How Nicki Minaj Chose Her Stage Name (& Why She Hates It)

Singer and rapper Nicki Minaj has established herself as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry, with countless hits (who can forget 2014's "Anaconda?!") and collaborations with other artists. At the same time, she is one of many celebrities who uses a stage name in her public life, with her name at birth being Onika Tanya Maraj. Though many fans are likely to be aware that Nicki Minaj isn't the star's legal name, what is less publicized is how and why Minaj ended up changing her name in the first place.

Onika Maraj isn't too far off from "Nicki Minaj," of course, but Minaj has previously expressed that she doesn't like her stage name. This brings us to a few key issues. We're diving into how Nicki Minaj became the name by which the star is known in the public eye, why Minaj isn't a fan of the name herself, and why she hasn't changed her stage name despite her dislike for it.

As pointed out by Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, rapper and singer Nicki Minaj hasn't gone by that name all her life. Rather, her name at birth was Onika Maraj, which TMZ reported was amended to Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty in 2019, following her marriage to Kenneth Petty.

The switch from Onika to simply "Nicki" was probably not surprising to those who knew Minaj prior to fame, as she told Trinidad and Tobago Newsday in 2010, "I was always called Nicki at home so I was known as Nicki Maraj." That explains her first name in her stage name, but it's her last name that she has issues with. She elaborated to the same publication, "My first producer did not like Maraj and thought Minaj sounded better. I still hate the name and I was going to go back to Maraj on the album but people told me no because my fans like it."

Taking pride in her name comes as no surprise, as Minaj told the outlet in 2010 that "I want to eventually bring Trinidadian music and culture to the world." Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Minaj eventually settled in Jamaica, Queens, New York — which is known for its deep roots in West Indian culture.

Over the years, Nicki Minaj has continued to express her dislike for her surname in her stage name, specifically with reference to the change from Maraj to "Minaj." In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Minaj was more outspoken about this, commenting, "My rule is, whatever you were calling me four years ago is what you should be calling me now, because I don't like it when my family or close friends call me Nicki Minaj. To me I'm not Nicki Minaj when I'm with them." She then continued about her surname specifically, making her views on it abundantly clear. "One of the first production deals I signed, the guy wanted my name to be Minaj and I fought him tooth and nail. But he convinced me. I've always hated it," she shared.

As of this writing, Nicki Minaj continues to be the star's stage name, and there's probably no shot she could later change it to Maraj or Maraj-Petty. Regardless of such, if you happen to be close to the star, chances are good that she would prefer not to be called "Minaj." She even notes it on "All Things Go" when she states, "And I know Jelani [her brother] will always love me and I'll always love him / And I'm just his little sister, not Nicki Minaj when I'm around him."