In 1988 , at the age of 15 , Rogers adopted the name Portia de Rossi , by which she remains best known . In 2005 , she explained that she had intended to reinvent herself , using the given name of Portia , a character from William Shakespeare 's `` The Merchant of Venice , '' and an Italian last name .
In 1988 , at the age of 15 , Rogers adopted the name Portia de Rossi , by which she remains best known ; in 2005 , she explained that she wanted to reinvent herself , using the given name of Portia , a character from William Shakespeare 's `` The Merchant of Venice '' and an Italian last name .