List of Chinese Americans

This is a list of notable Chinese Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and their American descendants who have made exceptional contributions to various facets of American society.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Chinese American or must have references showing they are Chinese American and are notable.

Dance

 * Goh Choo San – ballet dancer and choreographer
 * Shen Wei – dancer, choreographer and visual artist; MacArthur fellow
 * Fang-Yi Sheu – principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company

Fashion design

 * Malan Breton – fashion designer
 * Angel Chang – fashion designer
 * Wenlan Chia – fashion designer
 * Doug Chiang – movie designer and artist
 * David Chu – co-founder of clothing company Nautica
 * Diana Eng – fashion designer
 * Joe Allen Hong – fashion designer for Neiman Marcus
 * Jen Kao – fashion designer
 * Jonathan Koon – fashion designer
 * Derek Lam – fashion designer
 * Phillip Lim – fashion designer
 * Peter Mui – fashion designer, actor, and musician
 * Mary Ping – fashion designer
 * Peter Som – fashion designer
 * Anna Sui – fashion designer
 * Vivienne Tam – fashion designer
 * Yeohlee Teng – fashion designer
 * Alexander Wang – fashion designer
 * Vera Wang – fashion designer
 * Jason Wu – fashion designer
 * Joe Zee – creative director of Elle magazine; host of fashion TV series All on the Line

Literature

 * Bette Bao Lord (包柏漪) – writer, novelist
 * Amy Chua – writer, Yale professor
 * Eileen Chang (张爱玲, a.k.a. 张煐) – writer
 * Kang-i Sun Chang – writer and literary scholar
 * Lan Samantha Chang – writer; director of the Iowa Writer's Workshop
 * Victoria Chang – writer
 * Ted Chiang (姜峯楠) – speculative fiction writer
 * Frank Chin (趙健秀) – novelist, playwright, and essayist
 * Marilyn Chin – poet
 * Ben Fee – writer and labor organizer
 * David Henry Hwang (黃哲倫) – playwright
 * Gish Jen – writer, novelist
 * Ha Jin – novelist, winner of the National Book Award for Waiting
 * Maxine Hong Kingston – novelist, The Woman Warrior
 * Jean Kwok – writer, novelist
 * Edward Michael Law-Yone – writer, journalist; father of Wendy Law-Yone
 * Wendy Law-Yone – writer
 * Gus Lee (李健孫) – writer
 * Carolyn Lei-Lanilau – writer
 * Yiyun Li (李翊雲) – winner of the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Award
 * Ed Lin – writer, first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards
 * Tao Lin – writer
 * Eric Liu – author and speechwriter for former US President Bill Clinton
 * Malinda Lo – writer
 * David Wong Louie – writer
 * Marie Lu – writer
 * Adeline Yen Mah (馬嚴君玲) – author and physician
 * William Marr (馬為義,非馬) – engineer, poet, translator, and artist
 * Anchee Min – author, Red Azalea
 * Lisa See – writer
 * Amy Tan – best-selling author, The Joy Luck Club
 * Timothy Tau – writer, novelist, screenwriter
 * Jade Snow Wong – writer
 * Shawn Wong – novelist, Homebase, American Knees; writer; professor
 * Timothy C. Wong (黃宗泰) – sinologist, translator, and literary theorist
 * Xu Xi – English language novelist based in Hong Kong
 * Gene Luen Yang – graphic novelist, whose book American Born Chinese was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award
 * Laurence Yep (叶祥添) – two-time winner of the Newbery Honor
 * Connie Young Yu – writer, historian, lecturer, and 2016 "Woman of the Year" California Senate District 13
 * Judy Yung – writer

Theater

 * Ping Chong – contemporary theater director
 * Dan Kwong – playwright * Fang-Yi Sheu – principal dancer of the Martha Graham Dance Company
 * BD Wong – Tony Award-winning actor, M Butterfly, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Visual arts

 * Xu Bing – artist
 * Ching Ho Cheng – artist
 * Alan Chin – artist
 * Mel Chin – artist
 * Cai Guo-Qiang (蔡國強) – artist and gunpowder works designer
 * Han Hsiang-ning (韓湘寧) – artist
 * James Wong Howe (黃宗霑) – nominated for ten Academy Awards for cinematography, won twice (1955, 1963)
 * Maya Lin (林瓔) – architect (Vietnam Veterans Memorial)
 * Reagan Louie – American photographer
 * Seong Moy – painter and printmaker
 * I. M. Pei (貝聿銘) – architect, designed the Louvre Pyramid
 * Mimi So – jewelry designer
 * May Sun – artist, public art
 * Fan Tchunpi – painter, ceramicist
 * Frank Wong – dioramist
 * Tyrus Wong (黃齊耀) – artist
 * Frank Wu – science-fiction illustrator

Financial

 * Tim Chen – co-founder and CEO of NerdWallet
 * Yan Huo – co-founder of Capula Investment Management, 8th largest hedge fund in Europe by assets
 * Alfred Lin (林君叡) – venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital
 * Ken Lin – founder and CEO of Credit Karma
 * Norman Liu – CEO and President of GECAS (2008–2015)
 * Li Lu – hedge fund manager and founder and Chairman of Himalaya Capital Management
 * Lou Pai – CEO of Enron Xcelerator, a venture capital division of Enron
 * Donald Tang – former Vice-Chairman of Bear Stearns
 * Oscar Tang – financier and philanthropist
 * Gerald Tsai – financier, former Chairman and CEO of Primerica
 * Mun Charn Wong – former executive of Transamerica Corporation
 * Peng Zhao – CEO of Citadel Securities

Food

 * Roger H. Chen – founder of Tawa Supermarket Inc., also known as 99 Ranch Market
 * Andrew Cherng – co-founder of Panda Express, billionaire
 * Bob Chinn – owner of Bob Chinn's Crab House, highest grossing restaurant in America
 * Johnny Kan – founder of Kan's Restaurant
 * Ping Tom – Chicago-based food industry businessman; uncle of Lauren Tom

Industrial

 * Albert Chao – co-founder of Fortune 1000 company Westlake Chemical, billionaire
 * Jimmy Chiang – founder of Way Basics
 * David T. Hon – founder and CEO of Dahon
 * Noel Lee – founder and CEO of Monster Cable
 * America Tang – CEO of Ace Fence Co.
 * Cyrus Tang – scrap metal and furniture magnate

Internet

 * Fred Chang – founder of Newegg, billionaire
 * Pehong Chen – founder of Gain Technology and Broadvision
 * Perry Chen – co-founder of Kickstarter
 * Steve Chen – co-founder of YouTube
 * Ben Chiu – founder of KillerApp.com
 * Daniel Ha – co-founder of Disqus
 * Tony Hsieh (謝家華) – CEO of Zappos.com, online shoe store
 * Jameson Hsu – co-founder and CEO of Mochi Media
 * Justin Kan – co-founder Twitch.tv
 * Kai-Fu Lee – founding President of Google China
 * Ben Silbermann – co-founder and CEO of Pinterest, billionaire
 * Greg Tseng – co-founder and CEO of Tagged
 * Yishan Wong – CEO of Reddit (2012–2014); Director of Engineering of Facebook (2005–2010)
 * Jerry Yang – co-founder of NASDAQ-100 component Yahoo!, billionaire
 * David Yu – high tech investor and CEO of Betfair (2006–2011)

Sports and entertainment

 * Stephen Chao – media executive
 * Dan Lin – Hollywood film producer and former Senior Vice President at Warner Bros.
 * Mynette Louie – producer and co-founder of Gamechanger Films
 * Kim Ng (伍佩琴) – Major League Baseball executive
 * John J. Sie – founder of Starz Inc.
 * Andrea Wong – President of International Production for Sony Pictures Television and the President of International for Sony Pictures Entertainment

Technology

 * John S. Chen – CEO of BlackBerry; former CEO of Sybase
 * Steve Chen – founder and CEO of Galactic Computing
 * James Chu – founder, CEO and Chairman of ViewSonic, one of the largest computer monitor brands
 * Alfred Chuang – co-founder BEA Systems, acquired by Oracle for $8.5 billion in 2008
 * Weili Dai – co-founder of Marvell Technology Group
 * Ping Fu (傅苹) – co-founder of Geomagic
 * Ming Hsieh (謝明) – co-founder Cogent Systems, sold to 3M in 2009 for $930 million
 * Kai Huang – co-founder of Guitar Hero franchise
 * Jen-Hsun Huang – co-founder and CEO of NASDAQ-100 component NVIDIA
 * Robert T. Huang – founder of Fortune 500 company Synnex
 * Min Kao (高民環) – co-founder of Garmin, billionaire
 * David Lam – founder of NASDAQ-100 component Lam Research
 * Patrick Soon-Shiong – founder of Abraxis BioScience and NantHealth, billionaire
 * David Sun – co-founder and COO of Kingston Technologies, billionaire
 * Sehat Sutardja – co-founder of Marvell Technology Group
 * Lip-Bu Tan – President and CEO of Cadence Design Systems
 * Victor Tsao – co-founder of Linksys, sold to Cisco Systems for $500 million
 * John Tu – co-founder of Kingston Technologies, billionaire
 * An Wang (王安) – co-founder of Wang Laboratories, sold in 1999 for $1.5 billion
 * Charles Wang (王嘉廉) – founder of CA Technologies, owner of the New York Islanders
 * William Wang – founder and CEO of Vizio
 * Ken Xie – founder of Fortinet and NetScreen, acquired by Juniper Networks in 2004 for $4 billion
 * Bing Yeh – founder of Silicon Storage Technology and Greenliant Systems
 * Min Zhu – co-founder of WebEx, sold to Cisco Systems for $3.2 billion

Other

 * Sam Chang – New York real estate and hotel developer
 * Allen Chao – founder of S&P 500 Index component Allergan, Plc
 * James S.C. Chao – New York shipping magnate and father of Elaine Chao
 * John Chuang – co-founder and CEO of staffing consultancy Aquent
 * Lew Hing – shipping, hotel, and canning tycoon
 * Andrea Jung (鍾彬嫻) – Chair of Avon

Actors

 * Tyson Beckford – model and actor
 * Chloe Bennet – actress and singer
 * T. V. Carpio – actress and singer
 * Flora Chan – actress
 * JuJu Chan – actress
 * Yin Chang – actress, Nelly Yuki in The CW series Gossip Girl
 * Louis Ozawa Changchien – actor
 * Rosalind Chao – actress
 * Zoë Chao – actress and writer
 * Fala Chen – actress
 * Joan Chen (陳冲) – actress, The Last Emperor, director
 * Lynn Chen – actress, Saving Face
 * Kevin Cheng – actor and singer
 * Karin Anna Cheung – actress, Angela, in Quentin Lee's feature film The People I've Slept With (2009)
 * Feodor Chin – actor, writer, director
 * Annabel Chong – adult film actress
 * China Chow – actress, model
 * Kelsey Chow – actress
 * Michaela Conlin – actress
 * Auli'i Cravalho – actress and singer
 * Roger Fan – actor
 * Ted Fu – founding member of Wong Fu Productions
 * James Hong – actor and director
 * George Hu – actor
 * Kelly Hu – actress
 * Celina Jade – actress, singer and martial artist
 * Malese Jow – actress and singer on Unfabulous and Bratz
 * Archie Kao – actor and model
 * Michelle Krusiec, actress
 * Nancy Kwan – first Chinese-born star in Western cinema
 * Brandon Lee – actor, son of Bruce Lee
 * Bruce Lee – kung fu actor, son of Lee Hoi-chuen
 * Jason Scott Lee – actor
 * Michelle Lee – actress, martial artist and stuntwoman
 * Shannon Lee – actress, and daughter of Bruce Lee
 * Kaylani Lei – pornographic actress
 * Ken Leung – actor, Lost, X-Men: The Last Stand
 * James Hiroyuki Liao, actor
 * Dyana Liu – actress
 * Lucy Liu – actress, Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill
 * Liu Yifei – actress and singer
 * John Lone – actor, most notable for his role as Pu Yi in The Last Emperor
 * Jodi Long – actress
 * Keye Luke – actor
 * Tzi Ma (馬泰) – actor
 * Byron Mann – actor, notable for playing the role of Ryu in Street Fighter
 * Marie Matiko – actress
 * Meiling Melançon – actress
 * Matthew Moy – actor, 2 Broke Girls, most notable for the voice of Lars Barriga (Steven Universe)
 * Olivia Munn – actress, model and television personality
 * Irene Ng – actress, played the title character in Nickelodeon's The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo
 * Melissa Ng – actress
 * Haing S. Ngor – actor; won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in The Killing Fields
 * Julia Nickson-Soul – actress, most notable for playing the role of Co-Bao in Rambo: First Blood Part II
 * Jimmy Ouyang (歐陽萬成) – actor, writer and comedian
 * Janel Parrish – actress and singer
 * Ke Huy Quan – actor and stunt choreographer; played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
 * Ivan Shaw – actor
 * Parry Shen – actor
 * Robin Shou – actor, stuntman, martial artist
 * Harry Shum, Jr. – actor, dancer, and singer in Glee and Shadowhunters
 * Kaiji Tang – voice actor
 * Will Tiao – actor and producer
 * Jennifer Tilly – actress, Bound (born in California)
 * Meg Tilly – actress
 * Chuti Tiu – actress, Desire, 24, Dragnet, Beautiful, The Specials; former America's Junior Miss (first non-Caucasian winner)
 * Kiana Tom – actress, television host, and exercise instructor
 * Lauren Tom – actress, The Joy Luck Club, "Julie" on Friends
 * Jessika Van – actress, singer, portrays "Becca" on MTV's Awkward
 * Kelly Vitz – actress on Sky High and Nancy Drew
 * Garrett Wang – actor in Star Trek: Voyager
 * Ming-Na Wen – Macanese-born actress, ER, Mulan
 * Anna May Wong (黃柳霜) – first female Asian-American star of the screen
 * Grace Wong (王君馨) – actress
 * Michael Wong (王敏德) – actor
 * Russell Wong (王盛德) – actor
 * Victor Wong (黃自強) – actor
 * Constance Wu (吳恬敏) – actor
 * Daniel Wu – actor
 * Kevin Wu – YouTube star, once #1 all-time most subscribed comedian
 * Welly Yang – actor and artist
 * Michelle Ye – actress
 * Kelvin Han Yee – actor
 * Gwendoline Yeo – musician and actress
 * Keone Young – actor
 * Eugenia Yuan – actress and daughter of Cheng Pei-pei
 * Catalina Yue – actress, singer, model
 * Victor Sen Yung – actor, portrayed Hop Sing in Bonanza
 * Nan Zhang – actress, Gossip Girl

Directors

 * Arvin Chen – director and screenwriter
 * Tze Chun – writer, director
 * Esther Eng – director
 * Ang Lee – Academy Award-winning director
 * Justin Lin – director, Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious
 * Freida Lee Mock – Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and co-founder of the American Film Foundation
 * David Ren – film director, Shanghai Kiss
 * Timothy Tau – writer and director
 * Wayne Wang – Hollywood director; won the Golden Shell
 * Ruby Yang – film director
 * Jessica Yu – Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker; film and television director

Musicians

 * Jin Au-yeung – rapper, songwriter, actor
 * Carmit Bachar – singer and member of the Pussycat Dolls
 * Baiyu – singer, songwriter, actress, mtvU VJ
 * Jaycee Chan – Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
 * Robert Chen – violinist, concertmaster of Chicago Symphony Orchestra
 * Chi Cheng – bassist of alternative metal band, Deftones
 * Andrew Chou – member of hip-hop group Machi
 * Dawen – singer, songwriter
 * Leah Dizon – model and singer
 * Khalil Fong – singer, songwriter
 * Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul – singer and rapper member of the K-pop group, 2PM
 * Jack Hsu – frontman of The Hsu-nami
 * Jon Jang – jazz pianist, composer, band leader
 * Kelis – singer 1/4 Chinese
 * Larissa Lam – singer-songwriter, television host, music executive, film director
 * Chihchun Chi-sun Lee – composer
 * CoCo Lee – singer
 * Dai-Keong Lee – composer
 * Cho-Liang Lin – violinist
 * Jenny Lin – pianist
 * Joseph Lin – first violinist for Juilliard String Quartet
 * Amber Liu – rapper and singer of K-pop group f(x)
 * Kate Liu – classical pianist
 * Justin Lo – Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor
 * Zhou Long – winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Music
 * Yo-Yo Ma (馬友友) – cellist
 * Charles Mingus – jazz double bassist, composer, band leader
 * Chino Moreno – vocalist and guitarist of Deftones
 * Jakobe Moreno – vocalist and guitarist of Death Rogen
 * Ne-Yo – R&B artist, 1/4 Chinese
 * Richard On – guitarist-songwriter for rock band O.A.R.
 * Will Pan – singer-songwriter, rapper and actor
 * Bright Sheng – composer, conductor, and pianist
 * Shunza – singer
 * Vienna Teng – singer-songwriter
 * Jason Tom – beatboxer
 * Kenneth Tse – classical saxophonist
 * Sam Tsui – YouTube singer
 * Mark Tuan – taiwanese rapper of K-pop group Got7
 * Lara Veronin – vocalist
 * Wang Leehom – singer-songwriter, record producer, actor and film director
 * Joanna Wang – singer
 * Chris Wong Won ("Fresh Kid Ice", 'The Chinaman") – Chinese Trinidadian rapper, member of 2 Live Crew
 * Only Won – rapper, actor, martial artist, producer of Finding Cleveland
 * Vanness Wu – actor, singer, director, producer
 * Sophia Yan – classical pianist
 * Catalina Yue – singer, songwriter, model
 * Nancy Zhou – violin player

Other

 * Chang and Eng Bunker (暹羅雙胞胎) – Siamese twins, pioneer immigrants
 * Ken Hom – chef, author and British television show presenter
 * Steven Ho – martial artist and stunt man
 * Janet Hsieh – model and travel host of Fun Taiwan
 * Eddie Huang (黃頤銘) – writer, celebrity TV chef
 * William Hung – musician of American Idol fame
 * Carrie Ann Inaba, judge on Dancing with the Stars
 * Rupert Jee – owner of the Hello Deli next to the Ed Sullivan Theater; regular on Late Show with David Letterman
 * Miranda Kwok – screenwriter
 * Ming Tsai – chef and restaurateur (Blue Ginger); host of Emmy Award-winning television show East Meets West
 * Shen Wei – choreographer, stage designer
 * Vern Yip – interior designer and TV host
 * Kristina Wong (黄君儀) – comedian
 * Martin Yan – chef, host of Yan Can Cook

Journalism and news media

 * Ben Calhoun – radio journalist with This American Life
 * Sewell Chan – journalist, The New York Times
 * Emily Chang – journalist from CNN
 * Iris Chang – historian and journalist, Thread of the Silkworm and The Rape of Nanking
 * Jeff Chang – journalist, hip-hop historian
 * Laura Chang – science editor, The New York Times
 * Adrian Chen – investigative journalist, staff writer at The New Yorker
 * Christine Chen – journalist and anchor
 * Julie Chen – newsreader on The Early Show and host of Big Brother
 * Anna Chen Chennault (陳香梅) – journalist, wife of Claire Chennault, of the Flying Tigers
 * Ron Chew – former editor International Examiner, founding member of Seattle Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association
 * Connie Chung – became the second woman to co-anchor a major network's national news broadcast
 * Veronica De La Cruz – journalist, worked for NBC News from (2010–2014) and alternating anchor on both Early Today on NBC and First Look on MSNBC
 * Ben Fong-Torres (方振豪) – journalist, Rolling Stone
 * Cindy Hsu – news reporter at WCBS-TV in New York City
 * Jennifer 8. Lee – journalist, The New York Times
 * Melissa Lee – Emmy award-winning journalist, CNBC, NBC News, MSNBC, Bloomberg Television and CNN Financial News
 * Portia Li (李秀蘭) – journalist
 * Carol Lin – news anchor
 * Sam Chu Lin – journalist, one of the first Asian Americans on network TV news
 * Laura Ling – journalist, sister of Lisa Ling
 * Lisa Ling (凌志慧) (1973- ) – journalist, known for her role as a co-host of ABC's The View and host of National Geographic Ultimate Explorer
 * Betty Liu – news anchor, Bloomberg Television
 * Chiang Nan – newspaper editor
 * Kaity Tong – news anchor for WPIX-TV in New York City
 * Edward Wong – journalist, former writer for The New York Times
 * Sheryl WuDunn – Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author
 * Jeff Yang – columnist for The Wall Street Journal
 * John Yang – Peabody Award winning news correspondent and commentator for NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today, and MSNBC
 * XiXi Yang – TV host and model
 * Al Young – journalist, Boston Globe; first Asian American sportswriter in the mainland USA at a metropolitan daily; Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) Pioneer in Journalism Honor Roll List (1925–75)
 * Anthony Yuen – journalist

Military

 * Danny Chen (陳宇暉) – Private, United States Army Infantryman, was found shot to death after being harassed and beaten by his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan
 * Arthur Chin (陳瑞鈿) – World War II pilot and fighter ace with Canton Provincial Air Force, National Revolutionary Army
 * David S. C. Chu – United States Army Captain (retired), Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (2001–2008), president/CEO of the Institute for Defense Analyses
 * Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon – United States Navy Rear Admiral (Upper Half)
 * John Liu Fugh – first Chinese American officer to be promoted to the rank of Major General in the United States Army; first Chinese American to serve as Judge Advocate General of the Army
 * Wah Kau Kong – United States Air Force Second Lieutenant, first Chinese American fighter pilot
 * Hazel Ying Lee (李月英) – first Chinese American woman to earn a pilot's license; flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II as a Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP)
 * Kurt Lee – Major, US Marine Corps.; first Asian American Marine Corps officer, Navy Cross recipient
 * Coral Wong Pietsch – United States Army Reserve Brigadier General, first female Asian American general officer
 * Francis B. Wai – United States Army Captain, only Chinese American to have been awarded the Medal of Honor
 * Mun Charn Wong – United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, friend of Wah Kau Kong
 * Ted Wong – United States Army Major General, Chief of the U.S. Army Dental Corps (2011–2014)
 * Xiong Yan – student leader during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 and now a chaplain in the United States Army
 * James Yee – United States Army Captain and chaplain, formerly charged with sedition; author of the memoir For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire
 * Jonathan A. Yuen – United States Navy Rear Admiral and commander of Naval Supply Systems Command
 * Fang Wong – National Commander of The American Legion (2011–2012)

National politics

 * Elaine Chao (赵小兰) – current Secretary of Transportation and the Former Secretary of Labor (2001–2009) (Republican)
 * Lanhee Chen (陳仁宜) – policy director in Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign (Republican)
 * Steven Chu (朱棣文) – physicist, former Secretary of Energy (2009–2013), winner of 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics for research in laser cooling (Democratic)
 * Nancy-Ann DeParle – Director of the White House Office of Health Reform (Democratic)
 * Gary Locke (骆家辉) – United States Ambassador to China (2011–2014); United States Secretary of Commerce (2009–2011); Governor of Washington (1997–2005), first and only Chinese American to serve as a state governor (Democratic)
 * Chris Lu (卢沛宁) – Assistant to former President Barack Obama and Cabinet Secretary (Democratic)
 * Tina Tchen (陈远美) – Chief of Staff to the First Lady of the United States, director of Office of Public Liaison during Obama administration (Democratic)

Congress

 * Daniel Akaka – former US Senator from Hawaii; first Native Hawaiian US Senator; Democrat
 * Judy Chu – first Chinese-American woman to serve as US Representative (2009–present); Democrat
 * Charles Djou – US Representative from Hawaii (2010–2011); Republican
 * Hiram L. Fong – former US Senator from Hawaii; first US Senator of Chinese ancestry; Republican
 * Ted Lieu – Democrat representing the 33rd District of California
 * Grace Meng – Democrat representing the 22nd District of New York
 * David Wu – first Taiwanese American US Representative, Democrat from Oregon

Local and state

 * Wilma Chan – first Asian American California State Assembly Majority Leader (2002–2004); Democrat
 * John Chiang – California State Controller (2007–present); Democrat
 * Margaret Chin – member of the New York City Council representing Chinatown
 * David Chiu – Democrat representing the 17th Assembly District, California State Assembly
 * March Fong Eu – former Secretary of State of California (1975–1994), elected in 1974, she won reelection four times; United States Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia (1994–1996); Democrat
 * Matthew K. Fong – California State Treasurer (1995–1999), adoptive son of March Fong Eu; Republican
 * Allan Fung – Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island; Republican
 * Tony Hwang – State Representative of the Connecticut General Assembly; Republican
 * Ed Jew – former member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors; Democrat
 * Peter Koo – member of the New York City Council representing Flushing, Queens
 * Ed Lee – Mayor of San Francisco (2011–2017)
 * Harry Lee – longtime sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; first elected in 1979, he was re-elected six times and served 27 and a half years (Democratic)
 * Susan C. Lee – Senator, Maryland Senate of Maryland General Assembly;first Asian American elected to Maryland Senate and first Chinese American elected to Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland General Assembly.
 * John Liu – New York City Comptroller (2010–2013)
 * Alex Wan – member of the Atlanta City Council, first openly gay and first Asian American member
 * Shien Biau Woo (吳仙標) – Lieutenant Governor of Delaware (1985–1989), current president of the 80-20 Initiative; Democrat
 * Leland Yee (余胤良) – former California State Assemblyman, current California State Senator
 * Yiaway Yeh – mayor of Palo Alto, California; first Chinese American to hold the office
 * Mae Yih – Oregon State Representative (1977–1983), Oregon State Senator (1983–2003), first Chinese American to serve in a state senate; Democrat

Law and judiciary

 * Norman Bay – former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico (2000–2001); first Chinese American United States Attorney
 * Margaret Chan – New York State Supreme Court Civil Branch justice in Manhattan
 * Denny Chin – judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1994–present), first Asian American appointed as a United States district court judge outside of the Ninth Circuit
 * Ming Chin – Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California
 * Morgan Chu (朱欽文) – Partner, Chair of Litigation, former Co-Managing Partner of Irell & Manella; former President (2014–15) and board member (2009–15) of Harvard Board of Overseers
 * Amy Chua – professor of law; author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
 * Dolly M. Gee – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California
 * Joyce Kennard – Associate Justice, Supreme Court of California
 * George H. King – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California
 * William F. Lee – co-managing partner of WilmerHale and fellow of the Harvard Corporation
 * Ronald Lew – federal district judge, United States District Court for the Central District of California; first Chinese-American federal judge outside of Hawaii
 * Goodwin Liu – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California
 * Brian Sun – trial lawyer
 * Thomas Tang – judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; first Chinese American federal judge
 * Jan C. Ting (丁景安) – professor of law; expert on immigration, national security, and taxation; 2006 Republican candidate for Senate (DE)
 * Delbert Wong – judge

Community and civil rights

 * Grace Lee Boggs (Lee 玉平) – community activist in African-American community; leftist writer
 * Vincent Chin – killed in a fight, considered by Chinese-American advocacy groups to be victim of bias crime and miscarriage of American justice
 * Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee – first Chinese American woman voter in the United States
 * Charles Goodall Lee – first licensed Chinese American dentist in the United States, financier of Chinese American Citizens Alliance in Oakland Chinatown, spouse of Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee
 * Chin Lin Sou – community leader
 * Goo Kim Fui (古今辉) – President, United Chinese Society in Hawaii, 1892–1898; played an instrumental role in uniting the Chinese and fighting for their rights during the anti-Chinese agitation in Hawaii in the 1880s
 * Wong Chin Foo (王清福) – 19th-century civil rights activist and journalist
 * Wong Kim Ark (黃金德) – his lawsuit established the principle of citizenship by virtue of birth on US soil
 * Harry Wu (吴弘达) – human rights activist, focuses on Laogai prison camps and human rights in China
 * Sherman Wu – civil rights activist, famous racial discrimination incident by university fraternity
 * John C. Young (容兆珍) – San Francisco Chinatown leader
 * Helen Zia (謝漢蘭) – community activist and writer

Nobel Prize

 * Tsung-dao Lee (李政道) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics
 * Chen Ning Yang (楊振寧) – 1957 Nobel laureate, Physics
 * Samuel C. C. Ting (丁肇中) – 1976 Nobel laureate, Physics
 * Yuan T. Lee (李远哲) – won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1986 "for his contributions to the dynamics of chemical elementary processes"
 * Steven Chu (朱棣文) – 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics, US Secretary of Energy (2009)
 * Daniel Chee Tsui (崔琦) – 1998 Nobel laureate, Physics
 * Roger Y. Tsien (錢永健) – 2008 Nobel laureate, chemistry
 * Charles K. Kao (高锟) – 2009 Nobel laureate in Physics who pioneered the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications

Chemistry

 * Ching W. Tang – inventor of the organic light-emitting diode(OLED) and the hetero-junction organic photovoltaic cell (OPV); winner of the 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry; known as the "father of organic electronics"
 * Peidong Yang – chemist; founding member of the scientific advisory board at Nanosys, a nanomaterials company; co-founder of Alphabet Energy
 * Xiaowei Zhuang – Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and of Physics at Harvard University, member of National Academy of Sciences, MacArthur Fellow (2003)

Computer science

 * Jianlin Cheng (程建林) – computer and data scientist; Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Missouri, Columbia
 * Wen Tsing Chow (周文俊) – missile guidance scientist, digital computer pioneer
 * Leon Chua – professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley
 * Feng-hsiung Hsu (許峰雄) – IBM developer of Deep Blue, which beat World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997
 * Ming C. Lin – former Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, now at U. Maryland.
 * Pei-Yuan Wei (魏培源) – creator of ViolaWWW
 * Wen-mei Hwu – professor at University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign specializing in compiler design, computer architecture, computer microarchitecture, and parallel processing
 * Andrew Yao (姚期智) – 2000 Turing Award recipient
 * Frances Yao (储枫) – computer scientist, researcher in computational geometry and combinatorial algorithms; wife of Andrew Yao

Engineering

 * Huajian Gao – Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Engineering at Brown University
 * Lee Yuk-Wing (李郁榮) – Professor of Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
 * T. Y. Lin (林同炎) – civil engineer, bridgebuilder
 * Tung Hua Lin (林同驊) – professor (UCLA), aerospace and structural engineer

Medicine and biosciences

 * Min Chueh Chang (張明覺) – co-inventor of the first birth control pill; made significant contributions to the development of in vitro fertilisation
 * Gilbert Chu (朱築文) – biochemist and Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Biochemistry at the Stanford Medical School; older brother of Steven Chu
 * Yuan-Cheng Fung (馮元楨) – founder of modern biomechanics
 * Lue Gim Gong (呂金功) – horticulturalist
 * David Ho – scientific researcher and the Irene Diamond professor at Rockefeller University in New York City
 * Alice S. Huang – virologist
 * Lin He – biochemist, received the MacArthur Fellowship in 2009
 * Yuet Wai Kan – pioneer of using DNA to diagnose human diseases, research enabled the Human Genome Project, recipient of Lasker Foundation award in 1991
 * Henry C. Lee – forensic scientist
 * Sandra Lee – dermatologist and Internet celebrity as "Dr. Pimple Popper"; now star of the TLC series Dr. Pimple Popper
 * Ching Chun Li – population geneticist and human geneticist
 * Choh Hao Li (李卓皓) – biochemist, discovered growth hormone, beta-endorphin and isolated luteinizing hormone
 * Min Chiu Li – first scientist to use chemotherapy to cure widely metastatic, malignant cancer
 * Anna Chao Pai – geneticist
 * Joe Hin Tjio – cytogeneticist, first person to recognize the normal number of human chromosomes
 * Chang Yi Wang – immunologist; NYIPLA Inventor of the Year Award in 2007 for her work on UBITh peptide immunogens
 * James C. Wang – discovered DNA topoisomerases
 * Sam Wang, neuroscientist and author
 * Shih-Chun Wang – neuroscientist and pharmacology professor
 * Xiaodong Wang, biochemist best known for his work with cytochrome c, won the 2000 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry, and 2006 Shaw Prize recipient
 * Leana Wen (温麟衍) – physician; director of Planned Parenthood, Health Commissioner of Baltimore, author
 * David T. Wong – discovered drug Fluoxetine and atomoxetine, duloxetine and dapoxetine
 * Flossie Wong-Staal – virologist and AIDS researcher
 * Junying Yu – stem cell biologist; recognized as one of the 2007 "Persons of the Year" by TIME magazine

Mathematics

 * Sun-Yung Alice Chang – professor of mathematics and chair of the department at Princeton University
 * Shiing-Shen Chern – mathematician in geometry
 * Chia-Kun Chu (朱家琨) – applied mathematician, Fu Foundation Professor Emeritus of Applied Mathematics at Columbia University
 * Terence Chi-Shen Tao (陶哲軒) – mathematician, Fields Medal winner (2006), professor (UCLA), MacArthur Fellow (2006), Crafoord Prize (2012), Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics (2014)
 * Paul Tseng – applied mathematician, professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Washington in Seattle
 * Shing-Tung Yau (丘成桐) – mathematician, Fields Medal winner (1982); MacArthur Fellow (1984), Crafoord Prize (1994), National Medal of Science (1997), Wolf Prize (2010)
 * Yitang Zhang – mathematician, known for establishing the first finite bound on gaps between prime numbers

Physics

 * Sow-Hsin Chen – nuclear physicist
 * Alfred Y. Cho – the "father of molecular beam epitaxy" and co-inventor of quantum cascade lasers
 * Paul C. W. Chu (朱經武) – physicist, superconductivity
 * Qian Xuesen (钱学森) – professor of aeronautics, a founder of NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, exiled to China
 * Frank Shu – professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California; San Diego and 2009 Shaw Prize recipient
 * Chien-Shiung Wu (吳健雄) – Manhattan Project scientist; considerable contribution to Nobel Prize work by Tsung-dao Lee
 * Nai-Chang Yeh – physicist specialized in condensed matter physics; Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science; Fellow, American Physical Society

Social sciences and humanities

 * Anthony Chan – chief economist, JPMorgan Chase; former economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and economics professor at the University of Dayton
 * Thomas W. Chinn (陈参盛 [陳參盛]) – co-founder of the Chinese American Historical Society
 * Gregory Chow (鄒至莊) – Class of 1913 Professor of Political Economy at Princeton University, known for Chow test
 * Angela Lee Duckworth – professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, MacArthur Fellow
 * William C. Hsiao – economist, professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
 * Peter Kwong – professor of Asian American studies at Hunter College and professor of sociology in the City University of New York system
 * Him Mark Lai – Professor of Chinese American studies
 * Ann Lee – professor, author and commentator on global economics and finance issues
 * Andrew Lih (酈安治) – Associate Professor of Journalism at American University
 * Huping Ling – Professor of History at Truman State University, author
 * Betty Lee Sung (宋李瑞芳) – former professor of Asian-American Studies at City College of New York; leading authority on Chinese Americans
 * Tim Wu – professor at Columbia Law School, ran unsuccessfully to become the first Chinese American lieutenant governor of New York State in 2014

University administration

 * Jim Chen – professor and former dean at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law
 * Stephen Z.D. Cheng – Professor and former Dean in the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering at the University of Akron, member of National Academic of Engineering
 * David Jung-Kuang Chiu – former Director of Asian Studies and Dean of University Advisement, Hofstra University
 * Way Kuo – President and University Distinguished Professor of the City University of Hong Kong, University Distinguished Professor and former Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee
 * Robert C. T. Lee (李崇道) – former President of National Chung Hsing University, veterinarian and brother of Tsung-dao Lee
 * Chang-Lin Tien – Chancellor of University of California, Berkeley (1990–1997)
 * Frank H. Wu – Chancellor and Dean of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (2010–2015)
 * Henry T. Yang – Chancellor of UC Santa Barbara

Sports

 * Nathan Adrian – Olympic medal winner, swimming
 * Johnny Chan – professional poker player
 * Michael Chang (張德培) – youngest male tennis player to win a Grand Slam tournament
 * Ray Chang – baseball player
 * Karen Chen (陳楷雯) – figure skater
 * Nathan Chen (陳巍) – figure skater
 * Tiffany Chin (陳婷婷) – figure skater
 * Brian Ching (程拜仁) – soccer player for Houston Dynamo and the United States national team
 * Mark Chung – first American-Chinese soccer player to play for the United States national team
 * Patrick Chung – Strong Safety for the New England Patriots
 * Amy Chow (周婉儀) – gymnast and Olympic medal winner
 * Norm Chow (周友賢) – UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator
 * Julie Chu – Olympic medal winner, ice hockey
 * Mark Foo – professional surfer
 * Christina Gao – figure skater
 * Chau Giang – poker player
 * Rudy Gunawan – badminton player
 * Tony Gunawan – badminton player
 * Ivana Hong – gymnastics
 * Jerry Hsu – skateboarder
 * John Juanda – poker player
 * Phillip King – tennis player, brother of Vania King
 * Vania King – tennis player who won both the 2010 Wimbledon Women's Doubles and 2010 US Open Women's Doubles titles
 * Karen Kwan – former figure skater, sister of Michelle Kwan
 * Michelle Kwan (關穎珊) – Olympic medal winner, figure skating
 * Jeremy Lin (林書豪) – professional basketball player
 * Corrie Lothrop – gymnastics
 * Tyson Mao – speedcuber
 * Chuck Sun – professional Motocross racer
 * Kevin Tan – Olympic medal winner, gymnastics
 * Ed Wang – professional American football player
 * Lisa Wang – rhythmic gymnastics
 * Kevin Wong – professional beach volleyball player and Olympian
 * Raymond Wu – professional poker player
 * Don Yee – sports agent
 * Al Young – World Champion drag racer
 * Caroline Zhang – figure skater

Astronauts

 * Leroy Chiao – NASA astronaut
 * Kjell N. Lindgren – NASA astronaut
 * Edward Lu – NASA astronaut
 * Taylor Wang – first ethnic Chinese scientist to go into space, in 1985 on space shuttle Challenger

Criminals

 * Wing Yeung Chan – leader of New York Ghost Shadows street gang
 * Raymond Kwok Chow (周國祥) – also known as "Shrimp Boy", mobster, leader of the San Francisco Chapter of Chinese Freemasons and San Francisco Chinatown
 * Mock Duck (世荣模拟) – New York Chinatown mobster, leader of the Hip Sing Tong
 * Johnny "Onionhead" Eng (伍少衡) – leader of New York Flying Dragons street gang
 * Wayne Lo (駱文) – murderer who perpetrated the shooting at Simon's Rock College of Bard on December 14, 1992 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
 * Danny Pang – private equity manager, accused of running a Ponzi scheme
 * Little Pete (馮正初) – San Francisco Chinatown mobster
 * Elliot Rodger – perpetrator of the 2014 Isla Vista shootings

Crime victims

 * Bow Kum – her murder was the precipitating event for infamous New York Tong war
 * Wenjian Liu – first Chinese American officer in the New York City Police Department to die in the line of duty in 2014
 * Betty Ong (鄧月薇) – flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11

Religious leaders

 * Francis Chan – preacher, founder of Cornerstone Community Church in Simi Valley, CA
 * Jacqueline Mates-Muchin – world's first Chinese-American rabbi
 * Ignatius C. Wang – Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco (2002–2009)
 * Gerrit W. Gong – Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints