The stories behind all of Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' name changes as the hip-hop mogul heads to trial

San Francisco Chronicle​

05-05-2025

In the criminal indictment for this week's sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the document lists many of the hip-hop mogul's aliases.
Most people, especially music fans, probably already know them.
From 'Puff Daddy' to 'P. Diddy' and even the obscure 'Brother Love,' here's a look back at Combs' self-appointed names and what was going on during his career in each era.
Puff Daddy
His childhood nickname was Puffy because, as he told Jet Magazine in 1998, he used to huff and puff when he got mad. Hence the early stage name: Puff Daddy. In these days, he was side by side with fellow New York City rapper Notorious B.I.G., the star of Combs' Bad Boy record label.
In 1998, Combs won two Grammys, one for best rap album for his debut 'No Way Out' and another for best rap performance by a duo or group for 'I'll Be Missing You' with Faith Evans. The song memorialized Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot in 1997 in a case that remains unsolved. This was during the East vs. West rap rivalry, particularly with Tupac Shakur from California and his team at Death Row Records. Shakur was fatally shot in 1996.
Combs also started his fashion line Sean John, his first and middle name, in 1998.
P. Diddy
The shift to P. Diddy unfolded in 2001, not long after Combs was acquitted of gun and bribery charges from when he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, fled a shooting that wounded three people at a New York City nightclub. Some witnesses told police that Combs was among the people shooting in the club.
Combs noted at the time that Notorious B.I.G. came up with the nickname P. Diddy. Under this new name, Combs reached new heights of success. He became the producer and star of the talent-search TV show 'Making the Band' in 2002, performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004 and weeks later won a Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for 'Shake Ya Tailfeather.'
Diddy
He dropped the 'P.' from his artist nickname in 2005. He told the 'Today' show at the time that fans at concerts weren't doing well chanting P. Diddy. Still, he ran into issues using Diddy for his 2006 album 'Press Play' due to a lawsuit by British DJ Richard 'Diddy' Dearlove over the use of the name.
His legal issues and his stardom continued. In 2008, Diddy settled a lawsuit brought by a man who claims Diddy punched him after a post-Oscar party outside a Hollywood hotel the previous year. Roughly two months later, Combs is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Swag
For just a week in May 2011, Combs even changed his name to 'Swag,' posting in a video online that it was part of his 'comeback' after a bad illness.
Love, a.k.a. Brother Love
He posted on social media in November 2017 that he was celebrating his birthday by changing his name to 'Love, a.k.a. Brother Love.' Combs said he would not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy or any of his other monikers. He said at the time that he knew it was risky and would be corny to change his name again, but he said he had changed as a person and was not who he was before. Later that month, he said was joking about the name change and people could use any of his older names.
In 2021, he announced that he had legally changed his middle name to Love. A year later, he clarified on the 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' that Diddy remains his stage name. He released "The Love Album - Off the Grid" in 2023.
As his sex trafficking trial began Monday, the judge read off a list of his monikers to prospective jurors, telling them, 'There is one defendant: Sean Combs.'