Lewis Hamilton isn't the first sport star to change their name in the middle of their career.
The seven-time world champion confirmed on Monday that he would be changing his name ahead of the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 campaign, which starts this week.
Since bursting onto the scene back in 2007, Hamilton's name has become one of the most well recognised in F1 and the rest of the sporting world.
But now he will be honouring his beloved mother Carmen's surname, Larbalestier, by adding it to his name.
Over the years, a number of athletes have changed their name, having already achieved sporting greatness, for a number of reasons.
From losing a connection to their family name to wanting to reference their shirt number, here are some sport people who changed their names mid-career.
Delle Alli
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Everton midfielder Dele Alli decided to no longer carry his surname on the back of his shirt in August 2016.
While playing for Tottenham, the club announced that Dele would only use his first name on match shirts because he felt 'no connection' to his surname.
"I wanted a name on my shirt that represented who I am and I feel I have no connection with the Alli surname," he said at the time.
"This is not a decision I have taken without a lot of thought and discussion with family close to me."
Tottenham confirmed the news on Twitter, posting: "@Dele_Alli will retain number 20 but for personal reasons has elected to have the name 'DELE' displayed on the reverse of his match shirts."
Dele was taken in by couple Alan and Sally Hickford at the age of 13 and is said to call them his adoptive parents despite not being formally adopted by the pair.
His Nigerian father, Kenny, lives in the United States and his mother, Denise, said: "I knew that [giving him away] was the only way he could fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
"It was tough to give up my son but it proved to be his salvation. I'm so thankful for how things have turned out."
Despite splitting when Dele was a child, his parents came together in February 2018 to reveal their despair at having no part in the superstar's life.
Making an impassioned plea, dad Kehinde told The Mirror: "I just do not understand what we have done wrong.
"He refuses to speak to me and it feels like he’s been taken from us. But I won’t give up on getting him back."
Mum Denise added: "I’m a very miserable person because I get so sad that Dele is missing out on his family and we’re missing out on him. I want to be able to hug him and let him know we all love him to bits.
"I’m not interested in his money, I’d love him the same if he worked in McDonald’s. We just want our son back."
Muhammad Ali
It's quite commonly known that Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Clay - but why did he decide to change his name?
The boxing legend won gold in the light heavyweight division in the 1960 Rome Olympics under his birth name and continued using it when he turned professional.
In February 1962, Ali became heavyweight champion at the age of just 22-years-old by beating Sonny Liston in a major upset.
That same year, the boxer denounced his birth name and formally became known as Muhammad Ali.
Ali had converted to Islam, having attended his first Nation of Islam meeting in 1961, and went to meetings with the African American Islamic religious movement - aiming to improve the condition of African Americans in the US.
Malcolm X, a key figure of the movement before his conversion to orthodox Islam, became a spiritual and political mentor for Ali.
He briefly referred to himself as Cassius X before being renamed Muhammad Ali (Praised one) by the group's leader, Elijah Muhammad.
Ali announced: "Cassius Clay is a slave name. I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhammad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when people speak to me."
But the media still carried on calling him Cassius Clay well into the 1960s - with opponents doing the same in a bid to cause tension.
It was reported that Ali, who sadly passed away in 2016, didn't legally change his name but every official document issued to him had it.
Chad Johnson
It's been a struggle to keep up with American footballer Chad Johnson's name changes.
In October 2006, Johnson announced he wanted to be called 'Ocho Cinco' in honour of Hispanic Heritage Month to match his number 85 jersey.
Ironically, this wasn't actually correct at 'Ocho Cinco' actually means 'eight five' in Spanish, where as 85 would be 'ochenta y cinco'.
According to ESPN, Johnson was fined $5,000 for the stunt despite the fact that he only wore a shirt with 'Ocho Cinco' on the back for the warm-ups and not the actual game.
In August 2008 the wide receiver decided to permanently change his name to Chad Ochocinco - with his team the Cincinnati Bengals allowing him to have it on the back of his match jersey.
"It's something I don't think anyone has ever done before," he said at the time. "Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I'm having fun."
But he was forced to play in shirts with his old name for one more season because he refused to pay for the large inventory of 'Johnson' jerseys that Reebok had stocked.
Chad finally got his name change on his shirt the next season but it wasn't exactly as he wanted, 'Ocho Cinco' because the NFL said it had to be written as one word like his legal name.
It coincided with one of his worst seasons in the NFL but Chad kept the name for four years.
A month after signing for Miami Dolphins in 2012, Chad legally changed his last name from Ochocinco back to Johnson due to marrying reality TV star Evelyn Lozada.
"I'm refocused and locked in. Time to get back to the old me," he said. "I'm just doing it for the marriage. It has nothing to do with football. Ochocinco is still in me. It's just my middle name."
Lewis Hamilton
This week, Hamilton announced he is in the process of changing his name to include his mother's surname, Larbalestier.
Speaking at Dubai Expo, the seven-time F1 world champion explained that he wanted to honour his mother's family name while keeping the recognised 'Hamilton'.
Hamilton's parents, Anthony Hamilton and Carmen Larbalestier, separated when Lewis was a toddler in 1987.
He has a strong relationship with both sides of his family, having been raised by his mother until he was 12 before moving in with his father.
Dad Anthony is often seen in the paddock on race days, while mum Carmen doesn't appear as often but did accompany Lewis when he received his knighthood at Windsor Castle last December.
The Mercedes star has questioned the tradition of women losing their surnames when they get married and stated his intention to keep his mother's name alive.
"I’m really proud of my family’s name: Hamilton," Hamilton said. "Actually none of you might know that my mum’s [sur]name is Larbalestier. And I’m just about to put that in my name.
"Because I don’t really fully understand the whole idea of why, when people get married, the woman loses her name. I really want her name to continue on with the Hamilton name."
When asked whether his name change will have been made official by this week's F1 season opener in Bahrain, he added: "It will be soon.
"No, I don’t know if it will be this weekend. But we’re working on it."
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