Although her name may have been given to her by her Jewish-American mom and South African dad, Doja elected to take on a stage name and persona. Doja explained to Dazed that her name choice came from her one of cats and weed. She said, "I was heavily addicted to weed and weed culture, so when I began rapping I thought of the word 'doja' and how it sounds like a girl's name."