Oprah Winfrey has revealed that her real name is Orpah, a biblical name that was misspelled on her birth certificate and mispronounced throughout her life. The talk show host shared the story on the Baby, It's Keke Palmer podcast.
The Origin of the Name
When asked by Keke Palmer what made her go by Oprah, Winfrey explained: "It wasn’t what made me, I was a kid. Nobody knew how to spell it so it turned out on my birth certificate." She added: "It’s Orpah but then people started calling me Oprah. It’s just the difference of the ‘p’ being before the ‘r’ or after the ‘r’. Once they started with Oprah, that's it."
The name Orpah comes from the Bible's Book of Ruth, first chapter, 14th verse. Winfrey noted: "It's that whole Ruth and Naomi story and you know, Ruth said: 'Wherever thy goest, I will go.' And then Orpah said: 'I'm going back. I'm sorry. I can't. Too long. The road's too long.'"
Discrepancy on the Birth Certificate
Winfrey's Wikipedia page confirms that her birth name is Orpah Gail Winfrey, born January 29, 1954. The first name was spelled Orpah on her birth certificate after the biblical figure, but regular mispronunciation led to Oprah sticking. Winfrey told Palmer that she was around 20 years old when she learned the name on her birth certificate differed from the one she had been using.
Keke Palmer's Real Name Too
Winfrey also noted that Keke Palmer uses a different name; Palmer was born Lauren Keyana Palmer. The podcast host beamed and replied: "I'm so happy that you knew that!"
In a 1983 audition tape played on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, Winfrey explained: "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 that's why I ended up being Oprah."
