Is Kami's name "Kami" or Piccolo?

[the_abberration]

"Goku" means "aware of the void".

Oh. I had read somewhere that "ku" in Goku could mean sky, void, or emptiness. And that when Gohan found Goku, he looked up at the sky when thinking of a name, then named him Goku. So thanks for that.

If the child of Katattsu's actual name was "Piccolo" all along, it would make his line right after re-merging kinda dumb. "I am neither God nor Piccolo, I am...Piccolo!"

Just because he merged back doesn't necessarily mean he would remember that Piccolo was his given name prior to his loss of memory (IF my theory was correct). Again, in real life head trauma patients never recover certain memories.

Like my theory goes, it was a name he just adopted at one point because it stuck out (unaware that it was truly his name). So for sake of argument, even though he can't remember his true name, he tells Goku just call him Piccolo. Since that's the name he is used to anyway.

[cRookie_Monster]

Kamicolo! XD

[Suupaa Gohan 2]

I kinda like and sorta semi agree with the_abberation's perspective. Using the child's name as the password to operate a completely voice-controlled ship - which Bulma theorized was, in the first place, for the sake of the child surviving and not accidentally screwing things up - makes a lot of sense. It doesn't mean Kami-Sama ever 100% forgot the Namekian language, but he says he probably spent 30-40 years there alone waiting for his parents. He didn't exactly have anyone else to communicate with, so language in and of itself could have easily been something he just...forgot he possessed, due to lack of use. Until assimilating with the rest of the beings on Earth and learning not only their language, but reeducating himself that he could in fact speak in the first place, the language surely returned to memory over time, which is how he was able to use it in the 23rd Budoukai, teach it to Mr. Popo, etc.

When he was flying in the ship, he would have known his language enough to control the ship to the extent necessary. Then he got injured and started using the ship as a house, and didn't have the foggiest that it was a ship. The only word he probably needed to remember was 'Piccolo' to get in and out of his 'house' when he went to look for food and such. Imagine spending 30-40 years in complete isolation where there may only be one single word you ever speak, and you don't remember anything else about your origin. I'd say that even if Kattatsu didn't name his child 'Piccolo' to begin with (and it was indeed only a word for the sake of controlling the ship), that 'the son of Kattatsu' probably still took that word on as his name personally, having become so familiar with it. Finally go into society, meet other sentient beings, learn their language...get asked 'what's your name?' by someone who might not run from you screaming in terror (then again, 'monster-type' earthlings ala Pilaf are out there, so maybe no one would be alarmed by his appearance pre-Daimaoh)...you say the only word that comes to mind, 'Piccolo'. So I kinda like the idea that this is what 'the son of Kattatsu' probably called himself before the split as well, and that all he did was attach 'Daimaoh' to his name to distinguish his evil side, rather than say 'I'm going to create an entire new name for myself'. Thus the good half was probably just plain ol' Piccolo until he became God...and it's not that he said 'okay so my name will just be Kami now', but 'I'm God, no one need address me as anything else anyways, former name discarded'.

I don't think this causes any complications with his refusion line, either. He is no longer the being that the readers/viewers/characters identify as God, nor Piccolo. He has returned to being that Namekian who long since forgot his name, referring to 'the name my parents gave me that I didn't know so I just called myself the spaceship password'. Also the line is just a cool way of conveying the significance of the change, anyways, so it shouldn't be read too deeply into.

Though it makes things difficult when our Ma Junior Piccolo eternally remains the dominant personality, just taking on aspects of Kami-Sama's character like he did Nail's...you'd think it'd be a little different than the Nail merger, since these two were originally two halves of a whole, buuuut...