David Tennant’s real name revealed – and the unlikely reason why he changed his surname as a young actor

He’s made a name for himself as David Tennant, and the Scottish actor has ensured it stays that way by legally changing his real surname to mark his wedding anniversary. 

Tennant has become a household name thanks to his starring roles in hit shows Broadchurch, Good Omens and Doctor Who, in which he played the fourteenth timelord. 

Away from TV his name is synonymous with West End theatre, having starred in a string of productions, among them William Shakespeare’s Richard II, Hamlet and Macbeth.

But the actor, 54, was actually born David John McDonald in Bathgate, West Lothian, and only adopted his famous surname after discovering there was another David McDonald represented by the Equity actors union. 

And he turned to synth-pop pioneers the Pet Shop Boys for some unlikely inspiration while choosing his stage name, with the actor choosing Tennant after reading an interview with the band’s lead singer, Neil Tennant, in the now defunct Smash Hits magazine. 

He will now be legally acknowledged as Tennant after he and wife Georgia Moffett, 41, kicked off the new year by changing their surnames following their fourteenth wedding anniversary.

The couple formally adopted his stage name on New Year’s Day, almost 14 years since they married.

They both recorded changes of their surname on Companies House for their business Sandyboy Ltd, while Georgia also ditched Ms for Mrs.

The actors, who have five children together, met on the set of Doctor Who when Georgia was playing the part of Jenny – the Time Lord’s daughter. Her real-life father, Peter Davison, played the fifth Doctor.

Tennant previously revealed the reason he changed his name when he started out in the industry was because there was already an actor with the last name of McDonald.

He told BBC’s The One Show: ‘I had to change my name as you do when you join the actor’s union.

‘If there’s somebody with your name, my name was David McDonald so at 16 I had to find a new name and I thought how do you do that at 16?’

The Harry Potter actor went on to say his new name was inspired by the Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant.

‘I went through a copy of Smash Hits and I found Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys and I thought “Oh that’s good, it’s a good strong solid name” so I’m named after Neil Tennant from the Pet Shop Boys.’

The Doctor Who legend and Merlin star Georgia met in 2008 on the set of Doctor Who when she played the Doctor’s daughter, Jenny, and tied the knot on New Year’s Eve in 2011.

Celebrating their wedding anniversary, Georgia took to her page last month with a snap of their wedding bands, followed by two heart-melting shots of the couple posing as they hugged one another.

‘1. 14 years ago; New rings on younger hands. 2. Instagram photo. 3. Actual photo. 4. Romance 14 years on.’