How Did Whoopi Goldberg Get Her Last Name?

How Did Whoopi Goldberg Get Her Last Name?

Whoopi Goldberg is a film and television celebrity who made headlines after rebranding herself. Whoopi Goldberg, professionally known as Caryn Elaine Johnson, is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality. She is one of 16 artists who have won the EGOT, which consists of an Emmy Award, a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award.

Who Is Whoopi Goldberg?

Whoopi Goldberg is a well-known figure. She is a film and television personality who has won numerous awards over her career, including being one of just a few persons to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony, and is presently best known for co-hosting “The View.” Her outlandish moniker and standout performances in “Sister Act” make her practically unforgettably memorable. However, neither Whoopi nor Goldberg is her real name.

On the other hand, her given name is a little more traditional, and more in keeping with what one could expect from the 1950s. Caryn Elaine Johnson was born Whoopi Goldberg in Manhattan in 1955, the daughter of Robert James and Emma Johnson. When people change their names, it is typically for familial reasons or to avoid confusion with their first name, but Caryn Elaine Johnson and Whoopi Goldberg are poles apart. Here are the reasons for the actress’s name change in the first place.

Whoopi Goldberg’s name comes from a practical joke toy

According to People, the term “Whoopi” originates from a whoopee cushion. During a 2006 interview with The New York Times, Whoopi Goldberg explained how the name came about: “If you become a little gassy, you must let it pass. As a result, folks used to refer to me as a ‘whoopee cushion.’ That is where the name originated.”

As for “Goldberg,” it turns out that it is a family name. According to the Jewish Chronicle, she explained in 2011 that while her mother did not choose Whoopi as her given name, Goldberg was “A member of my family, a relic of my ancestors. Identical to being black.” According to rumours, her mother felt that the name Johnson was not “Jewish enough” for Goldberg to succeed, but this has not been proved.

In either case, it’s evident that the name Whoopi Goldberg possesses a distinctive aspect that Goldberg’s real name lacks, and changing her name can’t have been a mistake – she’s had an incredibly successful career, becoming one of Hollywood’s largest and most-loved names.

Whoopi Goldberg Name Change

Whoopi Goldberg Name Change

Goldberg is a German and Yiddish surname with biblical or geographical origins, or it may be used to honor a family matriarch named Golda. Caryn Elaine Johnson, the star of Sister Act, was born with the given name Caryn Elaine Johnson, not the stage name Caryn Elaine Johnson. Thus, how did she get the surname Goldberg, and how does this influence her Holocaust statements?

Early life of Whoopi Goldberg

Caryn Elaine Johnson was born on November 13, 1955, in Manhattan, New York City, the daughter of Baptist pastor Robert James Johnson Jr. (1930–1993) and Emma Johnson (née Harris; 1931–2010), a nurse and teacher. She was reared in New York City’s Chelsea-Elliot Houses public housing project.

Goldberg referred to her mother as a “stern, tough, and intelligent woman” who raised her as a single mother alongside her brother Clyde (around 1949–2015). She attended St Columba’s Catholic School in her neighborhood. Her forefathers and mothers came from Faceville, Georgia; Palatka, Florida; and Virginia. She enrolled in Washington Irving High School but dropped out.

According to her, her stage moniker ( “When you’re playing on stage, you never really have time to go into the restroom and close the door,” was borrowed from a whoopee cushion. Therefore, if you become a little gassy, you must let it go. As a result, folks used to refer to me as a ‘whoopee cushion.’ That is where the name originated.”

Regarding her stage surname, she asserted in 2011 “My mother did not name me Whoopi, but Goldberg is my given name; it is a part of my family and ancestry, just as being black is,” and “I simply know I am Jewish. I engage in no activity. I do not attend the temple, but I am aware of the holidays.” As she has noted, “‘Come on, are you Jewish?’ people would ask. And I always respond, ‘Would you ask that of me if I were white?’ I doubt it.'” According to one tale, her mother, Emma Johnson, believed the family’s previous surname was “insufficiently Jewish” for her daughter to become a celebrity. Goldberg’s traceable ancestors were all black, she had no known German or Jewish relatives, and none of her ancestors were named Goldberg, according to researcher Henry Louis Gates Jr. A DNA test proved a portion of her heritage to the Papel and Bayote peoples of modern-day Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, as shown in the 2006 PBS program African American Lives. The show mentioned her great-great-grandparents, William and Elsie Washington, who bought the property in northern Florida in 1873 and were among a very tiny number of blacks who became landowners through homesteading in the years following the Civil War. Additionally, the show highlights her grandparents’ residence in Harlem and her grandfather’s employment as a Pullman porter.

According to an incident recounted in Nichelle Nichols’s 1997 book Trekkies, a young Goldberg was watching Star Trek and screamed upon seeing Nichols’s character Uhura, “Mama! There is a black woman on television who is not a maid!” This sparked Goldberg’s lifelong fascination with Star Trek, and she later requested and was granted a regular guest-star role as Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Goldberg traveled to San Diego, California, in the 1970s, where she worked as a waitress. She then moved to Berkeley, where she worked odd jobs as a bank teller, a mortuary cosmetologist, and a bricklayer. She became a member of the avant-garde theatre ensemble the Blake Street Hawkeyes and taught comedy and acting lessons; one of her acting students was Courtney Love. Goldberg also appeared in other theatre shows. She developed a fear of flying and post-traumatic stress disorder after witnessing a midair accident of two planes in San Diego in 1978.

Trade Mark of Whoopi Gooldberg

Trade Mark of Whoopi Gooldberg

  • Deep husky voice
  • Dreadlocks and no eyebrows
  • The role of Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
  • Often wears wire-rimmed sunglasses

Whoopi Goldberg Biography

Birth NameCaryn Elaine Johnson
Date Of BirthNovember 13, 1955
Place Of Birth New York City, U.S.
GenderFemale
Age66
MediumStandup- Film- Television-Theater- Books
Networth $60 Million
Height 1.65 m
Weight78 Kg
SpouseLyle Trachtenberg (M.1994–1995), David Claessen (M. 1986–1988), Alvin Martin (M. 1973–1979)
ChildrenAlexandrea Martin
Years Active1982- Present
ProfessionAmerican Actress, Comedian, Author, And Television Personality

Whoopi Goldberg Height, Weight, Net worth And Age 

Due to her great Hollywood career, Whoopi Goldberg has a net worth of $60 million as of February 2022. Whор Gldberg was born on November 13, 1955, and will reach the age of 66 on February 8, 2022. Her height is 1.65 meters, and she weighs 78 kg.


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