The following is a list of Chinese Americans who are famous, have made significant contributions to the American culture or society politically, artistically or scientifically, or have appeared in the news numerous times:
Note that:
- Names should be alphabetized by surnames, and then given names. An individual name, however, could follow either the traditional Chinese name order (surname first), the Western name order (surname last), or even a mixed order (surname in the middle).
- The Chinese name may be placed, if available, beside those persons who currently do not have articles yet. Otherwise, place them in their articles.
- People in this list must have at least a permanent resident status or be American-born.
- Please enter Canadians of Chinese descent under this separate list: Chinese Canadians.
- '' Whether Taiwanese Americans are considered Chinese is a controversial political issue. For a list of Americans of Taiwanese origin, see List of Taiwanese Americans.
Please label Taiwanese Americans on this list with *.''
Surnames A-C
- Jin Au-yeung - rapper
- Bette Bao Lord (包柏漪) - writer, novelist
- Norman Bay - former U.S. Attorney
- Tyson Beckford - male supermodel and actor
- Chang and Eng Bunker - Siamese twins pioneer immigrants
- Flora Chan - Hong Kong singer/actress
- Jackie Chan - Legendary Actor
- Johnny Chan - Professional Poker Player
- Eileen Chang - writer
- Iris Chang (張純如) - writer
- Jeff Chang - journalist, hip-hop historian * (Taiwanese see above)
- Lan Samantha Chang - writer; director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
- Michael Chang - youngest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament
- Elaine Chao - Secretary of Labor
- Rosalind Chao - actor
- Joan Chen - actress, director
- Julie Chen - newsreader on The Early Show and host of Big Brother
- Steve Chen - computer scientist, supercomputer designer, Cray
- Chi Cheng - bassist to alternative metal band, Deftones
- Anna Chen Chennault (陳香梅) - author, journalist, notable in American public life; also, wife of Claire Chennault, of the Flying Tigers
- Shiing-Shen Chern - mathematician
- Leroy Chiao - NASA astronaut
- Maj. Arthur Chin (陳瑞鈿) - WW II pilot and fighter ace
- Frank Chin (趙健秀) - novelist, playwright, and essayist
- Tiffany Chin (陳婷婷) - figure skater
- Vincent Chin - victim of racial crime
- Alex Chiu - eccentric
- Ben Chiu (邱澤堃) - founder of KillerApp.com
- Annabel Chong - adult film actress
- Ping Chong - contemporary theater director
- Amy Chow (周婉儀) - gymnast and Olympic medal winner
- China Chow - actress, model (father is Chinese-American)
- Norm Chow (周友賢) - Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator
- Wen Tsing Chow (周文俊) - missile guidance scientist, digital computer pioneer
- David Chu (朱欽騏) - fashion designer and founder of Nautica *
- David S. C. Chu - United States Undersecretary of Defense for Readiness.
- Paul C. W. Chu (朱經武) - physicist, superconductivity
- Steven Chu - 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, first Asian-American to run one of the 16 national laboratories operated by the Department of Energy (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
- Kam Fong Chun, actor
- Connie Chung - TV news anchor, the second woman ever to anchor a national news program
- Fan Chung - mathematician
Surnames D-K
- Hiram L. Fong - former Republican U.S. Senator from Hawaii
- Matthew K. Fong - former Republican state treasurer of California
- Ben Fong-Torres (方振豪) - journalist, Rolling Stone
- Mark Foo - professional surfer
- Dr. David Ho (何大一) - AIDS researcher
- Gong Li - Actress
- Haing S. Ngor - Chinese Cambodian actor; won an Oscar for Best Supporting actor in The Killing Fields
- Kelly Hu - actress
- Jen-Hsun Huang (黃仁勳) - cofounder, CEO, Nvidia
- William Hung - of American Idol fame
- James Hong, actor
- Maxine Hong Kingston - writer, novelist
- James Wong Howe (黃宗霑) - two-time Academy Award winning cinematographer
- David Henry Hwang (黃哲倫) - playwright
- Rupert Jee - owner of the Hello Deli next to the Ed Sullivan Theatre; has made numerous appearances on The Late Show with David Letterman
- Gish Jen - writer, novelist
- Ha Jin - novelist, winner of the National Book Award for "Waiting"
- Andrea Jung (鍾彬嫻)- CEO, Avon products
- Archie Kao - Actor and model
- Min Kao - Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Garmin Ltd
- Kelis - singer * "Kelis, born to a Puerto Rican and Chinese mother and African-American father, began her singing aspirations as a child with the Girl's Choir of Harlem."
- Michelle Kwan (關穎珊) - figure skater *
- Nancy Kwan (關南施) - first Chinese-born star in Western cinema website
Surnames L-M
Surnames N-V
- Irene Ng - Chinese Malaysian actress who played the title character in Nickelodeon's The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
- Kim Ng (伍佩琴) - baseball executive
- I. M. Pei (貝聿銘) - architect, designed the Louvre Pyramid
- Robin Shou (仇雲波) - martial artist
- Soong Mei-Ling a.k.a. Madame Chiang Kai-Shek
- Anna Sui - fashion designer
- Kobe Tai - adult film actress *
- Vivienne Tam (譚燕玉) - fashion designer
- Amy Tan - best-selling author
- Tan Dun - Grammy and Oscar award winning composer; recipient of the prestigious Grawemeyer Award for his opera Marco Polo
- Thomas Tang - judge
- Terence Tao - mathematician
- Vienna Teng - singer-songwriter
- Chang-lin Tien - professor, former chancellor UC Berkeley
- Jennifer Tilly - actress (born in California)
- Meg Tilly - actress *
- Samuel C. C. Ting - 1976 Nobel laureate, Physics
- Chuti Tiu - actress, "Desire", "24", "Dragnet", "Beautiful", "The Specials", former America's Junior Miss (first non-Caucasian winner) *
- Lauren Tom - actress
- Kaity Tong - Television news anchor, WPIX-TV
- Ming Tsai (蔡明)- chef and restauranteur (Blue Ginger); host of Emmy Award winning television show "East Meets West"
- Daniel Chee Tsui - 1998 Nobel prize, Physics
Surnames W-Z
- An Wang - computer engineer and inventor; co-founder of Wang Laboratories
- Charles Wang (王嘉廉) - founder, CEO, chairman, Computer Associates
- Chien-Ming Wang (王建民) - pitcher of the New York Yankees, #40 *
- Lili Wang - murdered at her university
- Garrett Wang (王以瞻) - actor in Voyager
- Lee-Hom Wang (王力宏) - Taiwanese pop singer *
- Taylor Wang - first ethnic Chinese scientist to go into space, 1985 on space shuttle Challenger
- Vera Wang - fashion designer
- Wayne Wang - Hollywood director
- Pei-Yuan Wei - creator of ViolaWWW
- Ming-Na Wen - Macanese-born actress
- Anna May Wong - first female Asian-American star of the screen
- B. D. Wong (黃榮亮) - actor in Special Victims Unit, winner of a Tony Award for M Butterfly
- Jade Snow Wong - writer
- Russell Wong (王盛德) - actor
- Timothy C. Wong (黃宗泰) - Sinologist, translator, and literary theorist
- Victor Wong (黃自強) - Hollywood actor
- Shien Biau Woo (吳仙標) - former attorney general and lieutenant governor of Delaware, current president of the 80-20 Initiative
- Chien-Shiung Wu (吳健雄)- female scientist
- David Wu - first and only Chinese American U.S. Representative, Democrat from Oregon
- Frank Wu - science-fiction artist
- Harry Wu - human rights activist
- Kiko Wu - adult model and actress
- Martin Yan - host of Yan Can Cook
- Chen Ning Yang (楊振寧) - 1957 Nobel laureate in Physics
- Henry Yang (楊祖佑) - chancellor, UC Santa Barbara
- Jerry Yang (楊致遠) - founder of Yahoo! *
- Welly Yang - actor and artist *
- Yao Ming - NBA basketball player
- Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐) - mathematician
- James Yee - Army Captain formerly charged with sedition
- Laurence Yep (叶祥添)- author of children's books
- Katherine Young (郑珣) - world's oldest user of the Internet
- Kaila Yu (于丽萍) - model and singer *
- Anthony Yuen - journalist
- Judy Yung - writer
- Yung Wing (容闳) - first Chinese and Asian to obtain a degree from an American college (Yale University)
- Helen Zia (謝漢蘭) - community activist and writer
Lists of American people by ethnic or national origin | Chinese Americans
著名华裔美国人列表