During a panel at 90s Con, Joey Lawrence and his brothers Matthew and Andrew disclosed their true last name is Mignogna. Joey explained that their stage name 'Lawrence' was derived from his middle name and chosen for its ease of pronunciation in the 80s. While it helped them as child stars, they now have mixed feelings about the choice, wishing they had retained their authentic name, Mignogna, which they believe would have made life easier today.
"It was my middle name," Joey said via Entertainment Weekly. "So, I was named after our dad, and our grandfather on our dad's side. And in the early '80s, it was like, 'No one can pronounce Mignogna. That's not a name people will say.'"
"Today, things like that are celebrated," the 'Blossom' star continued. "In the '80s, it was like, 'We're going to need to water this down. There are silent Gs.'"
Matthew shared his view that the trio's parents also saw the advantage that using a different last name would provide their children. "I also think my parents, and wisely so, [knew] there was an insulation factor, where, before the internet, you could hide behind that at, you know, at school."
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