What Is Kamala Harris' Middle Name?
After being at the forefront of the world's biggest political stage for the past half-decade, we know a lot about former Vice President Kamala Harris, such as details about her and Doug Emhoff's marriage, about her lavish life, and that she has an excellent (though debatably so) sense of humor. But what may be lesser known to the public is the story of her middle name, and what it signifies.
Harris was born in 1964 to parents Donald Harris and Shyamala Gopalan. Gopalan's Indian heritage obviously influenced her daughter's name. Her first name, Kamala, means lotus flower, as Harris explained in her 2019 autobiography, "The Truths We Hold." And her middle name was Iyer. Wait, doesn't it start with a D? After all, KDH are the politician's well-known initials. Well strangely, as reported by Politico, Harris' parents legally changed their baby girl's middle name from Iyer to Devi when she was two weeks old. What made her parents decide to make the rare move of legally changing their daughter's name?
Kamala Harris' parents made a symbolic middle name switch
Neither Kamala Harris or her parents have ever publicly spoken about the name change and why it happened. However a few theories have been floated by experts. According to Politico, the name Iyer indicates that one is from the Brahmin caste. Brahmins are typically better off and known as being the most prominent caste in Hindu society. As Harris' father was a renowned left-leaning economics professor, the idea of identifying his daughter as a member of a special caste may have rubbed him the wrong way, so her parents may have decided to switch up her middle name for something a bit less classist.
Regardless of the reason, Harris' middle name was changed to Devi after a fortnight. According to the Smithsonian, Devi is one of the most revered and powerful gods in Hindu culture. She is multi-faceted, sometimes gentle, sometimes ferocious, sometimes playful. Above all, she is known for her many talents (and 18 arms), which seems fitting for someone of Harris' accomplishments and level of power in Washington.