The Story of My Name

by David Kam


The name David was given to me since birth. But I was also given the name 甘家伟, which I shied away from using because it saves me the hassle of breaking down its pronunciation which phonetically is gān jiā wei. Especially as I moved to the UK where it felt easier for me to blend in with a Western name.

This year, I’ve felt a strong inclination to reclaim my Chinese name as part of honouring my ancestry. A long lineage of individuals bearing the surname Kam (甘), which beautifully means ‘willingness’ when expressed with heart (心) ie. 甘心 gān xīn.

So as punny as #keepkam and #kampaign sound, they really are personal reminders to honour myself and the legacy my name can carry within its very definition. An invitation for others to stay willing. To opportunities knowing we fully deserve them. To challenges trusting that we are only given what we are ready to handle.

家 is my middle name, pronounced as jiā. It is a name shared by all of my brothers and male cousins across my extended family, the representation of our generation. It means family and it also means home. And my wish is for the KindRedPacket community to feel like home away from home, home away from our families.

大家好 (dàjiāhao) is a beautifully profound saying which means everybody is well, everybody is ok. A reminder that we ought to look out for one another as one big dysfunctional family, global citizens in all our colours, shapes and sizes.

偉 (wei) is my given name, also known as 伟 in simplified Mandarin. It means kindness especially when read as 偉大 weidà. If you switch these words around 大偉 (dàwei), it actually means my name David in Mandarin! And what better symbol to represent kindness in my culture than a red packet! 🧧

偉 also means extraordinariness, which I have always known to be something achieved beyond myself as an individual, but as a collective.

My full name presently means to me ‘the willingness to house my extraordinariness’. Whenever I feel intimidated by the idea of purpose, I remember that my sole purpose is to know my name. Deeply and proudly.

What’s the story behind your name? I ’d love to get to know you this way.


by David Kam