Are you looking for baby names that will honor your Asian Heritage? Here is a list of ideas.
Popular Asian American Names in the U.S.
Kai: Top 100 name for boys that’s also becoming popular for girls–Kai means “ocean.”
Kali: Top 250 baby name, Kali translates to “black one” in Sanskrit.
Ren: This Japanese translates “water lily,” and it’s more famous for boys than girls.
Bodhi: This name with South Asian Sanskrit roots translates to “enlightenment.”
Zara: An Indian name, Zara translates to “blooming flower.”
Mira: This Sanskrit name translates to “ocean.”
Famous Asian American Names
Jhumpa: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri’s name translates to “charming.”
Ming-Na: Actress Ming-Na Wen now goes strictly by Ming-Na, a name that means “enlightenment.”
Mazie: Hawaiian senator Mazie Hirono is of Japanese descent, and her name is considered a variation on Maisie, a Margaret nickname that means “pearl.”
Ang: Oscar-winning director Ang Lee was born in Taiwan and moved to the U.S. Ang is an anglicization of An, which means “peace” or “tranquility.”
Yo-Yo: Famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma has a name that means “friendly.”
Nora: The government name of comedian Awkwafina, Nora means either “honor” or “light.”
Anna: Anna May Wong has the distinction of being the first Asian actress to become famous in Hollywood.
Hiram: The first Asian senator was Hiram Fong—the name Hiram is Hebrew meaning “my brother is exalted.”
Kamala: VP Kamala Harris is of Asian descent, and her name means “lotus.”
Asian Sounding Names
Jin: As any real BTS fan would tell you, this Korean name means “precious.”
Dara: This name of Cambodian origins means “stars” and sounds a lot like Kara or Daria.
Ali: Comedian Ali Wong has this name and sounds like an abbreviated version of Allison.
An: Translates to peaceful, this character of a Chinese name means “peaceful.”
Mei: Mei translates to “little.”
Li: One of the common names in China, Li (pronounced Lee), translates to “pretty” or “powerful.”
Joon/Jun: Korean name, which sounds like June, translates to “handsome” or “talented.”
