Asian Americans in California
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Asian Californians are residents of the state of California who are of
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
ancestry. California has the largest Asian American population in the U.S., and second highest proportion of Asian American residents, after
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, there were over 6 million Asian-Americans in California; 15.5% of the state's population. If including those with partial Asian ancestry, this figure is around 17%. This is a jump from 13.8% recorded in 2010. The largest Asian American ethnic subgroups in California are Filipino Americans,
Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...
s, Vietnamese Americans, and
Indian American Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
s. Asian Americans in California are concentrated in the
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
metropolitan areas.


Background

Including those with partial Asian ancestry, the following Asian ethnic groups in California are: Filipino (3.9%, 1,474,707), Chinese (except Taiwanese; 3.6%, 1,349,111), Vietnamese (647,589, 1.7%), Indians (590,445, 1.5%), Koreans (505,225, 1.3%), Japanese (428,014, 1.1%), Taiwanese (109,928, 0.2%), Cambodians (102,317, 0.2%), Hmong (91,224, 0.2%), Laotians (69,303, 0.2%), Thai (67,707, 0.1%), Pakistanis (53,474, 0.1%), Indonesians (39,506, 0.1%), Burmese (17,978, 0.05%), Sri Lankans (11,929, 0.03%), Bangladeshis (10,494, 0.03%), Nepalese (6,231, 0.01%), Malaysians (5,595, 0.01%), Mongolians (4,993, 0.1%), Singaporeans (1,513, 0.004%), Okinawans (1,377, 0.003%), and Bhutanese (750, 0.001%).


Economical

Asians have the highest income per capita in the US, and may have a slightly above average rate in California. However, income average varies with Asian groups, from Cambodians and Hmong to Taiwanese and Indians. Asians make up approximately 2-4% of homeless in California, which is low, but communities exist especially in San Francisco and San Jose. While a large proportion of Asian Americans have higher educational attainments and median income averages, many Asian American groups, often those coming from low-income Southeast Asian families, face hardships such as poverty, depression, emotional and domestic abuse, racial bullying, and gang violence. Cambodian and Southeast Asian-dominant street gangs such as the Asian Boyz, which is an off-shoot of the African American and Los Angeles based Crips gang, formed in Los Angeles County the late 1970s to the 1980s during the Cambodian refuge migration to the U.S, especially in Long Beach, Fresno, Sacramento, Oakland, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Lowell, Massachusetts. Often, these gangs would fight with Hispanic gangs but would eventually shift into fighting with fellow Cambodia and Asian gang members, mostly with rival Asian gangs or criminals/dealers. This violence over drugs, turf, and arguments would sometimes lead to violence and murders, and violence involving innocent children and families during home invasions have been reported in the San Bernardino area in the 1990s and elsewhere.


Education

Asian Americans and immigrants have a high student body percentage among many California colleges; UC Berkeley is about 40% Asian.


Ethnic Groups


Cambodian

There are many Cambodians in
Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
, Stockton, and Fresno. Long Beach is 4% Cambodian with over 20,000 people of Cambodian residents. There is a Cambodiatown in LB. There is a Cambodian population in Oakland, and there were, and to a lesser extent today, Cambodian communities in
Tenderloin, San Francisco The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, situated between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest. It encom ...
.


Chinese

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
is 21.4% Chinese, and the
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
is 8% Chinese. Many of the Chinese Americans are
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
-speaking immigrants or descendants from
Guangdong province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
and
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. There are also many Taiwanese and mainland Chinese immigrants in the
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo County ...
area. The Bay Area in general is 8-9% Chinese. Many live in
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...
, with many prevalent in
Cupertino Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,8 ...
,
Sunnyvale Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California. Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the north ...
, and
Milpitas Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Marí ...
. In the East Bay, many in San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton, Oakland, Walnut Creek, and Piedmont. Berkeley has many Chinese in the area; UC Berkeley is about 20% Chinese. On the Peninsula, there are many Chinese Americans in
Daly City Daly City () is the second most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with population of 104,901 according to the 2020 census. Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, and immediately south of San Francisco (sharing its ...
, San Mateo, San Bruno, and Foster City. Northern California and America at large’s Chinese population largely originated in the
Taishan __NOTOC__ Taishan may refer to: *Mount Tai or Taishan (), Shandong, China *Taishan District, Tai'an (), named after the Mount Tai, a district in Tai'an, Shandong, China *Taishan, Guangdong (), a county-level city of Jiangmen, Guangdong, China **Gre ...
area, with at least half of Chinese Americans in the 1980s reporting some or all Taishanese ancestry. Nearby cities such as Zhongshan had larger emigration waves to the US and/or California. There were also some Shanghainese immigrants coming into the Bay Area to a lesser extent during the 70s-80s. Sacramento is 3-5% Chinese. Davis has many Asian American residents and students at UC Davis. Elk Grove has a Chinese community.
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
is 1.8% Chinese, and
Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
is 4% Chinese. A large portion of the Chinese population resides in the
San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...
. Areas with notable Chinese and Chinese-American populations include
Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
, parts of
San Fernando Valley The San Fernando Valley, known locally as the Valley, is an urbanized valley in Los Angeles County, California. Located to the north of the Los Angeles Basin, it contains a large portion of the City of Los Angeles, as well as unincorporated ar ...
, and Westwood in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, the
San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley ( es, Valle de San Gabriel) is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, lying immediately to the east of the eastern city limits of the city of Los Angeles, and occupying the vast majority of the eastern part ...
/ the
626 __NOTOC__ Year 626 ( DCXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 626 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar e ...
(
Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
,
Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...
, El Monte, Monterey Park,
Rosemead Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 50,245, currently dropping. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Alhambra, Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park ...
, San Gabriel,
Temple City Temple City, officially the City of Temple City, is a city in Los Angeles County, California located northeast of downtown Los Angeles and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Pasadena, ...
),
Rowland Heights Rowland Heights is an unincorporated area in and below the Puente Hills in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 48,231 at the 2020 census. Rowland Heights is in the Los Angeles metropol ...
, Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, and the Los Angeles County/Orange County border cities of Cerritos and Artesia. Chinatown in Los Angeles is populated by mostly working-class
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
and mainland Chinese while the western San Gabriel Valley has a diverse Chinese and Taiwanese population. Rowland Heights and the Eastern San Gabriel Valley is mainly populated by
Taiwanese Taiwanese may refer to: * Taiwanese language, another name for Taiwanese Hokkien * Something from or related to Taiwan ( Formosa) * Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous people of Taiwan * Han Taiwanese, the Han people of Taiwan * Taiwanese people, ...
. In
Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...
,
Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...
has a large Chinese and Taiwanese population. San Diego has Chinese communities in Torrey Pines and Ranchos Penasquitos, and there are sizeable numbers in other County cities such as Carlsbad and Poway.


Filipino

The majority of Filipinos in California reside in the Greater Los Angeles area. According to a 2013 study, there are 1.5 million Filipino Americans in California, making them one of the largest Asian ethnic groups in the state. Since 2018 the population has grown to 1.6 million according to some sources.


Hmong

As of the 2010 census, a little over 91,000 Hmong live in California alone, out of the total 260,000 in the country. They mainly live in Fresno,
Merced Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1 ...
,
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, and Stockton areas.


Indian

Little India, Artesia, California California has the most Indian Americans in terms of sheer number, but percentage-wise, the U.S. state with the highest number of Indian Americans is
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, and the U.S. city as well as metropolitan area with the highest absolute number of Indians is
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. California is about 1.3% Indian, with many living in
Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...
and
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...
. Many live in Yuba City, about 15% Indian, which has a significant
Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
community.


Indonesian

Los Angeles, California is home to the largest population of Indonesians in America, with
Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...
having the second largest population.


Japanese

California contains five of the top 10 metropolitan cities with the greatest Japanese population in the United States. Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego, and Sacramento have the largest Japanese populations in California, with Los Angeles having more than the other cities combined. There are several areas of California that held assembly centers and internment camps (also known as relocation centers) where Japanese Americans were forced to relocate to after the
Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...
, such as
Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
(
Santa Anita Racetrack Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...
), Fresno(
Fresno Fairgrounds The Big Fresno Fair, founded in 1884, is an annual fair held at the Fresno County Fairgrounds. The Big Fresno Fair is managed by the 21st District Agricultural Association, an entity of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Division of ...
), Arboga,
Merced Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on April 1 ...
,
Owens Valley Owens Valley (Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Pl ...
( Manzanar War Relocation Center), Pinedale(
Pinedale, California Pinedale is a previously unincorporated community in Fresno County, California. It lies at an elevation of 348 feet (106 m). It was once a rural community located on the Southern Pacific Railroad north-northwest of Clovis but has since become su ...
),
Pomona Pomona may refer to: Places Argentina * Pomona, Río Negro Australia * Pomona, Queensland, Australia, a town in the Shire of Noosa * Pomona, New South Wales, Australia Belize * Pomona, Belize, a municipality in Stann Creek District Mexico ...
( Fairplex),
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
( Camp Kohler), Salinas(
California Rodeo Salinas Salinas, California, Salinas is a major stop on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. The Salinas rodeo (pronounced the Spanish way: "roDAYo") began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now ...
),
San Bruno San Bruno (Spanish for " St. Bruno") is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, incorporated in 1914. The population was 43,908 at the 2020 United States Census. The city is between South San Francisco and Millbrae, adjacent to Sa ...
(
Tanforan The Shops at Tanforan is a regional shopping mall in San Bruno, California, United States. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula, south of San Francisco city limits. The site was originally used as a horse racing track from 1899 until 1 ...
),
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
(San Joaquin County Fairgrounds), Tulare, Turlock(Stanislaus County Fairgrounds), and
Woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
. The
Tule Lake War Relocation Center The Tule Lake National Monument in Modoc and Siskiyou counties in California, consists primarily of the site of the Tule Lake War Relocation Center, one of ten concentration camps constructed in 1942 by the United States government to incarce ...
in Modoc County was the biggest of the 10 internment camps in its prime.


Korean

Koreans make up 16% of the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community in Los Angeles County, the highest percentage in the entire country. In the API community of California, Koreans comprise 9% of the population, but only 1% of the total population. There are many Koreans in Fullerton and
Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier *Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia *Irvine Island *Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada *Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...
in Orange County, and a significant community in
Cupertino Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,8 ...
, Santa Clara and
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.


Laotian

California is the top state in the country with the largest Laotian population, which as of 2015 is 271,000 across the country. Among the population of Laotians, Hmong people are counted as well. They are mostly in Northern and Central California, in
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
,
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
, Fresno,
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
and Stockton. There are some in Southeast San Diego.


Malaysian

Los Angeles is second to New York in terms of Malay population, however the combined population of Malay in Los Angeles and San Francisco is equal to New York.


Taiwanese

Los Angeles is home to the largest percentage of Taiwanese Americans in the country. There is a Little Taipei, and Hacienda Heights and Monterey Park both have large Taiwanese communities.


Thai

California possesses the largest Thai population outside of Asia, and is the only state in the country that has a designated "Thai Town," which is also the first of its kind globally. Of the 5.6 million Asian people in California, approximately 68,000 are Thai, which is 28.5% of the entire Thai population in the United States.


Vietnamese

Totally (647,589, 1.7%) Vietnamese in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. San Jose is 10% Vietnamese, and the San Francisco Bay Area has a sizable Vietnamese population. Other areas of
Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...
like
Milpitas Milpitas (Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Marí ...
, and Alameda County’s Fremont is home to many.
Chinatown, San Francisco The Chinatown centered on Grant Avenue and Stockton Street (San Francisco), Stockton Street in San Francisco, California, () is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Han Chinese, Chinese ethnic enclave, enclaves outside As ...
and
Tenderloin, San Francisco The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, situated between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest. It encom ...
have communities.
Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...
has a large Vietnamese population, with much of the population in Garden Grove and
Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
, which contains a Little Saigon. There are also smaller but significant Vietnamese communities in
Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
and Santa Ana in Orange County. There is a Vietnamese population in
San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...
.
Little Saigon, San Diego Little Saigon, San Diego is a Vietnamese ethnic enclave in City Heights, San Diego, located on El Cajon Boulevard between Euclid and Highland avenues. History The Little Saigon San Diego Foundation was established in November 2008 with a stated ...
in City Heights has a Vietnamese community, and they can be found in Ranchos Penasquitos.


Demographics


Notable people

This is a list of notable people of Asian descent who were either born, raised, or spent a significant amount of time in their formative years in California.


Art & Design

*
David Choe David Choe (born April 21, 1976) is an American artist, musician, and former journalist and podcast host from Los Angeles. Choe's work appears in a wide variety of urban culture and entertainment contexts. He has illustrated and written for mag ...
* Gyo Obata


Fashion

* Chanel Iman * Jen Kao * Derek Lam *
Humberto Leon Humberto Leon (born June 7, 1975) is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, working in partnership with Carol Lim. Leon and Lim founded the fashion retailer Opening Ceremony in 2002 in Lower Manhattan. Further stores fol ...
*
Carol Lim Carol Lim (born February 20, 1975) is an American fashion designer, retailer and creative director, who works in partnership with Humberto Leon. She founded the fashion retailer Opening Ceremony in 2002 in Lower Manhattan. Further stores followe ...
* Peter Som * Alexander Wang


Business

*
Tony Hsieh Anthony Hsieh ( ; December 12, 1973November 27, 2020) was an American internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He retired as the CEO of the online shoe and clothing company Zappos in August 2020 after 21 years. Prior to joining Zappos, Hs ...
*
Johnny Kan Johnny Kan (1906–1972) was a Chinese American restaurateur in Chinatown, San Francisco, ca 1950–1970. He was the owner of Johnny Kan's restaurant, which opened in 1953, and published a book on Cantonese cuisine, ''Eight Immortal Flavors'', whic ...
* Noel Lee *
Eric Ly Eric Thich Vi Ly (born January 15, 1969) is an American entrepreneur and investor. Ly was co-founder of LinkedIn, a social networking site designed specifically for the business community, where he served as its founding chief technology office ...
* Bobby Murphy * Kevin Tsujihara *
William Wang William Wang () is a Taiwanese American billionaire entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Vizio. Early life Wang was born in Taipei, Taiwan, moved to Hawaii, United States at the age of 12, and then to California at the age of 14. He atten ...
*
Jerry Yang Jerry Chih-Yuan Yang (born November 6, 1968) is a Taiwanese-American billionaire computer programmer, internet entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. He is the co-founder and former CEO of Yahoo! Inc. As of February 2022, Yang has a net worth ...


Culinary

* Roy Choi *
Ming Tsai Ming Hao Tsai (; born March 29, 1964) is an American restaurateur, television personality, and celebrity chef. Tsai's restaurants have focused on east–west fusion cuisine, and have included major stakes in Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Massachus ...
* Jennifer Yee


Entertainment


Acting & Filmmaking

*
Eric Byler Eric Byler (born January 15, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter and political activist. Personal life Byler identifies as hapa biracial, born to a Chinese American mother and a white American father. He grew up in Virginia, Hawa ...
* John Cho * Rosalind Chao *
Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appe ...
* Justin Chon * Pat Morita * Brenda Song *
Hailee Steinfeld Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hailee Steinfeld, various accolades, including a Peabody Award, and nominations for an Academy Award ...
*
Rob Schneider Robert Michael Schneider (; born October 31, 1963) is an American actor, comedian, and screenwriter. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'', he went on to a career in feature films, including starri ...
* George Takei *
Ashley Argota Ashley Argota (born January 9, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She is known for her roles on television, such as Lulu on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''True Jackson, VP'', and Kelly on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Bucket & Skinner's Epic Adventure ...
*
Johnny Yong Bosch Johnny Yong Bosch (born January 6, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer, and martial artist. His first major role was the portrayal of Adam Park, the second Black Power Ranger and later, the Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger i ...
* Todd Haberkorn * Janice Kawaye * Dante Basco *
Dion Basco Dion may refer to: People Ancient *Dion (mythology), a king in Laconia and husband of Iphitea, the daughter of Prognaus *Dion of Syracuse (408–354 BC), ancient Greek politician *Dio of Alexandria, first century BC, ancient Greek philosoph ...
*
Karin Anna Cheung Karin Anna Cheung (born November 2, 1974) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and artist. Early life and education Cheung was born on November 2, 1974 in Los Angeles, California. In 1998, she graduated from California State Universit ...
* Richard Chew * Margaret Cho * Justin Chon * Darren Criss * Jake Cuenca *
Ivan Dorschner Ivan Anthony Dorschner born September 21, 1990) is a Filipino-American actor, television host and model based in the Philippines. He is best known for being a former housemate of the Philippine reality television show '' Pinoy Big Brother: Teen ...
* Griffin Gluck * Mark-Paul Gosselaar * Rene Gube * Vanessa Anne Hudgens *
David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...
*
Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...
* Rodney Kageyama *
Michael Kang (director) Michael Kang (born May 3, 1970) is an American film director and screenwriter. He is Korean American and based in Los Angeles. Feature films ''The Motel'' His feature directorial debut was the independent movie '' The Motel'', which premiered ...
* Tim Kang *
Lance Krall Lance Krall (born December 9, 1970) is an American producer, screenwriter, and actor of half Vietnamese descent. He became well known after his portrayal as "Kip" in the role in faux-reality show ''The Joe Schmo Show''. He went on to create ...
*
Jennie Kwan Jennie Kwan is an American television, film, and voice actress. She played Samantha "Sam" Woo on ''California Dreams'', Satoko Hojo in '' Higurashi When They Cry'', and voiced Suki, a character on ''Avatar: The Last Airbender''. Career Kwan beg ...
*
Bobby Lee Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series ''Splitting Up Together'' alongside ...
*
Brandon Lee Brandon Bruce Lee (February 1, 1965 – March 31, 1993) was an American actor and martial artist. Establishing himself as a rising action star in the early 1990s, he landed his breakthrough role as Eric Draven in the dark fantasy film ''The ...
*
Chris Chan Lee Chris Chan Lee (born in San Francisco, California) is an American filmmaker. After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, Lee wrote/directed ''Yellow (1998 film), Yellow,'' an independently fin ...
* Jason Scott Lee * Ki Hong Lee *
Shannon Lee Shannon Emery Lee Keasler (born April 19, 1969) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the only living child of martial artist Bruce Lee and retired martial arts teacher Linda Lee Cadwell, the granddaughter of Cantonese opera singer L ...
* Lee Tung Foo *
Justin Lin Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese Americans, Taiwanese-American film director. His films have grossed US$2.3 billion worldwide as of March 2017. He is best known for his directorial work on ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002), the ...
*
Julia Ling Julia Ling, born Xiao Wei Lin, is an American actress. Her television work includes recurring roles on NBC series such as '' ER'', ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'', and as a series regular on ''Chuck''. Early life and education Ling was born ...
*
Marie Matiko Marie Matiko (born September 12, 1970) is an American actress. Early life Marie Matiko is of Chinese, Japanese and Filipino descent, born in Los Angeles County and grew up in Huntington Beach. She grew up wanting to become a concert pianist. I ...
*
Matthew Moy Matthew James Moy (born February 3, 1984) is an American actor and artist. He co-starred as Han Lee on the CBS sitcom ''2 Broke Girls'' and provides the voice of Lars Barriga on ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. Early life an ...
* Robert A. Nakamura * Minae Noji *
Haing Ngor Haing Somnang Ngor ( Khmer: ហាំង សំណាង ង៉ោ; ; March 22, 1940 – February 25, 1996) was a Cambodian American gynecologist, obstetrician, actor and author. He is best remembered for winning the Academy Award for Best Suppor ...
*
Steve Nguyen Steve Nguyen (born December 30, 1985) is a Vietnamese-American director, writer, artist and film producer. Nguyen and fellow director Choz Belen formed Studio APA, a multimedia collective that specializes in the production of animated films, chi ...
*
Eva Noblezada Eva Maria Noblezada (; born March 18, 1996) is an American actress and singer. Noblezada made her Broadway debut as Kim in a revival of ''Miss Saigon'', a performance for which she received a nomination for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Actress ...
*
Masi Oka is a Japanese actor, producer, and digital effects artist who became widely known for starring in NBC's ''Heroes'' as Hiro Nakamura and in CBS's ''Hawaii Five-0'' as Doctor Max Bergman. Early life Oka was born in Tokyo, Japan, to Setsuko Oka. Hi ...
* Yuji Okumoto *
Lisa Onodera Lisa Onodera is an American independent film producer, of such noted films as '' Picture Bride'', '' The Debut'' and '' Americanese''. She grew up in Berkeley, California, and attended UCLA where she received a degree from the School of Motion P ...
* Grace Park *
Randall Park Randall may refer to the following: Places United States *Randall, California, former name of White Hall, California, an unincorporated community * Randall, Indiana, a former town *Randall, Iowa, a city *Randall, Kansas, a city *Randall, Minnesot ...
* Dat Phan *
Lindsay Price Lindsay Jaylyn Price Stone (born December 6, 1976) is an American television actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Janet Sosna on ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' and as Victory Ford on '' Lipstick Jungle''. She is also known for her wor ...
*
Ke Huy Quan Ke Huy Quan (born August 20, 1971), also known as Jonathan Ke Quan (), is a Vietnam-born American actor and stunt choreographer. Quan played Short Round in ''Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'' (1984) and Data in ''The Goonies'' (1985)''.' ...
* Navi Rawat *
Ernie Reyes Jr. Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as ''The Last Dragon'', ''Red Sonja'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', '' Teenage Mutan ...
*
Sab Shimono is a Japanese-American actor. He began his career on stage on Broadway and in regional theaters, starring in musicals like ''Mame'', ''Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen'', and ''Pacific Overtures''. He has appeared in dozens of movies and television ...
* Jack Soo * Pat Suzuki * Faran Tahir * Chris Tashima * Jennifer Tilly * Meg Tilly * Thuy Trang *
Daya Vaidya Daya Vivian Vaidya (born May 20, 1980) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Nina Inara in the television series ''Unforgettable''. Early life Vaidya was born on May 20, 1980 in Kathmandu, Nepal to an Indian Gujarati father ...
* Lalaine * Kelly Vitz *
Garrett Wang Garrett Richard Wang () (; born December 15, 1968) is an American actor. Wang is known for his role in '' Star Trek: Voyager'' as Ensign Harry Kim. Early life Wang was born in Riverside, California, to Taiwanese immigrant parents. He has one si ...
* BD Wong *
Anna May Wong Wong Liu Tsong (January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961), known professionally as Anna May Wong, was an American actress, considered the first Chinese-American movie star in Hollywood, as well as the first Chinese-American actress to gain intern ...
* Victor Wong * Daniel Wu *
Jessica Yu Jessica Lingmin Yu (born February 14, 1966) is an American film director, writer, producer, and editor. She has directed documentary films, dramatic films, and television shows. Yu won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject in ...
*
Kelvin Yu Kelvin Yu (born 1979) is an American actor and writer. Early life and education Yu was born to Yu Ming-chuan and Lin Ling-juan. He grew up in Los Angeles, where he currently resides. He is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles ...


Dance

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Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dana Tai Soon Burgess (born February 26, 1968) is an American choreographer and dancer. In May 2016 Burgess was named the Smithsonian's first-ever choreographer in residence at the National Portrait Gallery. His work has tended to focus on t ...
*
Dominic Sandoval Dominic Kyle Sandoval (born October 15, 1985), better known as D-Trix, is an American dancer, YouTube personality, television personality, and actor. He is a member of Quest Crew and former member of Fallen Kingz. Sandoval was a contestant on t ...
*
Lawrence Kao Lawrence Kao is an American actor, best known for his roles as Tommy Wah in the Netflix series ''Wu Assassins'', Donnie Lu in the Fox series '' Sleepy Hollow'', Van in the CW series '' The Originals'' and Tim in the AMC series, '' The Walking D ...
* Jabbawockeez *
Poreotics Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by Matthew "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics. They hav ...
*
We Are Heroes We Are Heroes is an all female popping dance crew best known for being the first all-female crew to win '' America's Best Dance Crew'' with their title in Season 4. The winning prize amount was $100,000 in cash as well as ABDC's Golden B-Boy Trophy ...


Music

* Conan Gray * Hayley Kiyoko *
Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.
* Traphik * Dumbfoundead * Jocelyn Enriquez * Nichkhun Horvejkul * Joshua Hong- member of the K-pop group
Seventeen Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...
* Tiffany Hwang * Jessica Jung *
Krystal Krystal may refer to: People * Krystal Ann Simpson (born 1982), American poet, fashion blogger, DJ, reality television personality, and musician * Krystal Ball (born 1981), American political commentator * Krystal Barter, Australian activi ...
*
Nicole Jung Nicole Yongju Jung (born October 7, 1991), referred to as Nicole, is an American singer based in South Korea. She is a member of South Korean girl group Kara. In 2014, Jung left DSP Media and moved to B2M Entertainment to pursue her solo care ...
*
Eli Kim Ellison Kyoung-jae Kim (born March 13, 1991), better known by his stage name Eli, is a Korean American singer, rapper and actor. He is a former member of South Korean boy band U-KISS. He was a rapper in the group and was one of the English-spe ...
* Kevin Woo * Mark Tuan- member of the K-pop group Got7 * Amber Liu *
Lena Park Park Jung-hyun (; born March 23, 1976), also known as Lena Park (), is an American-born South Korean singer who debuted in 1998 with the album, ''Piece.'' She is also widely known in South Korea as her nickname "National fairy" due to her peti ...
*
Kero One Kero One is a Korean-American hip hop MC, producer, and DJ from San Francisco, California. He has been recognized for re-introducing the jazz rap sound in the early to mid 2000s with his jazz-hop album Windmills of the Soul. History Kero One ...
*
Dan the Automator Daniel M. Nakamura better known by his stage name Dan the Automator, is an American record producer from San Francisco, California. He is the founder of the publishing company Sharkman Music and the record label 75 Ark. Early life Nakamura was bo ...
* Tony Kanal *
Mike Park Mike Park is a Korean American musician and progressive activist. His musical ventures include Skankin' Pickle for whom he both played the saxophone and sang, The Chinkees, The Bruce Lee Band, and Ogikubo Station, as well as an acoustic solo proj ...
*
Simon Tam Simon Tam (born March 30, 1981) is an American author, musician, activist, and entrepreneur. He is best known as the bassist and founder of the Asian American dance-rock band, The Slants, who won their case against the U.S. Patent & Trademark Of ...
*
Apl.de.ap Allan Pineda Lindo (born November 28, 1974), known professionally as apl.de.ap (), is a Filipino-American rapper, singer and record producer. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Black Eyed Peas. Early life Allan Pineda Lindo was born ...
* DJ Qbert *
Mike Relm Michael Wong (born 1978), better known by his stage name Mike Relm, is an American disc jockey, turntablist, Music video director, director, and VJ (video performance artist), VJ from San Francisco, California. Biography He has performed with no ...
*
Shing02 , better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, record producer, activist and investor who was described by Patrick Neate as one of the Japanese emcees who "has addressed important issues from Japanese ethnicity ...
*
Mike Shinoda Michael Kenji Shinoda (; ja, 篠田 賢治, Shinoda Kenji; born February 11, 1977) is an American musician, singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. He co-founded the rock band Linkin Park in 1996 and was the band's collaborative vocali ...
* Joseph Hahn * Tyga *
Vienna Teng Cynthia Yih Shih (born October 3, 1978, Saratoga, California), better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is an American pianist and singer-songwriter who was based in Detroit, Michigan and now lives in Washington, DC. Teng has released five s ...
* Alex Van Halen *
Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he co-founded along ...
* Vanness Wu *
Nicky Lee (singer) Nicky Lee (born November 26, 1980) is a Korean American singer and actor. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Lee gained his initial fame as part of the Taiwanese hip hop group, Machi. Following the group's success, Lee released his fi ...
* Far East Movement * IAMMEDIC *
KeyKool Visionaries is an underground hip hop crew from Los Angeles, California. The crew formed in 1995, and have since released four full-length albums on Up Above Records, and their fifth album "V" on their newly re-formed label Visionaries Crew, In ...
* DJ Rhettmatic * Saweetie *
Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American singer who embarked on her music career contributing vocals and appearing in several music videos for R&B group B2K. In an effort to promote Aiko and cultivate a following for he ...
* Olivia Rodrigo


Television

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Christine Ha Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * Christine (1958 film), ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * Christine (1983 film), ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel ...
*
Tammy Jih ''The Amazing Race 14'' is the fourteenth season of the American reality television show ''The Amazing Race''. It featured eleven teams of two competing in a race around the world. The season premiered on CBS on February 15, 2009, and the season ...
*
Poreotics Poreotics, also known as Poreotix, is an American all-male dance crew from Westminster, California. The crew was formed in 2007 by Matthew "Dumbo" Nguyen and specializes in popping, choreography and robotics, hence the name Po-reo-tics. They hav ...
* Quest Crew *
Jessica Sanchez Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez (born August 4, 1995) is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of ''American Idol''. Early life Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez was born in Chula ...
* Jeannie Mai Jenkins


Law

* Morgan Chu *
Viet D. Dinh Viet D. Dinh ( vi, Đinh Đồng Phụng Việt; born February 22, 1968) is a lawyer and a legal scholar who is Chief Legal and Policy Officer of Fox Corporation and who served as an Assistant Attorney General of the United States from 2001 to 20 ...
* Heather Fong * Lance Ito *
Fred Korematsu was an American civil rights activist who resisted the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Shortly after the Imperial Japanese Navy launched its attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Or ...
*
Dale Minami Dale Minami (born October 13, 1946) is a prominent Japanese American civil rights and personal injury lawyer based in San Francisco, California. He is best known for his work leading the legal team that overturned the conviction of Fred Korematsu, ...
*
Debra Wong Yang Debra Wong Yang (; pinyin: Yáng Huáng Jīnyù) is the former United States Attorney for the Central District of California. She was appointed in May 2002 by President George W. Bush, who made her the first Asian American woman to serve as a Un ...
*
John F. Aiso John Fujio Aiso ( ja, 相磯 藤雄, December 14, 1909 – December 29, 1987) was an American nisei military leader, lawyer and judge. Aiso was the Director and head instructor of the Military Intelligence Service Language School, and the highest ...
*
Tani Cantil-Sakauye Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye (née Cantil; born October 19, 1959) is an American lawyer and jurist who was the 28th Chief Justice of California and is the president/CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California. Nominated by Governor Arnold Schwar ...
*
Edward M. Chen Edward Milton Chen (born January 20, 1953) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and former United States magistrate judge of the same court. Early life and educati ...
*
Vince Chhabria Vince Girdhari Chhabria (born November 27, 1969) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and formerly a Deputy City Attorney at the San Francisco City Attorney's Office. Biog ...


Literature

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Nellie Wong Nellie Wong (born 12 September 1934) is an American poet and activist for feminist and socialist causes. Wong is also an active member of the Freedom Socialist Party and Radical Women. Biography Wong was born in Oakland, California to Chinese ...
* Shawn Wong *
Jade Snow Wong Jade Snow Wong () (January 21, 1922 – March 16, 2006) was a Chinese American ceramic artist and author of two memoirs. She was given the English name of Constance, also being known as Connie Wong Ong. Early life Wong was born on January 2 ...
* Judy Yung * Laurence Yep *
Charles Yu Charles Chowkai Yu (born January 3, 1976) is an American writer. He is the author of the novels ''How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe'' and '' Interior Chinatown'', as well as the short-story collections ''Third Class Superhero'' ...
*
Lisa Yee Lisa Yee (born August 27, 1959) is a Chinese American writer and the author of ''Millicent Min, Girl Genius'' (2003), '' Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time'' (2005) and '' So Totally Emily Ebers'' (2007). The three books are a part of a trilogy, summ ...
*
Gene Luen Yang Gene Luen Yang (Chinese Traditional: 楊謹倫, Simplified: 杨谨伦, Pinyin: ''Yáng Jǐnlún''; born August 9, 1973) is an American cartoonist. He is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of graphic novels and comics, at comic book conventions a ...
*
Wakako Yamauchi Wakako Yamauchi (October 23, 1924 – August 16, 2018) was a Japanese American writer. Her plays are considered pioneering works in Asian-American theater. Biography Yamauchi (née Nakamura) was born in Westmorland, California. Her mother and f ...
*
Karen Tei Yamashita Karen Tei Yamashita ( ja, 山下てい ; born January 8, 1951) is a Japanese-American writer. Early life Yamashita was born on January 8, 1951, in Oakland, California. Career Yamashita is Professor of Literature at the University of Calif ...
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Hisaye Yamamoto Hisaye Yamamoto (August 23, 1921 – January 30, 2011) was an American author known for the short story collection ''Seventeen Syllables and Other Stories,'' first published in 1988. Her work confronts issues of the Japanese immigrant experience ...
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Merle Woo Merle Woo is an American academic, poet and activist who has been described as "a leading member of the Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party". Her essay "Letter to Ma" was selected for inclusion in the 1981 feminist anthology ''This Br ...
* Yoshiko Uchida * Gail Tsukiyama * Truong Tran *
Timothy Tau Timothy Tau (born Timothy Tau Hsieh ( ); Chinese: 謝韜; pinyin: Xiè Tāo) is a Taiwanese-American writer, engineer, attorney, law professor and filmmaker. Tau won the 2011 ''Hyphen magazine, Hyphen'' Asian American Writers' Workshop Short St ...
* Amy Tan *
Craig Santos Perez Craig Santos Perez (born February 6, 1980) is a poet, essayist, university professor, American publisher (USA) from the Chamorro people, born in Mongmong-Toto-Maite, Guam Island. His poetry has received multiple awards, including a 2015 America ...
*
Viet Thanh Nguyen The Vietnamese people ( vi, người Việt, lit=Viet people) or Kinh people ( vi, người Kinh) are a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to modern-day Northern Vietnam and Southern China (Jing Islands, Dongxing, Guangxi). The native lang ...
*
Fae Myenne Ng Fae Myenne Ng (born December 2, 1956 in San Francisco) is an American novelist, and short story writer. She is a first-generation Chinese American author whose debut novel ''Bone'' told the story of three Chinese American daughters growing up in ...
* An Na *
Toshio Mori Toshio Mori (March 3, 1910 – 1980) was an American author, best known for being one of the earliest (and perhaps the first) Japanese–American writers to publish a book of fiction. He participated in drawing the UFO Robo Grendizer, the J ...
*
Sally Wen Mao Sally Wen Mao (born in Wuhan, China) is an American poet. She won a 2017 Pushcart Prize. Life She grew up in Boston and the Bay Area. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BFA and Cornell University, with an MFA. Her work has a ...
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Aimee Phan Aimee Phan is a Vietnamese-American author. She was born and raised in Orange County, California. She received her BA in English from UCLA and her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she won a Maytag Fellowship. Her first novel, ''We Should ...
*
Nina Revoyr Nina Revoyr (born June 12, 1969) is an American novelist and children's advocate, best known for her award-winning 2003 novel ''Southland''.
* Barbara Jane Reyes *
Shawna Yang Ryan Shawna Yang Ryan is a Taiwanese-American novelist, short story writer and creative writing professor, who has published the novels ''Water Ghosts'' (2009) (Penguin Press) and ''Green Island'' (2016) (Alfred A. Knopf, Knopf). She currently teache ...
*
Albert Saijo Albert Fairchild Saijo (February 4, 1926 – June 2, 2011) was a Japanese-American poet associated with the Beat Generation. He and his family were imprisoned as part of the United States government's internment of Japanese Americans during World ...
*
Yumi Sakugawa Yumi Sakugawa is a comic artist based in California. Her work has been published online, in feminist magazines and in book form. Sakugawa also edits a blog about wellness. She was nominated for an Ignatz Award in 2014 for her mini comic, ''Never F ...
*
Lisa See Lisa See (born 18th February 1955) is an American writer and novelist. Her books include ''On Gold Mountain: The One-Hundred-Year Odyssey of My Chinese-American Family'' (1995), a detailed account of See's family history, and the novels '' Flower N ...
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Brenda Shaughnessy Brenda Shaughnessy (born 1970) is an American poet. Life Shaughnessy was born in Okinawa and grew up in Southern California. She received her BA in literature and women's studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz and MFA at Columbia Uni ...
* Him Mark Lai * Alexandra Kleeman *
Katie Kitamura Katie Kitamura is an American novelist, journalist, and art critic. She is currently an Honorary Research Fellow at the London Consortium. Early life and education Katie Kitamura was born in Sacramento, California in 1979 to a family of Japanese ...
*
Maxine Hong Kingston Maxine Hong Kingston (; born Maxine Ting Ting Hong;Huntley, E. D. (2001). ''Maxine Hong Kingston: A Critical Companion'', p. 1. October 27, 1940) is an American novelist. She is a Professor Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, wher ...
*
Ronyoung Kim Ronyoung Kim (March 28, 1926 – February 1987), aka Kim Ronyoung, was the pen name of Gloria Hahn, a Korean American writer. She was born and raised to Korean immigrants in Los Angeles's Koreatown"Ronyoung Kim", ''Encyclopedia of Asian-America ...
*
Porochista Khakpour Porochista Khakpour (Farsi: پوروچیستا خاکپور, born January 17, 1978) is an Iranian American novelist, essayist, and journalist. A refugee from Iran whose family fled the Iran-Iraq War and the Islamic Revolution, Khakpour grew up ...
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Hiroshi Kashiwagi Hiroshi Kashiwagi (November 8, 1922 – October 29, 2019) was a ''Nisei'' (second-generation Japanese American) poet, playwright and actor. For his writing and performance work on stage he is considered an early pioneer of Asian American theatr ...
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Soji Kashiwagi Soji Kashiwagi (born 1962 in Oakland, California) is a ''Sansei'' (third-generation Japanese American) journalist, playwright and producer. He is the Executive Producer for the Grateful Crane Ensemble theatre company in Los Angeles. He has co ...
* Le Thi Diem Thuy *
Gus Lee Augustus Samuel Mein-Sun "Gus" Lee (born August 8, 1946) is an American author and ethicist. He was born in San Francisco, a place he recounts in his childhood memoir/novel ''China Boy'' (1991) about growing up in a broken, poverty-stricken immigr ...
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Helie Lee Helie Lee (born August 29, 1964) is a Korean American writer and university lecturer who has also made a documentary film. Early life Lee was born on August 29, 1964 in Seoul, South Korea. Her family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada when she wa ...
*
Krys Lee Krys Lee is a Korean-American author based in South Korea, a journalist, and translator. She wrote the short story collection ''Drifting House'' (2012) and the novel ''How I Became a North Korean'' (2016). She is an associate professor of creati ...
* Joseph O. Legaspi * Russell Leong *
Sandra Lim Sandra Lim is a Korean American poet and professor. Career She is the author of three poetry collections -- ''The Curious Thing'' (W.W. Norton, 2021), ''The Wilderness'' (W.W. Norton, 2014), and ''Loveliest Grotesque'' (Kore Press, 2006). ''The ...
* Timothy Liu *
Jessica Hagedorn Jessica Tarahata Hagedorn (born 1949) is an American playwright, writer, poet, and multimedia performance artist. Biography Hagedorn is an American of mixed descent. She was born in Manila to a Scots-Irish-French-Filipino mother and a Spanish Fi ...
*
Vince Gotera Vince Gotera (; born June 20, 1952) is an American poet and writer, best known as Editor of the ''North American Review''. In 1996, Nick Carbó called him a "leading Filipino-American poet of this generation"; later, in 2004, Carbó described hi ...
* Philip Kan Gotanda *
Prince Gomolvilas Prince Gomolvilas (born August 28, 1972) is a Thai American playwright. He has written many plays which have been produced in the United States and won several distinctive awards, including a PEN Center USA West Literary Award for Drama. He was ...
*
Eugene Gloria Eugene Gloria (born 1957) is a Filipino-born American poet. Life Eugene Gloria was born in Manila, Philippines in 1957 and raised in San Francisco, California. He attended St. Agnes School in the Haight-Ashbury and St. Ignatius College Preparator ...
* Tess Gerritsen * Jamie Ford *
Ben Fee Ben Fee (张恨棠/木云) (September 3, 1908 – July 3, 1978) was an American writer and labor organizer who rose to prominence in the Chinatowns of San Francisco and New York in the mid-twentieth century. He was president of the Chinese Workers ...
*
Khaled Hosseini Khaled Hosseini (;Pashto/Dari ; born March 4, 1965) is an Afghan Americans, Afghan-American novelist, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR goodwill ambassador, and former physician. His debut novel ''The Kite Runner'' (2003) wa ...
*
Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston (born September 26, 1934) is an American writer. Her writings primarily focus on ethnic identity formation in the United States of America. She is best known for her autobiographical novel ''Farewell to Manzanar'' that n ...
*
David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...
* Ai *
Noel Alumit Noël Alumit is an American novelist, actor, and activist.Emmanuel S. Nelson, ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary LGBTQ Literature of the United States''. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2009. . p. 21. He was identified as one of the Top 100 Influential Ga ...
*
Rick Barot Rick Barot (born February 19, 1969) is an American poet and educator. Life Barot was born in the Philippines, grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and attended Wesleyan University and The Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa. He ha ...
* Steph Cha *
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha Theresa Hak Kyung Cha ( ko, 차학경; March 4, 1951 – November 5, 1982) was an American novelist, producer, director, and artist of South Korean origin, best known for her 1982 novel, ''Dictee''. Considered an avant-garde artist, Cha w ...
*
Daniyal Mueenuddin Daniyal Mueenuddin ( ur, ) (born 1963) is a Pakistani-American author who writes in English. His short story collection '' In Other Rooms, Other Wonders'', has been translated into sixteen languages, and won The Story Prize, the Commonwealth Wri ...
* Do Nguyen Mai * Margaret Dilloway *
Frank Chin Frank Chin (born February 25, 1940) is an American author and playwright. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of Asian-American theatre. Life and career Frank Chin was born in Berkeley, California on February 25, 1940; until the age of s ...
* Cathy Linh Che * Melissa de la Cruz *
Han Ong Han Ong (born 1968) is an American playwright and novelist. He is both a high-school dropout and one of the youngest recipients of a MacArthur Foundation "genius" grant. Born in the Philippines, he moved to the United States at 16. His works, wh ...
* Whilce Portacio


Military

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Dan Choi Dan Choi (born February 22, 1981) is an American former infantry officer in the United States Army who served in combat in the Iraq War during 2006–2007. He became an LGBT rights activist following his coming out on ''The Rachel Maddow Show'' ...
*
Susan Ahn Cuddy Susan Ahn Cuddy ( ko, 안수산, Hanja:; January 16, 1915 – June 24, 2015) was the first female gunnery officer in the United States Navy. She was the eldest daughter of Korean independence activist Ahn Chang-ho and Helen Ahn, the first marri ...
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Rudolph Davila Rudolph B. Davila (April 27, 1916 – January 26, 2002), born in El Paso, Texas, was a United States Army officer, of Spanish-Filipino descent, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in Italy during World War II. He was the only person o ...
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Joe Hayashi Joe J. Hayashi (August 14, 1920 – April 22, 1945) was a United States Army soldier. "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 DF 13 of 44"> "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 [PDF 13 of 44/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-7. See also *List of Me ...
* DF 13 of 44/nowiki>">DF 13 of 44"> "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 [PDF 13 of 44/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-7. See also *List of Me ...
* Young-Oak Kim * Kurt Lee">Young-Oak Kim">DF 13 of 44/nowiki>">DF 13 of 44"> "Hayashi, Joe," pp. 9–10 [PDF 13 of 44/nowiki> retrieved 2012-12-7. See also *List of Me ...
* Young-Oak Kim * Kurt Lee * Eleanor Mariano * Susan K. Mashiko * Roy Matsumoto * Sadao Munemori * Kiyoshi K. Muranaga * Joe M. Nishimoto * Kazuo Otani * Eldon Regua * George T. Sakato * Ted T. Tanouye * John C. Young


News, Media, & Journalism

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Christine Chen Christine L. Chen is a Taiwanese-American journalist, the author of Amazon.com bestseller ''Happy-Go-Yoga'', a certified yoga instructor, and the founder of Christine Chen Yoga. She is an adjunct instructor in communications at New York University ...
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Lanhee Chen Lanhee Joseph Chen (; ; born July 4, 1978) is an American policy advisor, attorney, and academic. Chen serves as the David and Diane Steffy Fellow in American Public Policy Studies at the Hoover Institution, director of domestic policy studies and ...
* Veronica De La Cruz *
Lisa Ling Lisa J. Ling (born August 30, 1973) is an American journalist, television personality, and author. She is currently the host of ''This Is Life with Lisa Ling '' on CNN. Previously, she was a reporter on Channel One News, a co-host on the ABC dayt ...
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Richard Lui Richard Lui is an American journalist and news anchor for MSNBC and NBC News. Lui is currently a breaking news anchor for NBC and MSNBC, broadcasting from 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. prior to that role he was a co-h ...
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Kent Ninomiya Kent Ninomiya is the first male Asian American broadcast journalist to be a primary news anchor of a television station in the United States. The Asian American Journalist Association, often referred to as the AAJA, notes that there are numerous ...
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Iva Toguri D'Aquino Iva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino ( ja, 戸栗郁子 アイバ; July 4, 1916 – September 26, 2006) was a Japanese-American disc jockey and radio personality who participated in English-language radio broadcasts transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied t ...
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Ben Fong-Torres Benjamin Fong-Torres ( 方 振 豪; Cantonese: Fong Chan Ho; born January 7, 1945) is an American rock journalist best known for his association with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine (until 1981) and the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (from around 1982). B ...
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Michael Yamashita Michael Yamashita is a Japanese-American photographer. Early life and education Born in 1949 in San Francisco, California, and raised in Montclair, New Jersey. Yamashita graduated from Montclair Academy in 1967. He graduated from Wesleyan Unive ...


Politics

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Larry Asera Larry Asera, a Filipino American engineer, businessman, and politician, is the first Filipino American elected to public office in the US mainland. Born July 15, 1948, in Vallejo, California, he has served in a variety of public positions, includin ...
* Lisa Bartlett *
Thelma Buchholdt Thelma Garcia Buchholdt (August 1, 1934 – November 5, 2007) was a Filipino American community activist, politician, historian, public speaker, cultural worker, and author. She was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives for four consecut ...
* David S. Chang * Ling Ling Chang *
Tyler Diep Tyler Diep is a Vietnamese-American politician who served one term in the California State Assembly. A Republican, he represented the 72nd Assembly District, which encompasses parts of northern coastal Orange County which includes the cities of ...
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Charles Djou Charles Kong Djou (born August 9, 1970) is an American politician who served as U.S. representative for Hawaii's 1st congressional district from 2010 to 2011. Appointed by President Joe Biden, Djou currently serves as the Secretary of the Americ ...
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Andrew Do Andrew Do ( vi, Andrew Đỗ) is an American politician currently serving as Orange County Supervisor, representing the First District. He is a Republican. Do was a candidate for California State Treasurer in 2022, but was eliminated in the p ...
* Matt Fong * Sam Hayakawa * Kamala Harris * Mike Honda *
Jay Kim Jay Chang Joon Kim (; born March 27, 1939) is a Korean- American politician and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California and ambassador for Korean-American relations. He was the first Korean American to be elected to t ...
*
Young Kim Young Oak Kim (; born October 18, 1962) is an American politician and businesswoman serving as the U.S. representative for California's 39th congressional district. Her district includes northern parts of Orange County. In the 2020 United Stat ...
* Doris Matsui * Norman Mineta * Janet Nguyen *
Sean Reyes Sean David Reyes is an American lawyer and politician who has been the Attorney General of Utah since 2013. Appointed to the office by Governor Gary Herbert following the resignation of John Swallow, Reyes was subsequently reelected. Reyes is a ...
*
Harry Sidhu Harry S. Sidhu (born July 8, 1957) is an American Republican politician and businessman who served as the 46th mayor of Anaheim, California, winning the office in the 2018 election. He was the first person of color and the first Sikh to serve as ...
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Michelle Steel Michelle Eunjoo Steel ( Park, born June 21, 1955) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for California's 45th congressional district since 2023, previously representing the 48th congressional district from 2021 to 2023. A ...
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Mark Takano Mark Allan Takano ( ; born December 10, 1960) is an American politician and academic who has been the United States representative for California's 41st congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Takano became the first ...
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Nao Takasugi Nao Takasugi (April 5, 1922 – November 19, 2009) was an American politician from California, a member of the Republican Party, and a survivor of the Japanese American internment camps. Early life Born and raised in Oxnard, California, Takasug ...
*
Van Tran Van Thai Tran ( vi, Trần Thái Văn; born October 19, 1964) is a Vietnamese American attorney and politician in California, formerly serving as a Republican member of the California State Assembly, representing portions of Orange County. Tran a ...
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Leana Wen Leana Sheryle Wen (; born Wen Linyan; January 27, 1983) is an American physician, an op-ed columnist with ''The Washington Post'' and a CNN medical analyst. She is a practicing physician, a former Health Commissioner for the City of Baltimore, ...


Religion

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Randolph Roque Calvo Randolph Roque Calvo is an America prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Calvo served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Reno in Nevada from 2006 until 2021 Biography Early life Randolph Calvo was born on August 28, 1951, in Agaña, Gu ...
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Francis Chan Francis Chan 恩藩(born August 31, 1967), is an American Protestant author, teacher, and preacher. He is the former teaching pastor of Cornerstone Community Church, an Evangelical church in Simi Valley, California founded by Chan in 1994. ...


Science

* Michio Kaku *
Leroy Chiao Leroy Chiao (born August 28, 1960) is an American chemical engineer, retired NASA astronaut, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and engineering consultant. Chiao flew on three Space Shuttle flights, and was the commander of Expedition 10, where ...


Sports

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Bobby Balcena Robert Rudolph Balcena (August 1, 1925 – January 5, 1990) was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the season. Listed at 5' 7", 160 lb., Balcena batted ...
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Tedy Bruschi Tedy Lacap Bruschi (; born June 9, 1973) is a former professional American football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, who currently serves as the senior advisor to the head coach at University of A ...
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Brandon Chillar Brandon Chillar (born October 21, 1982) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He also played for the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won Super Bowl XLV over the P ...
* Tiffany Chin *
Amy Chow Amy Yuen Yee Chow (Chinese: 周 婉 儀; pinyin: Zhōu Wǎnyí; born May 15, 1978) is an American former artistic gymnast who competed at the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She is best known for being a member of the Magnificent Seven, which ...
*
Patrick Chung Patrick Christopher Chung (born August 19, 1987) is a Jamaican-American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Oregon and wa ...
* Natalie Coughlin * Kris Dim *
Victoria Manalo Draves Victoria Manalo Draves (' Manalo; December 31, 1924 – April 11, 2010) was a Filipino American competitive diver who won gold medals in both platform and springboard diving at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. Draves became the first woman t ...
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Tommy Edman Thomas Hyunsu Edman (born May 9, 1995) is an American professional baseball second baseman and shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (Major League Baseball, MLB). Born in Pontiac, Michigan, and raised in San Diego, Edman ...
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Ariel Hsing Ariel Yenhua Hsing (born November 29, 1995) is an American table tennis player who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics. Hsing became the youngest U.S. table tennis national champion in history in 2010 at age 15. She repeated as champion in ...
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Haley Ishimatsu Haley Ishimatsu (born September 10, 1992 in Bellflower, California) is an American platform diver. Personal life Ishimatsu is a fourth-generation Japanese American. Her older sister Victoria "Tory" Ishimatsu is also a competitive diver, and ...
* Anthony Kim *
Chloe Kim Chloe Kim (born April 23, 2000) is an American snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, she became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal when she won gold in the women's snowboard halfpi ...
* Tommy Kono * Michelle Kwan *
Kyle Larson Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional auto racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports. Larson is the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champ ...
*
Cung Le Cung Le ( vi, Lê Cung; born May 25, 1972) is a Vietnamese-born American actor, retired mixed martial artist, Sanshou fighter and kickboxer. He competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), holding a record of ...
* Sammy Lee *
Jeremy Lin Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is a Taiwanese-American professional basketball player who last played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the Ne ...
*
Alexander Massialas Alexander Massialas (born April 20, 1994) is an American right-handed foil fencer. Massialas is a two-time NCAA champion, 11-time team Pan American champion, two-time individual Pan American champion, and 2019 team world champion. A three-time ...
* Mirai Nagasu * Dave Roberts * Kyla Ross *
Eric Sato Eric Anthony Sato (born May 5, 1966 in Santa Monica, California) is a former American volleyball player, who was a member of the United States men's national volleyball team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...
* Liane Sato *
Kevin Tan Kai Wen "Kevin" Tan (; born September 24, 1981) is an American artistic gymnast. Early life Tan was born in 1981 in Fremont, California. He graduated from Mission San Jose High School, Class of 2000. Career At Penn State, Tan was a six ti ...
*
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records. * * * Woods is widely regarded as ...
* Kristi Yamaguchi * Tabitha Yim *
Al Young Albert James Young (May 31, 1939 – April 17, 2021) was an American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and professor. He was named Poet Laureate of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger from 2005 to 2008. Young's many books include ...
*
Caroline Zhang Caroline Zhao Zhang (born May 20, 1993) is an American figure skater. She is a two-time (2010 and 2012) Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2007 World Junior Champion, the 2006 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time U.S. national m ...


See also

*
List of Asian American writers This is a list of Asian American writers, authors, and poets who have Wikipedia pages. Their works are considered part of Asian American literature. A-D * Ai * Shaila Abdullah * Aria Aber * George Abraham * Jessica Abughattas * Dilruba Ahme ...
* List of Asian Americans in STEM fields * Military History of Asian Americans * List of Asian American jurists


References


External links


Hispanics: California's Next Majority
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The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' {{Ethnicity in California