It's been on supermarket shelves for more than 100 years – but many people still have no idea what Durex's brand name actually means.

The condom company, owned by Reckitt and currently overseen by Ben Wilson, was created under the name London Rubber Company in 1915.

However, they changed their name to Durex 14 years later and went on to become the first condom brand to advertise in many countries.

But only now have some social media users started to question what the brand name Durex actually stands for – with many not realising it's a combination of three words.

According to the brand, the name Durex comes from the words durability, reliability, and excellence, as this is what creators wanted to achieve with their product.

Their website reads: "We’ve been making condoms with the finest raw materials since 1929, so we know a thing or two about performance. And we don’t just mean in the bedroom (or wherever you’re doing it).

"Our condoms are electronically tested for holes, dermatologically tested for comfort, and they perform better than standard in global quality tests, so everyone everywhere is free to enjoy sex that feels good with anyone, anywhere.

"We partner with people who know all about sex. They’re health professionals, scientists and academics, and they’re on a mission to help us make sex feel good."

Commenting on the brand's name on Instagram, one user said: "I thought it was an acronym for "DURing sEX." Another user added: "I thought it is 'do the rex'."

A third user said: "How is it durable?" One more user added: "Durability? Doesn't it depend on the person using it?"

Elsewhere on Reddit, one user said: "Today I learned that the condom brand DUREX is an abbreviation of the words 'DUrable Reliable EXcellence'."

A third user said: "Is it just me but the three big diesel truck brands sound like they could be condom brands too. PowerStroke, Duramax, and the one that speaks for itself Cummins."