Sterling K Brown reveals why he changed his name

Sterling K Brown has shared why he chose to forego his first name and went by his middle name Kelby until he was 16 years old.

"My dad's name is Sterling Brown Jr, my grandfather is Sterling Brown Sr," the This Is Us alum, whose full name is Sterling Kelby Brown, said during an episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

"I wanted my own name and it felt like Sterling was an old man's name," said the actor who played the role of Randall Pearson on the hit TV show.

However, after going by Kelby throughout his childhood, the Paradise actor had a change of heart as a teenager as a way to honour his father, who had died from a heart attack.

"Because he passed away when I was 10, by the time I turned 16 and I hadn't heard his name for five, five-and-a-half years," he continued.

"I was like, 'I kinda just want to hear that name again.' So I asked people to call me Sterling."

The Emmy winner, who shares sons Andrew, 13, and Amaré, nine, with wife Ryan Michelle Bathé, has spoken previously about how his dad greatly impacted his life.

"I will say this about Sterling Brown, Jr: He filled me up with so much love," Brown shared. "It was everything that I could've hoped for for 10 years."