Bad Bunny Picked That Name as a Singer for a Reason and It's a Hard One for Fans to Forget

If you've never heard of Bad Bunny, or, rather, if you never heard of him before he made waves at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2026, you might be wondering how he got that name. Clearly, it's not his real name, but why did Bad Bunny choose that name, out of all the possible stage names, to make a career for himself as a singer and rapper?

Like all musicians and actors who have a name they use while performing, Bad Bunny's name has a story behind it. For him, it dates all the way back to his childhood, and longtime fans might already know it well. But for those who are still a bit unfamiliar with Bad Bunny's origin story, so to speak, it's important to understand why he chose that name.

Bad Bunny's name was no accident. He had shared his story in various interviews over the years to explain how he chose Bad Bunny as his performing name and why it came down to Bad Bunny and literally no other possible name. Bad Bunny once appeared on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, where he shared how he came up with the Bad Bunny name.

When Jimmy brought out a childhood photo of Bad Bunny in a bunny costume as a kid, Bad Bunny explained that the picture was from Easter, when he had to wear a "bad bunny" costume and look happy in the photo, even though he was mad at the time. So, when Bad Bunny wanted to figure out a name to use as a singer, he looked back on that photo and memory for inspiration.

Now, fans probably can't imagine another name for Bad Bunny than the one he chose. But it's still one that might make you scratch your head over and try to decipher as some sort of clue for the performer. But no, when it comes to Bad Bunny, it's all about sticking to his roots and using something that's fun with a bit of story behind it.

Bad Bunny's real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio. At the top of the Super Bowl halftime show, he even had his name as a title card of sorts that read, "Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio presenta El espectáculo de medio tiempo del Súper Tazón," which translates to "Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio presents The Super Bowl halftime show."

Although Bad Bunny goes by his stage name more often than not, he does lean into his birth name when he can. During the Super Bowl halftime show in 2026, his jersey for his performance had his last name, Ocasio, on it. Part of the reason why Bad Bunny tries to incorporate his real name when he can might be because he keeps his Spanish heritage at the forefront of his music.

In 2020, Bad Bunny spoke to Forbes through a translator about how important his heritage is to him as a Spanish-speaking singer.

"I feel so proud to be Puerto Rican," he said at the time. "For me, I think that's the thing that I have that means the most in the music industry. Being Puerto Rican is a privilege. I feel so powerful. Since the first day of my career, being Puerto Rican has been an advantage."