Trending: A singular approach to celebrity

Cheryl Cole might join an elite group of singlenamers, such as Prince, Madonna, and Beyoncé, when she releases her new album under the name 'Cheryl' (PA)

According to reports, Cheryl Cole will join an elite group of single-namers, such as Prince, Madonna, and Beyoncé, when she releases her new album under the name "Cheryl".

Aside from wanting to lose the reference to her sext-mad ex, it's understandable why she would want a "mononym". Not only is the name simple enough for the simplest of fans, but it's bigger on the posters, and takes less time to write out autographs.

For others, such as Shakira or Rihanna, their mononymity keeps things punchier (Björk is more dynamic than Björk Guðmundsdóttir). Some go further still, peppering names with punctuation, such as will.i.am or, in the case of Ke$ha, throwing in a currency symbol.

But it's not for everyone. While Gwyneth Paltrow could pull off just "Gwyneth", her husband Chris Martin, would struggle with either "Chris" or "Martin". And their friend, Jay-Z would have arguably been less notable, if he tried to be simply "Jay".

A smaller group would struggle to lose either name. With a stint on Eurovision thrusting him back into the limelight, Engelbert Humperdinck could be forgiven for thinking about a rebrand. But with two such distinctive names, which would he drop?