I want to add a minor character to a story I'm working on, and I want her to be a second-generation native-born daughter of Chinese or Japanese or Thai immigrants. And because her parents are new to the US, they give her a traditional name from their homeland. Can anyone help?

If it matters, she's NOT going to be associated with any bad people.

Hiya.

Here are some of the names used in my step-family who are Japanese:
Chieko
Yooko
Ai
Hitomi
Reiko

Penpal's names:
Haru

Yoshi is a Japanese female name...

I know because we had a dog named Yoshi (after the nintendo Dinosaur), and when the piano tuner, who was over tuning the piano, heard my mum trying to shoo said dog Yoshi away, the poor man told us of the coincidence that it was also his wife's name (considering he was Italian, what would the chances of him having a Japanese wife be?)

Oh, and
Thuy (Too-wee)
was my brother's Vietnamese Girlfriend (now ex)


If you want common Anglicised names used in Asian countries:
Cathy (or Catherine), usually with a "C" after the old-English name for China, being Cathay

another common one is Helen,

Oh, and they often have really "weird" Anglicisation's...
as their names are written with the surname is said first, and the individual/"Christian" -or first name- Last, I have often seen them named after the surnames of either famous or important people...

such as a friend of my brother, who was given a very Irish surname (such as , but not, O 'Brian) as his Christian name (first name) because that was the surname of the priest who baptised him (as opposed to being named Patrick)...

it would be like naming the child Skywalker, or Bush, or DaVinci,

Well my friend is chinese and her name is
Chow-Wenn, she's 5 years old!!! So cute!

Here are several japanese names:

Ayane
Ayumi
Emiko
Haruna
Kazumi
Kyoko
Makoto
Mayu
Megumi
Miaka
Minami
Mitsuki
Ruika
Setona
Yukari
Yuki

If none of those appeal to you, I can provide a veritable cornucopia of them. If you need last names I can provide a list of those as well.

I have several Japanese friends. Here are a few female names that haven't been listed yet:

Noriko
Toshie
Naoko
Kesa
Chisaki
Michiko
Yoko
Mina

I agree about many Chinese-American families naming their daughters Cathy and Helen. Another Chinese name I've come across is Li-Li (northern name, I think).

I've less experience with Vietnamese, but I work with a female technician named Thuy.

BJ

This isn't exactly what you asked for, but I know a girl from Laos named Thippasong. She goes by Thip. (With the "h" silent.) It's really cute. *shrug* I'm not sure how different Laotian names are from Chinese/Japanese, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

Laura

Went to school with a girl named Miki. (Japanese)

Thanks, y'all! I found one that fits the bill! You FOLCs are the greatest!