 21, 2024. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty She had already been working in the film industry for several years, but Kristen Stewart’s big break came when she starred as Bella Swan in the four movies that made up The Twilight Saga. In it, her moody teen ends up falling for a member of a “vegetarian” vampire coven (meaning they fed on animal blood and not that from people). Someone who would know how to make a perfect meal with such dietary restrictions would be a renowned home and hospitality personality who certainly knows her way around a kitchen: Martha Stewart. As they are on this list, these icons are not related. Kristen was born a Stewart, but Martha kept her surname from her ex-husband, Andrew Stewart — the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia mogul’s last name at birth was Kostyra.

06 of 18 Matthew Perry and Katy Perry Matthew Perry attends the 2022 ‘GQ’ Men of the Year party hosted by global editorial director Will Welch at The West Hollywood EDITION in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022; Katy Perry at Balenciaga RTW Spring 2025 as part of Paris Ready to Wear Fashion Week on Sept. 30, 2024. Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic; Swan Gallet/WWD via Getty Late Friends star Matthew Perry — who died in October 2023 — was born in Massachusetts, raised in Canada and then lived in California as a working actor as an adult. Singer Katy Perry was born in the Golden State and released the song “California Gurls” on the 2010 studio album Teenage Dream. While their last names are the same — though no relation! — one is actually a stage name. Born Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, Katy’s is her mom’s maiden name.

07 of 18 Jenna Ortega and Kenny Ortega Jenna Ortega attends Lionsgate’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ world premiere in N.Y.C. on May 13, 2025; Kenny Ortega attends the ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Broadway opening night at the Marquis Theatre in N.Y.C. on April 22, 2025. Dominik Bindl/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty; Mike Coppola/Getty Now best known for playing Wednesday Addams on the Netflix series Wednesday, Jenna Ortega spent some of the earlier years of her career over on the Disney Channel, leading the family comedy Stuck in the Middle (2016–2018) and voicing Princess Isabel in the TV movie Elena and the Secret of Avalor (2016) and on the Elena of Avalor animated series (2016–2020). Multihyphenate filmmaker Kenny Ortega has spent some time working on projects for the House of Mouse. After more than a decade in the industry, he directed and choreographed the 1992 film Newsies, later helming and choreographing the High School Musical trilogy and the first three Descendants movies. He’s also responsible for the dancing in 1987’s Dirty Dancing, among many other movie movement moments.

08 of 18 Adrien Brody and Adam Brody Adrien Brody attends the L.A. special screening of ‘The Brutalist’ at Vista Theatre on Dec. 5, 2024; Adam Brody attends Netflix’s FYSEE showcase photocall for ‘Nobody Wants This’ at TUDUM Theater in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 10, 2024. Andrew Toth/WireImage; Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage Adrien Brody and Adam Brody aren’t related — but their Wikipedia pages make it very clear that some people might think they are each other. (The top of Adrien’s says, “Not to be confused with Adam Brody.” While the top of Adam’s says, similarly, “Not to be confused with Adrien Brody.”) Both Adrien and Adam are known for playing Jewish characters, though one has veered into wholly dramatic roles with his award-winning performances. Adrien won two Best Actor Oscars for his portrayal of real-life pianist/Holocaust survivor Władyshław Szpilman in 2003’s The Pianist and fictional architect/Holocaust survivor László Tóth in 2024’s The Brutalist. Adam won a Critics’ Choice Television Award for best actor in a comedy series for playing Rabbi Noah Roklov on the Netflix rom-com series Nobody Wants This. He’s also known for playing Seth Cohen on The O.C. (2003–2007) — the character who launched Chrismukkah into the cultural zeitgeist.

09 of 18 Micheal Keaton and Diane Keaton Michael Keaton attends the WonderCon’s Warner Bros. ‘The Big Picture’ presentation at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 9, 2024; Diane Keaton attends the Ralph Lauren fashion show during New York Fashion Week on Sept. 8, 2023. Eric Charbonneau/Getty for Warner Bros; Paul Morigi/Getty Not only are Michael Keaton and Diane Keaton not related but neither actor was born with that last name. Michael’s birth name was Michael Douglas; however, because of SAG rules, he could not have the same name as another person in the union. After all, there was already an actor named Michael Douglas, the star of films such as 1987’s Fatal Attraction and 1995’s The American President. In a 2017 interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Michael was asked if he had chosen Keaton for his stage name because of the likes of Buster Keaton or Diane. While he admitted to being a fan of both, he said he landed on the name after almost choosing to go by Michael Jackson. Another story that had long gone around was that Michael landed on Keaton from the phone book. When asked about that by PEOPLE for a September 2024 cover story, he said he wasn’t quite sure if that’s how things actually went. “I was looking through — I can’t remember if it was a phone book,” he said. “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.’ ” Diane’s story is a little more straightforward — born Diane Hall, her mother’s maiden name was Keaton, so that’s where the Oscar winner’s stage name comes from.

11 of 18 Cindy Crawford and Joan Crawford Cindy Crawford at ‘Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen’ in N.Y.C. on July 24, 2024; Joan Crawford, circa 1944. Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty; Bert Six/John Kobal Foundation/Getty Both known as icons in their respective fields, ’90s supermodel Cindy Crawford and Golden Age of Hollywood film star Joan Crawford are not related … and one of their names was chosen by a contest. Cindy — born Cynthia Ann Crawford — is one of the biggest models of runways, magazines and fashion campaigns for pretty much any label you can think of, designer or commercial. She also appeared in a handful of films and TV shows (often as herself) and had a line of fitness videos in the ’90s and 2000s. Joan — born Lucille Fay LaSeur — started as a dancer before becoming a star of the silver screen and winning an Oscar for 1945’s Mildred Pierce. Per Biography, Louis B. Mayer of MGM held a contest to rename the actress, with the winner getting $1,000, and Joan ending up with a new surname that she thought was too close to “crawfish.”

12 of 18 Diane Lane and Nathan Lane Diane Lane attends the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations presents Diane Lane for ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans’ at the Meryl Streep Center for Performing Artists in L.A. on Aug. 15, 2024; Nathan Lane attends the Critics Choice Association’s inaugural celebration of LGBTQ+ cinema and television at Fairmont Century Plaza in L.A. on June 7, 2024. Araya Doheny/Getty for SAG-AFTRA Foundation; Emma McIntyre/Getty for Critics Choice Association Diane Lane and Nathan Lane were both born with that same last name — no surname changes here. There was a first-name swap out, though … Nathan’s birth name was Joseph. Similar to Michael’s story, there was already a Joseph Lane — this time with Actor’s Equity — so Nathan, per Deadline, landed on his stage name via Nathan Detroit, a character from Guys and Dolls. Known for their work on the big and small screens, both Diane and Nathan have deep roots in the theater. Diane made her Broadway debut as a child in the 1977 production of The Cherry Orchard and returned to that same play for its 2016 Broadway revival. Nathan made his Broadway debut in 1982 in Present Laughter and has won three Tony Awards: two for best actor in a musical (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1996; The Producers, 2001) and one for best featured actor in a play (Angels in America, 2018).

13 of 18 Gerard Butler and Austin Butler Gerard Butler attends a special screening of ‘Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’ at Regal Atlantic Station in Atlanta on Dec. 18, 2024; Austin Butler attends the world premiere of Apple TV+’s ‘Masters of the Air’ at Regency Village Theatre in L.A. on Jan. 10, 2024. Paras Griffin/Getty for Lionsgate; Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic Gerard Butler is a Scot whose second film credit was the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, and Austin Butler is an American from sunny California who got his start as a teen on a handful of Disney and Nickelodeon shows in the mid-2000s. Though not related, these Butlers have the joint distinction of playing two of the biggest names in movie musicals/musical movies, both of which were titular roles — the Phantom of the Opera (Gerard) and Elvis Presley (Austin).

14 of 18 Michael Shannon and Molly Shannon Michael Shannon attends the premiere of ‘The Flash’ at Ovation Hollywood in L.A. on June 12, 2023; Molly Shannon attends HBO’s ‘The Jinx — Part Two’ premiere at Hudson Yards in N.Y.C. on April 18, 2024. Phillip Faraone/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty Kentucky-born Michael Shannon and Ohio native Molly Shannon are not related, though they are both from the Midwest and similarly multitalented — mastering comedy, drama and everything in between. Both got their on-screen start around 1990 and have been going strong ever since. Michael led HBO’s Boardwalk Empire for five seasons, played Superman villain General Zod for the DCEU and earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominations for 2008’s Revolutionary Road and 2016’s Nocturnal Animals. Molly is likely best known for her six seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (playing Mary Katherine Gallagher and Sally O’Malley, among other original characters and dozens of impressions), as well as starring on HBO Max’s The Other Two from 2019 to 2023 and having a recurring role on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

15 of 18 George Lucas and Josh Lucas George Lucas attends a photocall as he is awarded the Palme D’Or D’Honneur at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 24, 2024; Josh Lucas attends the Apple TV+ ‘Palm Royale’ official Emmy FYC event at Hollywood Athletic Club on May 11, 2024. Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty; Kevin Winter/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Star Wars creator George Lucas — actually a Jr., as he was named after his father — grew up in California and has been a successful filmmaker since the early 1970s, changing the landscape of cinema with his movies but also his effects/design companies Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light & Magic. Born the year of George’s first feature film, THX 1138 (1971), Josh Lucas — birth name Joshua Lucas Easy Dent Maurer — hails from Arkansas. Josh has been acting since the early 1990s, starring in movies such as 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama and 2006’s Glory Road. Josh also starred on The Mysteries of Laura (2014–2016) and Apple TV+’s Palm Royale. Though each Lucas has worked on dozens of projects over the past several decades, they have never worked together.