Hannah Montana anniversary has Miley Cyrus' fans discovering her real name

Joshua Nair
2026-03-27T21:01:07.344Z
Entertainment

Contrary to popular belief, it's not actually Hannah Montana

Miley Cyrus has just celebrated the 20th anniversary of the show which kick-started her career, Hannah Montana.

The singer has coined the occasion as the 'Hannahversary', as she made a sensational return to Disney, where it all began for the 33-year-old.

Ever since it aired on Disney+ on Tuesday (24 March), noughties kids have been in shock at the revelations brought to the surface by the star, 15 years on from the show's final episode.

This included how she ‘secretly’ dated Dylan Sprouse while they were both kid stars on the network, as well as who she would have picked for Hannah in the long-debated Jesse or Jake argument.

But as special guests such as her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, made appearances in the special, fans were only just realising that Miley Cyrus' real name is different to what we all thought.

The Cyrus family were out in full force at the Hannah Montana Anniversary (VALERIE MACON / AFP via Getty Images)

You may know the actress as Miley Cyrus or Hannah Montana, but there's a third name which she was actually given at birth.

Her mum, Tish Cyrus, revealed that her popstar daughter's name was much different, before she legally changed it in 2008 at the age of 15.

Speaking on the Tea Time with Raven & Miranda podcast, she said: "Billy Ray [Cyrus] came up with that [the Miley nickname].

"She always smiled when she was little, so we would call her smiley Miley, and it just stuck."

Apparently, she was originally named 'Destiny Hope' when she was born in November 1992, though she seemingly preferred her nickname.

Billy Ray also spoke about her birth name in an interview with Us Weekly back in 2020.

In a heartfelt admission, the 'Achy Breaky Heart' artist said of his ex-Disney star daughter: "She’s a giver. She believes that we’re all put here for a reason, and that’s to give back to our fellow man. I’m real proud of her.

"That’s why we named her Destiny Hope. Destiny Hope Cyrus is her name - at least it used to be.

"But no matter what you call her, she still is Destiny Hope. She is a ray of sunshine. She is a special human being. She’s got a great heart."

Cyrus played Hannah Montana on the sitcom from 2006-2011 (DISNEY CHANNEL/MITCH HADDAD

Fans were shocked, as one wrote on social media: "Miley Cyrus real name is Destiny Hope Cyrus? Wtf lol."

Another said on X: "MILEY CYRUS REAL NAME IS DESTINY HOPE?!? Since when?!?"

A third added: "Screaming, who the f**k was gonna tell me Miley Cyrus' real name is DESTINY HOPE?"

That wasn't all Cyrus spilled during the special though, admitting she had a romantic fling with Dylan Sprouse, known for playing Zack Martin on hit Disney show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Speaking to Alex Cooper, Cyrus admitted: “Dylan Sprouse was my boyfriend, I think he was the cutest.”

“It's true, confirmed,” she said of rumours which circulated at the time.

Unsurprisingly, Cyrus said she got to spend time with both Dylan and Cole while dating the former - with the latter best known for his work on Riverdale as an adult.

“Dylan was my crush,” Cyrus said, going on: “Their dad would take us to sushi. I was into the whole culture, and it was a two-for-one. Like, bring the brother. Hello!”