What was Georgia O’Keeffe’s first name before she began using the name Georgia?
Answer
Georgia was always her first name
Georgia O’Keeffe’s first name was Georgia from birth; she did not replace an earlier given name.
She was born Georgia Totto O’Keeffe on November 15, 1887. “Totto” was her mother’s family name and became O’Keeffe’s middle name. Her surname came from her father, Francis Calyxtus O’Keeffe, an Irish-American farmer.
The name Georgia is sometimes misunderstood because it can sound like a chosen artistic name, especially in accounts that emphasize her distinctive public identity. In fact, she used Georgia O’Keeffe throughout her life, including before her marriage to Alfred Stieglitz.
Mary, Eleanor, and Elizabeth are plausible answers because they are common traditional given names and appear in the names of many artists. None was O’Keeffe’s earlier first name. Her full birth name is consistently recorded as Georgia Totto O’Keeffe.