What Is Queen Latifah's Real Name & The Origin of Her Stage Name?

Queen Latifah has been a huge star for decades, but many fans likely don’t know her birth name.

The 50-year-old actress is leading the new reboot of The Equalizer, which is premiering on CBS after the Super Bowl, and some viewers will likely be curious about her name.

Queen Latifah was born in Newark, N.J. in March 1970 and she was given the name Dana Elaine Owens.

During an appearance on The Rachael Ray Show in 2015, the entertainer opened up about how she picked her stage name.

“Well my mother raised me to believe that all women are queens and should be treated as such and the name Latifah means ‘delicate, sensitive, kind, nice.’ I always loved the meaning of that name, so I chose this as my rap name, my nickname. And that’s what Queen Latifah means,” she said.

While speaking to People in 2019, Latifah revealed that she found the name “Latifah” at the age of eight while reading a book of Arabic names.

“My mother kinda laughed. She was like, ‘Queen? I ain’t calling you Queen,’” Latifah recalled.

Read all about what the actress and singer had to say about her new show!