Carmen Electra made a massive life change this past week — filing to ditch her birth name to formally go by her long-known stage name … and now we know exactly why.

Sources close to the “Baywatch” star tell TMZ … there’s really no big reason behind the decision — we’re told it’s just something she’s been thinking about for a while and finally took the plunge, since there’s no better time than the New Year to start fresh.

We should note, she hasn’t gone by her birth name — Tara Leigh Patrick — in decades.

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TMZ obtained the legal docs earlier this week … revealing she wants to formally change her name to “Carmen Electra” … so looks like this is officially goodbye to Tara! It’s also just formalizing what everyone has known her as for decades now.

Fun fact — CE didn’t come up with the zippy stage name herself — it was actually birthed as a result of the late icon, Prince … who bestowed the name upon her when she auditioned to be part of an all-girl group he was assembling in the early ’90s.

Unfortunately, she didn’t make the cut … but she went on to make a splash on TV and elsewhere, and she kept the cool moniker for herself.

Also … she never assumed the names of her hubbies while she was married, so her becoming Carmen Electra in court is just a no-brainer. No better time for change than the present!