Asian Girl Names

Aiko is a very common Japanese name with a lovely meaning that is rarely heard outside the Asian community.

A popular Japanese name for both sexes that's migrated to the West because of its appearance in manga and video games.

Azami has a prickly image and feel — reinforced by the thistle's image in Eastern mythology as one of defiance. A name that spans two widely divergent cultures, Azami might make the perfect international choice, at once unusual and easy to comprehend.

Cai, as distinguished from the boys' name Kai, is international, simple, unusual.

Commonly used in Japan, and so much more distinguished than Jen.

This name was brought to the fore by acclaimed Chinese-American novelist and short story writer Gish Jen, whose birth name was Lillian.

Many things to many peoples: a flower name, also spelled Hanae, to the Japanese; a Czech and Polish short form of Johana; and an alternate form of the biblical name Hannah in the US. It also means "craft, work" in Hawaiian and "glow" in Maori.

Connotes a strong, solid character.

This appealing multi-cultural name, pronounced KYE, is beginning to be used for girls as well as boys. Among its many derivations and meanings: "sea" in Hawaiian, "forgiveness" in Japanese, "willow tree" in Navajo, "food" in Maori, and "earth" in Scandinavian. For girls, it debuted on the US Top 1000 in 2010.

Kairi is the name of the main female character in the popular role-playing video game series, Kingdom Hearts. Voiced by Hayden Panettiere in the main series, Kairi is one of the seven Princesses of the Heart. Kairi entered the US Top 1000 in 2010 and was given to over 400 baby girls in one recent year.

Japanese classic with optimistic meaning.

Barbie's Asian equivalent.

A funkier version of Coco that may be more appealing if you have Japanese or Native American heritage. Koko comes from the Blackfoot tribe, native to what is now Montana and Alberta, Canada.

In Japanese this name may be written with the characters for "pure; purify; cleanse" (Kiyo/Keo) and "beauty; beautiful" (mi). Like most Japanese names, this is a name that translates well into Anglophone countries, where sweet short names are becoming increasingly popular.

Could be confused with the much less captivating Leanne.

Seems unfamiliar, till you realize everyone will just hear it as Molly. In Wales, Mali is a Top 100 name.

An Asian name not widely known in the West.

Homophonous with Mae and May, the beautiful (literally) Mei is poised to climb the charts. The hero of the 2022 Disney/Pixar film Turning Red is a Chinese-Canadian teen named Meilin "Mei" Lee, which may boost the name ever further.

Attractive but slight Asian alternative, with a 1970s nickname feel.