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Originally appeared on E! Online<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Will the real <\/span>Dakota Fanning<\/a> and <\/span>Elle Fanning<\/a> please stand up? <\/span><\/p>\n While the famous siblings have been known as Dakota<\/a> and Elle<\/a> in Hollywood for years, those are actually their middle names. So, who are the “All Her Fault” and “The Neon Demon” actresses really? <\/span><\/p>\n They were born<\/span> Hannah Dakota Fanning and <\/span>Mary Elle Fanning. <\/span><\/p>\n But as Elle previously explained, the sisters never used their first names growing up, even before they became famous. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy mom goes by her middle name, and my sister goes by her middle name. Her first name is Hannah,\u201d the 27-year-old shared with <\/span>Glamour<\/span><\/a> in 2016. \u201cIt\u2019s possibly a Southern thing, I don\u2019t know. But since my mom goes by her middle name, we go by our middle names too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n However, Elle\u2019s decision not to go by Mary did cause some confusion while she was<\/span> <\/span>growing up<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was awkward in school when they were calling roll call,\u201d she recalled, \u201cbecause they\u2019d go, \u2018Mary? <\/span>Mary<\/span>?\u2019 Kids would be like, \u2018There\u2019s no Mary here.\u2019 I\u2019d awkwardly raise my hand, like, \u2018Uh, it\u2019s me.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n READ: <\/b>Dakota Fanning shares ‘really nice’ birthday gift Tom Cruise sends her every year<\/a><\/p>\n As for Dakota, the 31-year-old revealed that it was her father who <\/span>originally<\/span> came up with <\/span>her<\/span> middle name. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMy first name is Hannah,\u201d she told <\/span>People<\/span><\/a> in 2004. \u201cSo it is Hannah Dakota Fanning. But I have always been called Dakota.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of what\u2019s in a name, Dakota and Elle have been able to forge quite the path in Hollywood and are finally starring in their first movie together, “The Nightingale,” a screen adaptation of <\/span>Kristin Hannah‘s 2015 novel of the same name. <\/span><\/p>\n But before they made the decision to sign on for the film, the sisters made a vow to limit their siblings banter on set. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201c[Dakota] promised me that she’s not gonna boss me around,” <\/span>Elle told E! News at the 2026 Golden Globes<\/span><\/a> on Jan. 11. “I’m like, ‘You have to treat me like a fellow actor.'”<\/span><\/p>\n