What was Georgia O'Keeffe's first name before she became known professionally as an artist?

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Georgia O'Keeffe's first name was Georgia.

She was born Georgia Totto O'Keeffe, and her middle name came from her maternal grandfather, George Victor Totto. In public life she became known simply as Georgia O'Keeffe, a name now strongly associated with American modernism.

Her unusual first name has occasionally led people to assume it referred to the U.S. state of Georgia. It did not: O'Keeffe was born and raised in Wisconsin, and the name was part of her family history.

O'Keeffe became famous for sharply focused paintings of flowers, bones, landscapes, and buildings. Her professional identity was built around the name Georgia O'Keeffe, while “Totto” is chiefly encountered in biographical records and discussions of her family background.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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