What is Whoopi Goldberg's birth name?

The woman who would become a Hollywood legend was born Caryn Elaine Johnson. She got the nickname "Whoopi" because she was gassy during performances and her colleagues said she was like a whoopee cushion. She wanted to use "Whoopi Cushione" as her stage name, complete with a French pronunciation, but her mother Emma shut that down fast. Her mother figured a Jewish surname would help her career in Hollywood, and so Johnson became Goldberg. Emma's instincts were spot on because Whoopi went on to become one of the few EGOT winners in entertainment history. Sometimes a mother really does know best, even when she's making up surnames.