What was Prince's birth name?

Prince's birth name was Prince Rogers Nelson. He was born on June 7, 1958, at Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to jazz singer Mattie Della Shaw and pianist-songwriter John L. Nelson.

The name Prince came from his father's stage name, Prince Rogers. John Nelson performed with the Prince Rogers Trio, and later explained that he named his son Prince because he wanted him to accomplish everything he had hoped to do himself. The younger Prince initially disliked the name and reportedly called himself “Skipper” as a child.

Prince Rogers Nelson became one of the most influential musicians of the late 20th century, blending funk, rock, pop, R&B, soul, and psychedelia. He later used several identities, including the unpronounceable Love Symbol between 1993 and 2000, but Prince Rogers Nelson remained his legal birth name. “Prince Rogers” alone was his father's stage name, while “Prince Nelson” is an incomplete version.