Scottish acting icon David Tennant has made his famous stage name a permanent part of his legal identity, officially changing his surname in a romantic gesture to celebrate his wedding anniversary. The star, beloved for roles in Doctor Who and Broadchurch, has legally shed his birth name alongside his wife, fellow actor Georgia Moffett.
From McDonald to Tennant: The Origin of a Stage Name
The actor was born David John McDonald in Bathgate, West Lothian. He adopted the now globally recognised surname Tennant out of necessity when he first joined the acting profession. At the age of 16, he discovered that another performer named David McDonald was already registered with the actors' union Equity, requiring him to choose a new professional identity.
In a now-famous anecdote, Tennant found inspiration in an unlikely place: the pages of the defunct pop magazine Smash Hits. Reading an interview with Neil Tennant, the lead singer of synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, the young actor decided he had found the perfect alternative. He has often stated he thought it was a "good strong solid name."
A New Year's Legal Change for a Lasting Union
The couple marked their fourteenth wedding anniversary by making the stage name a legal family name. They formally registered the change on New Year's Day, nearly 14 years after they married on New Year's Eve in 2011. Both Tennant, 54, and Moffett, 41, updated their details for their business, Sandyboy Ltd, on Companies House, with Georgia also changing her title from Ms to Mrs.
The pair first met on the set of Doctor Who in 2008, where Moffett played the Doctor's daughter, Jenny. In a charming twist, her real-life father, Peter Davison, is the actor who portrayed the Fifth Doctor. They now have five children together.
A Household Name Forged on Screen and Stage
Under his chosen name, David Tennant has become one of the UK's most celebrated actors. He is synonymous with his role as the Tenth and Fourteenth Doctor in Doctor Who, and has led critically acclaimed dramas like Broadchurch and Good Omens. Away from television, he is a major force in West End theatre, having starred in Shakespearean productions including Hamlet, Richard II, and Macbeth.
This legal change solidifies a professional identity that was born from teenage necessity and pop culture inspiration, now cemented as a permanent part of his and his family's personal history.
