Kam is a

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

Given name

As a given name, Kam may be short for

Kameron Kameron is a settlement in the administrative district of Gmina Czersk, within Chojnice County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Czersk, east of Chojnice, and south-west of the regional capital Gd ...

, which is a variant of Cameron, a given name which originated from a Scottish surname. Another similar shortened form is

Cam Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bind ...

. People with the given name or nickname Kam include: *

Kam Chancellor Kameron Darnel Chancellor (born April 3, 1988), nicknamed "Bam Bam", is an American former football strong safety who played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech prior t ...

(born 1988), American National Football League player *

Kam Fong Chun Kam Fong Chun (born Kam Tong Chun; May 27, 1918 – October 18, 2002) was an American police officer and actor, best known for his role as Chin Ho Kelly, a police detective on the CBS television network series ''Hawaii Five-O''. Life Kam F ...

(1918–2002), American actor best known for playing Chin Ho in the original television series ''Hawaii Five-O'' * Kam Franklin (born 1987), American singer-songwriter *

Kam Heskin Kam Erika Heskin (born May 8, 1973) is an American actress. She began her career playing Caitlin Deschanel on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Sunset Beach (TV series), Sunset Beach'' (1998–1999), before appearing in films ''Planet of the Apes (200 ...

(born 1973), American actress *

Kam Lee Barney Kamalani "Kam" Lee is an American death metal vocalist. He is best known for his vocal contributions to an early incarnation of Death (called Mantas) from 1983 to 1984, and later joined Massacre in 1985. Career Massacre recorded two de ...

(born 1966), American death metal musician * Kam McLeod (died 2019), Canadian fugitive *

Kam Mickolio Kameron Kraig 'Kam' Mickolio (; born May 10, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp, and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), and the Baltimore Orioles and Ar ...

(born 1984), American baseball pitcher *

Kam Selem Kam Salem is a Nigerian former police officer and the second Inspector General of Nigerian Police, a post he held from 1966 to 1975 during the military rule of General Yakubu Gowon. At the time of the January 1966 coup led by Major Chukwuma Kadu ...

, Inspector General of the Nigerian Police (1966–1975) *

Kam Tang Kaam (Gurmukhi: ਕਾਮ ''Kāma'') in common usage, the term stands for 'excessive passion for sexual pleasure' and it is in this sense that it is considered to be an evil in Sikhism. In Sikhism it is believed that Kaam can be overcome ...

(), British illustrator *

Kam Yuen Kam Yuen, (born in Hong Kong), is a Chinese-born American martial arts expert who was the consultant and stunt coordinator for the original television series ''Kung Fu''. He also played the roles of Wong Ti and Lin Wu in the series and was the do ...

(born 1938), Chinese-born American martial arts expert

Surname

Origins

As a

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

, Kam may be a spelling of the pronunciation in different

varieties of Chinese Chinese, also known as Sinitic, is a branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family consisting of hundreds of local varieties, many of which are not mutually intelligible. Variation is particularly strong in the more mountainous southeast of main ...

of the following surnames, listed based on their

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

spelling (which reflects the

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

pronunciation): * Gān (), spelled Kam based on its

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

(; IPA: ),

Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...

(

Hagfa Pinyim Hagfa Pinyim, (literally "Hakka Pinyin") is a system of romanization used to transcribe Chinese characters as used in Hakka into Latin script. Hagfa Pinyim was developed by Lau Chun-fat ( zh, 劉鎮發) for use in his ''Hakka Pinyin Dictionary'' ...

: ; IPA: ), and

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

(; IPA: ) pronunciations * Jīn (), homophonous with the above surname in Cantonese, though not in other varieties of Chinese * Qín (), spelled Kam based on its Cantonese pronunciation (; IPA: ) The

Dutch surname Dutch names consist of one or more given names and a surname. The given name is usually gender-specific. Dutch given names A Dutch child's birth and given name(s) must be officially registered by the parents within 3 days after birth. It is not u ...

Kam originated in multiple ways. As an

occupational surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name, ...

, it came from both

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

meaning "comb" (referring

metonymically Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

makers, wool combers, or fullers), or from

Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarch ...

meaning "brewery". As a

toponymic surname A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name.

, it is a reduced form of Van Kam, referring to

Chaam Chaam () is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Alphen-Chaam, about 13 km southeast of Breda. History The village was first mentioned in 1236 as de Cambe, and probably means beer brewery ...

(formerly spelled Kam) in

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the we ...

, near

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

. The

Jewish surname Jewish surnames are family names used by Jews and those of Jewish origin. Jewish surnames are thought to be of comparatively recent origin; the first known Jewish family names date to the Middle Ages, in the 10th and 11th centuries CE. Jews have ...

Kam (

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

and he, קם), also spelled Kamm, originated from various German words, including

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

"mould" or "comb". As a

Korean surname A Korean name (Hangul: ; Hanja: ) consists of a family name followed by a given name, as used by the Korean people in both South Korea and North Korea. In the Korean language, ''ireum'' or ''seongmyeong'' usually refers to the family name (''seon ...

, Kam is the

McCune–Reischauer McCune–Reischauer romanization () is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems. A modified version of McCune–Reischauer was the official romanization system in South Korea until 2002, when it was replaced by the Re ...

and Yale Romanization spelling of the surname transcribed in the

Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...

as Gam (); it is written using the same character as for the Chinese surname Gān mentioned above. The bearers of this surname in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

identify with a number of ''

bon-gwan Bon-gwan (or Bongwan) is the concept of clan in Korea, which is used to distinguish clans that happen to share the same family name (clan name). Since Korea has been traditionally a Confucian country, this clan system is similar to ancient Chinese ...

'' (hometowns of a clan

lineage Lineage may refer to: Science * Lineage (anthropology), a group that can demonstrate its common descent from an apical ancestor or a direct line of descent from an ancestor * Lineage (evolution), a temporal sequence of individuals, populati ...

), including Changwon, Masan, Geochang, Buryeong, Changnyeong, Chungju, and Happo, but all of these are branches of the , and claim common descent from , a Chinese civil official who came to

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

in the retinue of Princess Noguk for her marriage to

King Gongmin Gongmin of Goryeo (23 May 1330 – 27 October 1374), also known by his Mongolian name, Bayan Temür., was 31st ruler of Goryeo from 1351 to 1374. He was the second son of King Chungsuk. Biography Early life Goryeo had been a semi-autonomou ...

. It was one of eighteen Korean clans founded by

Yuan Dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...

officials who accompanied princesses to Korea.

Statistics

In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, there were 157 people with the surname Kam as of 2007, up from 38 in 1947. The 2000 South Korean census found 5,998 people in 1,910 households with the surname. A study by the

National Institute of the Korean Language The National Institute of Korean Language is a language regulator of the Korean language. It was created on January 23, 1991, by Presidential Decree No. 13163 (November 14, 1990). It is based in Seoul, South Korea. The institute was originally ...

based on 2007 application data for South Korean passports found that 70% of applicants with this family name spelled it in Latin letters as Kam in their passports, while 20% spelled it Gam. Rarer alternative spellings included Kahm. The

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

found 3,749 people with the surname Kam, making it the 8,749th-most-common name in the country. This represented an increase from 3,358 (8,954th-most-common) in the 2000 Census. In both censuses, slightly more than 70% of the bearers of the surname identified as

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and about 15% as

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

. It was the 404th-most-common surname among respondents to the 2000 Census who identified as Asian.

People with the surname

Surname : * Alex Kam (; born 1995), South Korean figure skater * Genervie Kam (; born 1980), Malaysian classical musician *

Kam Nai-wai Kam Nai-wai MH (; born 1960, Hong Kong) is a founding member of the Democratic Party, and was a former member of Central and Western District Council. He is also a former member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (Geographical constituency, ...

(; born 1960), Hong Kong politician * Kam Ning (; ), Singaporean violinist * Richard Kam (; born 1996), South Korean ice dancer, younger brother of Alex * Kam Wai Leung (born 1950), Hong Kong fencer *

Kam Woo-sung Kam Woo-sung (born October 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his portrayal of a court jester serving a despotic king in the hit period film ''The King and the Clown''. Career Kam Woo-sung majored in Oriental painting at the ...

(; born 1970), South Korean actor Surname : * Elaine Kam (; born 1954), Taiwan-born Hong Kong actress *

Peter Kam Peter Kam Pui-Tat (, born August 23, 1961) is a music composer for Hong Kong films including ''The Warlords'', ''Bodyguards and Assassins'' and ''Dragon''. Kam is an eight-time winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Partial filmography * ''Big B ...

(; born 1961), Hong Kong film music composer Other: * Anat Kam or Kamm, (born 1987), Israeli journalist * Isca Kam (born 1980), Nauruan weightlifter *

Joseph Kam Joseph Kam (September 1769 – July 18, 1833) was a Dutch missionary in Indonesia. His father, Joost Kam, was a leather merchant in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The family were members of the Reformed Church, influenced by the spirit of H ...

(1769–1833), Dutch missionary in Indonesia *

Lyn-Wannan Kam Lyn-Wannan Tawaki Kam is a Nauruan politician, and former sports figure. Parliamentary role He stood unsuccessfully for the 2010 general elections,

(), Nauruan politician *

Moshe Kam Moshe Kam (born October 3, 1955) is an American engineering educator presently serving as the dean of the Newark College of Engineering at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Until August 2014 he served as the Robert G. Quinn Professor and de ...

(born 1955), Israeli electrical engineer and academic * Roray Kam (born 1961), American surfer *

Sharon Kam Sharon Kam ( he, שרון קם; born August 11, 1971) is an Israeli–German clarinetist. She won the ARD International Music Competition in 1992. Biography After completing her music studies at the Juilliard School of Music in New York, wher ...

(born 1971), Israeli classical clarinetist * Sophie Heidi Kam (born 1969), Burkinabe writer * Søren Kam (born 1921), Danish World War II Waffen-SS officer and wanted Nazi war criminal

References

{{given name, type=both Chinese-language surnames Dutch-language surnames Korean-language surnames Yiddish-language surnames Multiple Chinese surnames Lists of people by nickname Hypocorisms