Advertisement
What’s in a name? For Kamala Harris, maybe an edge with some Asian-American voters
- The Democratic vice-presidential nominee is one of the few US politicians not of Chinese heritage to have a Chinese name that she chose for herself
- By law, candidates names’ must be translated into Chinese in some areas of the US – but often based on phonetics rather than meaning
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
What’s in a name? For Kamala Harris, one of the few US politicians who has chosen a Chinese name for herself, it could mean an edge with Chinese-speaking voters.
Advertisement
And this is on top of her appeal among Indian-American voters, for whom her Indian heritage could be a plus, according to polling research.
The California senator and Democratic nominee for vice-president – the first Black woman and the first Asian-American on a major presidential ticket – is the daughter of immigrants, her father from Jamaica and her mother from India.
Her given name “Kamala Devi” means “the goddess Kamala” – one of the many names of the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi. And “Kamala” itself means “she of the lotus” in Sanskrit.
03:10
Who is Kamala Harris? Joe Biden’s vice-president pick
Who is Kamala Harris? Joe Biden’s vice-president pick
She is also one of the few US politicians with no Chinese heritage to have an official Chinese name, instead of a mere phonetic transliteration. In traditional characters it is 賀錦麗 – pronounced He Jinli in Mandarin and Ho Gam-lai in Cantonese, the latter having a similar sound to “Kamala”.
Advertisement
Advertisement