The name Bang Kapi consists of two parts. Bang is a common prefix for place names in Thailand and roughly means a "hamlet by the waterfront".[2] There are multiple theories as to the origin of kapi. The word kapi itself exists in Thai and means "shrimp paste", which is one possible origin. Another possibility is that it comes from kabi (กบิ/กบี่), a poetic word meaning "monkey", as the area used to be heavily forested and was home to many monkeys. Lastly, it could also come from kapiyoh (กะปิเยาะห์), the Thai word for a type of cap worn by Islamic men (taqiyah), as many Muslims settled in the area.[3]
History
The area of Bang Kapi has a history dating back to Rama III's reign, when Chao Phraya Bodindecha (เจ้าพระยาบดินทรเดชา) led a troop to fight rebels in Champassack and Louangphabang and brought back people to settle.
As it grew into a larger town, Bang Kapi was made an amphoe (district) of Phra Nakhon province. The district was originally quite large, but has been divided since then to form new districts.
In 1966, Huay Khwang sub-district (tambon) and parts of the Bang Kapi sub-district were spun off to form Phaya Thai district.
In 1972, Phra Nakhon and Thonburi were joined as the single province, Bangkok. The title of districts and sub-districts in the capital city were changed from amphoe and tambon to khet and khwaeng, respectively. Bang Kapi became a district of the newly combined province, having at that time nine sub-districts.
The missing numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 belong to the sub-districts which were split off to form Wang Thonglang, Lat Phrao and Bueng Kum districts.
District Council
The District Council for Bang Kapi has eight members, who each serve four-year terms. Elections were last held on 30 April 2006. The results were as follows:
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