What is Tiger Woods' real first name?

Tiger Woods’s real first name is Eldrick.

His full legal name is Eldrick Tont Woods. “Tiger” is his famous nickname, not his birth name, and it became the name known worldwide during his junior, amateur, and professional golf career.

Woods was born on December 30, 1975, in Cypress, California. His mother, Kultida Woods, gave him the first name Eldrick, while Tont is his middle name. The name “Tiger” honors his father Earl’s friend, a South Vietnamese soldier whose nickname was Tiger.

The name Eldrick is often confused with similar-sounding names such as Eldridge, Edward, or Elton. Another common mistake is treating Tiger as a middle name or formal first name. In official biographical listings, his name appears as Eldrick Tont Woods, while Tiger is the nickname used throughout his public sporting career.