People are only just learning what rapper Cardi B's name actually stands for

Cardi B revealed what her stage name actually means during an interview on The Wendy Williams Show - and people have been sharing their surprise over not knowing it sooner

She is one of the most successful artists in contemporary music - but many people still have no idea how she got her iconic stage name.

Cardi B, who is actually called Belcalis Marlenis Cephus, gained recognition on Vine and Instagram in 2015 after releasing two mixtapes on VH1's Love & Hip Hop: New York.

Her first studio album, Invasion of Privacy, released in 2018, was a hit and went straight to number one on the Billboard 200. Forbes also recognised her as one of the most influential female rappers of all time.

But despite her fame, some people still have no idea how she got her stage name Cardi B, with one Quora user asking: "What is the meaning of the name?" Answering this question on The Wendy Williams Show, Cardi B revealed how it is inspired by the alcoholic drink Bacardi.

An IMDb statement reads: "The host asked where she got her showbiz moniker. The singer revealed that it stems from alcohol." She added: "My sister’s name is Hennessy, so everybody used to be like ‘Bacardi’ to me.

"Then I shortened it to Cardi B. The ‘B’ stands for whatever, depending on the day… beautiful or bully,” she said, referring to the iconic rum and spirits brand. “No one calls me Belcalis except for my family, my mother, and my daddy."

Expanding on this, a fan said on Quora: "Cardi B’s real name is Belcalis Almanzar, a name that’s pretty hard to pronounce for non-Spanish speakers. The name Cardi B comes from a nickname she got in high school effectively being Bacardi, a popular rum. Simply put, Cardi B is a derivation of Bacardi."

Another user added: "Cardi B and her sister were named after alcoholic drinks. She has a sister with the name Hennessey Corolina who is starting as a rapper and she is named after the drink Barcardi. The bond the sisters share goes back to childhood when they were growing up in the Bronx borough of New York City.

"Hennessy has been candid about the fact that, oftentimes, Cardi B served as more of a mother figure than that of a sister. She helped to protect her from dangerous situations and the pair were as thick as thieves. In fact, Hennessy is to thank for Cardi B’s nickname. The pair were together so often that friends and family began to refer to Cardi B (whose birth name is Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar) as Bacardi, which eventually morphed into Cardi B."