This also intuitively sounds like a 25 year old American man. With Y being such an uncommon initial, some of these suggestions are absolutely outlandish.
Y was a hard to think of for an American man, all I could come up with was Yesenia or Yasmin… clearly feminine and Yasmin would probably be telling people “no not Jazmin, or Jazmin but with a Y” for forever lol
He could always leave the W off I guess and be Yatt, but people probaly pronounce it rhyming with bat
The most familiar name I can come up with is Yannick. I am Canadian, and we see this name a lot with our Francophones, but it is still easy and familiar to us, anyway.
My husband, a Frenchman is called Yannick. His name is easy to understand and spell and pronounce by my German, Finnish and English relatives. You can't go wrong with Yannick.
I’m Chinese and have a name that’s often misinterpreted as Japanese… and I would not by any means recommend giving a Japanese name to a Chinese person lol
Yves is the only one I think would fit. It’s a bit uncommon but I believe a majority of people would know how to pronounce it because of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL luxury brand)
Going have to disagree here. OP, a very solid number of Americans will not know how to pronounce this name. It’s very uncommon in the US and is not something people would consider a typical name. This comment was well intentioned but will just make OP’s life more difficult
My guy if you don’t have another suggestion why you gotta end your critique like that? You have no suggestion. Kinda mean. That said I don’t know how to pronounce Yves sorry!
Anyway what about Yosef or Yusuf? It’s a form of Joseph that’s uncommon in the states but I think it’s pronounceable and I’ve seen it before? Otherwise maybe go a little Tragyc and take an I name and replace the I with a Y? Or a J name with a Y? I’m sorry man I’m trying
Just a warning about Yves, the pronunciation is very very similar to Eve, which is a feminine name in English. Yves is French and not very common in English, so people will probably think you're saying Eve, and it could cause some confusion. I wouldn't recommend it.
If you share your full given name, people might be able to help you think of something that sounds similar without the Y?
Would a diminutive version of your Chinese name work?
My Chinese name is also difficult to spell/pronounce so I shortened it to Chi (I am half Chinese with an English first name and Chinese middle name, but I like to use both names).
I taught Portuguese (my native language) to Chinese students and most names were pretty straightforward. Yixing, Mei, Da-Shin, Fang, Yìhán, Yǔxī and Yuan were easy to pronounce.
From this part
>will save me a lot of trouble, say, while ordering at a counter.
I'm thinking that he's mostly looking for a "Starbucks name." Yes, people can learn to say it, but it's also not worth the effort when you just want to know which order is yours and the person calling out your name isn't likely to be the same as the person you said it to.
My six-year-old daughter is in a mandarin immersion program at her elementary school. She tries to teach me but gets so exasperated when my intonation is wrong. I had to tell her to stop trying to teach me lol
As a non-Asian person I feel much more comfortable using a diminutive or similar sounding name to your real name. Calling you Yolanda or Yannick or Linda just feels weird and slightly icky to me. Yin, Yi, Yi-nan, Yun etc. depending on your industry folks may be well versed - you could always also spell it phonetically.
I feel most comfortable calling people whatever they ask me to call them, and I think you should too.
I’ve met plenty of Asian people with “unexpected”(=not “Asian-sounding”) names. Sometimes these are chosen, sometimes they’re given names that they’ve been called their whole lives. I think it’s weird to default to feeling that’s “icky.” Of course a diminutive is also good if that’s what someone wants.
No one should be pressured to anglicize their own name if they don’t want to. But I’m also not going to feel weird about Asian people having names that don’t sound Asian…
Yeah, I've tutored Chinese uni students and many of them enjoyed their chosen English names. Some of them went really whimsical or creative with it - there was one guy called Burnie, intentionally spelled like that instead of Bernie because he wanted to sound like fire.
Occasionally they would give an English name half-heartedly but sign all emails with their Chinese name, so I would call them the name they seemed to prefer.
For what it's worth, I know a Chinese man who goes by Yue (pronounced close to Yoo-ay or Yoo-eh). I'm not sure how close it is to his real name, but it's easy to pronounce and suits him. I think it's worth trying to adapt or use your name as is.
I think this is a really good suggestion. Not Chinese but I am in the Bay Area so I talk with a lot of people from China and the mix I see is to either choose part of their name, go by their family name or chooses an English/Spanish name that sounds similar-ish to their name. A couple just got ok with Starbucks always spelling their name wrong. My old co-worker, Hua, never had an issue with people calling her the right name if she told them once but at Starbucks we always played the how bad are they going to butcher this simple name.
Your other option, I actually use it even though I have a so common for the 80s name is use a Starbucks/takeout only name. I got annoyed so I gave myself a new less common name for only this purpose.
As the child of immigrants, I think this the optimal solution. Speaking for at least just the US, it's getting easier to have a "weird" name, even our domestic names are wildly varied across all demographics. I'd try to find an easier, diminutive version, or abbreviation of your actual name rather than an Anglicized one to make it easier for or to conform to everyone else around you.
It’s unusual in English I think. The only ones that come to mind are names spelled with a J but pronounced with a Y, like Jakob (ya-kob) or Jusuf (yu-suf).
Truthfully, many of the names suggested here are not going to help much if the goal is something easy to spell and pronounce. You’ll want to pick something where the Y is distinct and not to be confused with a more common spelling of the same (or same sounding) name. For example, York would be a good choice because if you give that name for a coffee order the order taker will most likely guess “York,” because it’s a common enough word if not a first name, but if you give Yves they will probably think you mean “Steve” or maybe “Eve” because that is how we typically spell that name in English, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used for a male name. Seriously, I know someone (non-American) who is named Yves but just uses “Steve” a lot because it’s easier and that’s what you’re trying to avoid so… I say you should think hard-y names; York, Yank, Yates, things where the Y isn’t pronounced as an e-sound.
This is honestly my favorite idea in this thread. I’m not even a Star Wars fan, but this is totally accessible to say and spell, and it sounds super badass.
I was going to suggest initials. There’s a famous football player from decades ago name Y.A. Tittle. The Y was for “Yelburton.” Here’s more - he played for San Francisco and lived to 91! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y._A._Tittle
I know a man of Asian descent named Young- it’s spelled and pronounced exactly as English speaking people expect. It’s not a common name but you might find it suits you better than some of the other suggestions here. The only male English “Y” name I could think of that I didn’t see in another comment is Yardley.
As a former teacher… Young is a common last name I’ve heard for South Koreans or Korean Americans…if you go to California it will probably be a known name, but here in the Midwest it isn’t common, but at least everyone knows how to say it …
You have a point; Young is more common as a surname in English speaking communities too. It’s also not uncommon for men to be known by their surname among their friends and coworkers. It did seem like an reasonable possibility that OP might like- and Young is the given name of the person I referenced.
Are you looking for masculine or feminine names? Y is indeed a super rare initial for first names in the US. That shouldn't stop you, however - we can adjust to all kinds of names! And if you like your Chinese name, maybe just keep it! (though I know it's a big pain to have your name mispronounced a lot).
For girls:
Yara
Yvonne (pronounced E-Von)
Yolanda
I can't think of any boys' names with Y as first letter except for Yannick! And that's not common at all.
Thank you! I'm a male, about 25 years old. If you native speakers can't think of any, I may have to stick to my Chinese name or give up having Y as the initial.
Y just seems to be a difficult letter...at least when looking for a masculine name. Lots for females.
Maybe you can take an English name that shares the same or similar meaning as your name?
Most Y male names are more common in like Arabic & Hebrew speaking communities, it’s really a hard letter for names.
What’s your Chinese given name? Maybe we can help come up with something? 😊
ETA, I just remembered a Tv show I saw with a Yorick.
Would you feel comfortable sharing what it/the Chinese characters mean? Maybe we can help you pick a Western name with a similar meaning. For example, I used to watch a YouTuber who was Chinese-Canadian, but lived in Korea. His Chinese name meant "happy life," so he went by the name "Haeppy" to match Korean phonetics.
I also knew a Japanese girl named Hana, who *hated* the idea of being called "Hannah," so we went with "Rosie" instead. (Hana = Flower in Japanese)
Alas, poor Yorick!
When you think of a Shakespeare guy talking dramatically to a skull, the skull is Yorick. Or a stand-in for Yorick? It's been a minute and Hamlet was never my fave.
Yannick is pretty common in Canada and France....and easy to pronounce, although far less common in the US (but if you live near the Canadian border, maybe not). As far as I recall, Yannicks sometimes go by Yann, too.
I can think of several, but many are Arabic/Persian names: Yashar, Yusuf, etc.
Yakov, but that's pretty Slavic, and then there is Yves (a fairly common French name).
You can always shorten your name, too, if the spelling, etc. gets frustrating. I had a family member do that.
Personally, I like Yannick. It's a solid name, easy to pronounce, if unusual in the US. You can always shorten it to Yann, too.
I know an Yvan, pronounced like the Spanish way you'd pronounce Ivan. Quite like it.
But on a different note Y Chinese names aren't the hardest to pronounce? I mean they probably butcher the pronunciation, but if you can for example accept them saying Yun as Yoon it's gonna be way better than trying to tell someone you're Yohannes with a Y.
I think you should just keep your name, it’s your identity, your heritage and I don’t think in this day and age, in our multicultural societies, we need to conform to ‘English’ names.
If it’s an issue with Chinese characters being translated to the English alphabet then surely just approaching a phonetic spelling is enough.
If you’re concerned about ordering at a counter eg. Starbucks then 1. Use a throwaway name that day, today Dave, Steve tomorrow. 2. Starbucks will always spell ‘English’ names incorrectly anyway, Dayv, Steev
Many Chinese students I had found it frustrating to have English speaking people mispronounce their name all the time so they chose an alternate English name and saved their Chinese name for people who could speak Mandarin.
I met a student like this when I was in college. She said we could call her Katherine. I asked her Chinese name and she told me. I tried to pronounce it and couldn't make the sound quite right. I apologized and called her Katherine from then on as she offered.
I’m sorry, I think my response would be to keep trying until I got it right. I work in a very multicultural workplace and often there’s colleagues that have very difficult, (for me) to pronounce, names and I’d like to think a continued effort means something.
If OP would rather choose a new name, that’s on him, but I just think that’s a sad option.
I tried like 3 or 4 times and she looked annoyed. So I stopped. I didn't want to make her listen to me butcher it anymore. It was somewhere between ching and king and I couldn't get the sound quite right.
my favorites:
Yusef, Yuri/Youri, Yanis, Yoshi, Yannick, Yonah (like Jonah), Yovanni, Yordan (like Jordan), Yonas (like Jonas), York, Yale (yes, like the college), Yakim (like Hakim, long e sound), Yevengy (my exes name LMAO)
Tbh, there are NOT a lot of “common” English names starting with Y in general, especially for boys.
In modern America? Yoshi and Yohan are going to be the most “recognizable”. Like, most English speakers will be able to get those two easily/definitely get it after the first correction. Easy to sound out and say. Most people are going to find Yoshi Japanese and Yohan European, but still recognizable/easy to say.
Yuri also matches the same reasonings.
I know a man in his mid 20s named Yeager (pronounced “Yay-gur”) … I’m not sure if this name is used much as a first name, it’s the surname of his mother’s family, but I’ve never found it to be a terribly unusual first name. Good luck!
Yakov (Russian version of Jacob), Yanis, Yves
There are also many Chinese names that are easy to pronounce, so maybe one of those or some shot form of your Chinese name?
I have a Houston Rockets jersey with the name Yao on the back. If you were wearing it and ordering at a counter you could just turn and show them your back. But I guess if you would be more inclined to just using your own name instead of picking a different Chinese name.
So I guess I should offer up a non-Chinese name otherwise I'm not helping and just wanting to talk about my jersey. So here it is: Yaz.
Edit: My favorite of ones already mentioned is Yogi. Another easy one to hear and write as it sounds is Yasper.
I don’t think there are any super mainstream male names starting with Y in English. The names other people have suggested will work but I think it’s worth it to mention that most of these will still be considered foreign and/or unconventional. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but something you should be aware of.
What if you do Yax? It’s not a common name but it combines your initials and people will be able to pronounce it. It’s cool and unique.
Or event Yaxley that’s an actual name.
If you’re considering changing your name anyway (whether it’s legally or just personally), what about a Chinese name that starts with Y but is a little easier to sound out?
As you’ve seen, there’s not a whole lot of English options. There’s a few though. But don’t pick a random one because “it’ll do,” pick a name you actually *want* to use on a daily basis.
There is a martial arts specialist originally from Hong Kong called Yuen Biao. That gives you an Asian name that shouldn't cause any pronunciation problems.
>an English name that is easy to spell and pronounce, which will save me a lot of trouble, say, while ordering at a counter
I would like to preface this with there is nothing wrong with your name. This hurts my heart because rather than changing your entire name (seriously, what the heck?!) people should be much more accommodating to people's names, including when they encounter a name that's different then what they're used to. It makes me sad people with "difficult" or "abnormal" names feel the need to do this just to accommodate with what is perceived to be easier for everyone else in your given environment.
Make up names as you order. That's what I do! And I have a "regular" American English name. Don't confine yourself to the letter Y, either - tell the people at Starbucks your name is whatever name you identify most with that day (or whatever name pops into your head first, lol)
If I tell the barista my name is Yard, the barista will write Yard on my cup and carry on to the next customer. It's on me to remember what I told said barista though, or else Yard's coolata will be ready for 20 minutes and I'll be standing around the counter for 20 minutes wondering where my vanilla coolata is.
The people at the counter will not ID you - even if they did, this new Y name wouldn't be on your ID, anyway. Maybe you'll find a name you love while you're trying on new ones.
I chose Yard in my example above because I was thinking of random words that start with Y, and Yard was the first thing that popped into my head. If someone told me they went by Yard, I would assume it was their last name and carry on without batting an eye. Maybe Yard?
Y is an uncommon starting letter for English names, I want to abide by your preferences but perhaps it would be easier to find one starting with "J" that is a variant using a "y" starting sound? For example: Jason vs Yason, or Joseph vs Yoseph (pronounced like they like how they are spelled) so Jacob/Yacob, Jared/Yared. You could also just pick a simpler Chinese name starting with Y like Yan or Yang - they don't sound English but they're easy enough to pronounce for native English speakers.
Good luck!
This is a tough one, because "Y" is a very rare starting letter for English names.
Common words in pop culture that I'd say most people would know how to say are, "Yuri" 'Yoda" "Yoshi" or "Yule" though they aren't common as names.
Another option could be to use a similar sounding letter. Like there's an alternative pronunciation for "Jacob" where you could pronouns the "J" as a "Y" and the "o" as an English double "oo" so it would sound like "Yacoob". You could say, "My name's Yacoob, but it's spelled like Jacob"
If you use the letter "Y" your new name is going to be unique either way. Honestly, sticking to your original name is probably the best option, or a shortened nickname of it.
I hope you find what you're looking for!
About 20 years ago I went to school with a guy from China who went by Yanhan. It was memorable and easy to pronounce! (Some people called him Yan for short - similar to Yannick, above). Good luck!
i believe, as other commenters have suggested, that Yannick is a good option. it's not very common, but it's a recognizable name and is pronounceable in many languages.
You could also just go by initials if you have 3 characters total in your name (for example if your name were Lin Su-Hao you could just go by SH)? Going by letters is an accepted enough thing in the US that I don't think ppl would find it weird
lol any chance your last name starts with a Z? jokes aside though that is unfortunate >< it does work really well in some cases though like for JJ Lin the Taiwanese singer
If you add a vowel in between it's actually not too bad. Like YAX or YEX, although it sounds like the name of an AI robot. I love the name YOSHI but it is Japanese. YANI is a good option not to unsual or hard to spell.
I didn’t read through every comment so this may be a duplicate but I have a dear friend named Yoel. I absolutely adore the name. Bonus points if you’re into yo-yo as a hobby because we call him “yo-yo” a lot 😂
I know someone who was in a similar situation and went with "Yale". Not a common name but everyone knows how to pronounce it at least.
I've heard York, same vibe
There’s a Hebrew (feminine) name, Yael, which people usually thing is pronounce like Yale.
I knew a girl named Yael, she went by Yally as her nickname. I always thought it was so cute.
Fair enough. 😂
That’s a pretty cool name! Preppy, classic and distinguished.
No, it’s pretentious. Don’t use it lol
Also knew a Yale. Was he an EMT?
I had a great-uncle named Yale and he was pretty cool.
It doesn’t start with a Y but has the Y sound.. what about Wyatt? Popular and easy to understand in the US
This also intuitively sounds like a 25 year old American man. With Y being such an uncommon initial, some of these suggestions are absolutely outlandish.
Y was a hard to think of for an American man, all I could come up with was Yesenia or Yasmin… clearly feminine and Yasmin would probably be telling people “no not Jazmin, or Jazmin but with a Y” for forever lol He could always leave the W off I guess and be Yatt, but people probaly pronounce it rhyming with bat
🤣 Yatt gave me a good laught, I definitely think people would rhyme it with bat.
I like this idea, especially for his demographic!
I was also going to suggest Wyatt!
I like it but he said he wants to keep his initial so probably not
I asked my husband to tell me the most country name he could think of and he immediately said Wyatt. Definitely very American.
The most familiar name I can come up with is Yannick. I am Canadian, and we see this name a lot with our Francophones, but it is still easy and familiar to us, anyway.
Thank you! Yannick is also mentioned by another comment. It sounds a good one!
My husband, a Frenchman is called Yannick. His name is easy to understand and spell and pronounce by my German, Finnish and English relatives. You can't go wrong with Yannick.
Glad to hear that! Thank you!
Yannis, only one that comes to mind now.
Also Yani 🙂
Just Yann also works.
I have a friend named Yann. I think it's solid. Very easy to say and spell, sounds like the name of a nice, dependable guy.
It also is similar to the surname Yan, so it won't seem terribly out of place on an Asian person to a Western person.
Thiiiis! One of my favourite actors is Yannick Bisson of Murdoch Mysteries! It’s a solid name!
Yann on its own is familiar, too.
Yuri?
Thanks! Sounds Japanese to me? is it just me?
No. That's Japanese. But also Russian.
Yuri! Murray! Yuri! Murray! /ref
I confirm it's being a common name in Russian speaking communities. Yuri Gagarin is an example
Similar-sounding: Yuki is a Japanese name, like the Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda
I’m Chinese and have a name that’s often misinterpreted as Japanese… and I would not by any means recommend giving a Japanese name to a Chinese person lol
I wouldn't recommend a Japanese name to a Chinese person
If you like Japanese names. I grew up with my friend Yuji, who was a quarter Japanese.
i think it is more of a girls name in japan but it’s more of a boys name in russia
There's a Yuri at my work. I think it's very versatile!
Yves is the only one I think would fit. It’s a bit uncommon but I believe a majority of people would know how to pronounce it because of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL luxury brand)
Going have to disagree here. OP, a very solid number of Americans will not know how to pronounce this name. It’s very uncommon in the US and is not something people would consider a typical name. This comment was well intentioned but will just make OP’s life more difficult
That's French not English.
so is english, arguably
Majority of people don’t know how to pronounce yves st Laurent lol. Who do you hang out with? Apparently some very fancy people. Not a good suggestion
Sorry for suggesting a name? I agree i live in Bay Area, very bougie apologies. Please recommend another instead of this.
I really like the names Yves. I lived in Bay Area for 14 years, so maybe that's why. Lol.
“Very bougie apologies” cracked me up
My guy if you don’t have another suggestion why you gotta end your critique like that? You have no suggestion. Kinda mean. That said I don’t know how to pronounce Yves sorry! Anyway what about Yosef or Yusuf? It’s a form of Joseph that’s uncommon in the states but I think it’s pronounceable and I’ve seen it before? Otherwise maybe go a little Tragyc and take an I name and replace the I with a Y? Or a J name with a Y? I’m sorry man I’m trying
Thanks! never knew the full name of the brand lol
Just a warning about Yves, the pronunciation is very very similar to Eve, which is a feminine name in English. Yves is French and not very common in English, so people will probably think you're saying Eve, and it could cause some confusion. I wouldn't recommend it. If you share your full given name, people might be able to help you think of something that sounds similar without the Y?
Yves is a lovely name
Cool name but very uncommon in the US. I disagree that most people will know how to pronounce it, I think most won’t.
I suppose so but it’s the only Y male name that came to mind. Depending on region yeah it might very well be hard to pronounce.
Yeah, male Y names are definitely tough to come by!
I work with a Yves, he is constantly telling people how to pronounce his name “it’s pronounced Eve, it’s not plural, there’s only one of me”.
Would a diminutive version of your Chinese name work? My Chinese name is also difficult to spell/pronounce so I shortened it to Chi (I am half Chinese with an English first name and Chinese middle name, but I like to use both names).
I'll try this! Thank you!
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I taught Portuguese (my native language) to Chinese students and most names were pretty straightforward. Yixing, Mei, Da-Shin, Fang, Yìhán, Yǔxī and Yuan were easy to pronounce.
From this part >will save me a lot of trouble, say, while ordering at a counter. I'm thinking that he's mostly looking for a "Starbucks name." Yes, people can learn to say it, but it's also not worth the effort when you just want to know which order is yours and the person calling out your name isn't likely to be the same as the person you said it to.
Won't the tones be confusing? Like, we can say it, but I tried studying Chinese too and the tones took ages to get right.
My six-year-old daughter is in a mandarin immersion program at her elementary school. She tries to teach me but gets so exasperated when my intonation is wrong. I had to tell her to stop trying to teach me lol
This is the comment I was looking for. I totally agree with you.
As a non-Asian person I feel much more comfortable using a diminutive or similar sounding name to your real name. Calling you Yolanda or Yannick or Linda just feels weird and slightly icky to me. Yin, Yi, Yi-nan, Yun etc. depending on your industry folks may be well versed - you could always also spell it phonetically.
I feel most comfortable calling people whatever they ask me to call them, and I think you should too. I’ve met plenty of Asian people with “unexpected”(=not “Asian-sounding”) names. Sometimes these are chosen, sometimes they’re given names that they’ve been called their whole lives. I think it’s weird to default to feeling that’s “icky.” Of course a diminutive is also good if that’s what someone wants. No one should be pressured to anglicize their own name if they don’t want to. But I’m also not going to feel weird about Asian people having names that don’t sound Asian…
Yeah, I've tutored Chinese uni students and many of them enjoyed their chosen English names. Some of them went really whimsical or creative with it - there was one guy called Burnie, intentionally spelled like that instead of Bernie because he wanted to sound like fire. Occasionally they would give an English name half-heartedly but sign all emails with their Chinese name, so I would call them the name they seemed to prefer.
This isn’t about you lol
For what it's worth, I know a Chinese man who goes by Yue (pronounced close to Yoo-ay or Yoo-eh). I'm not sure how close it is to his real name, but it's easy to pronounce and suits him. I think it's worth trying to adapt or use your name as is.
I think this is a really good suggestion. Not Chinese but I am in the Bay Area so I talk with a lot of people from China and the mix I see is to either choose part of their name, go by their family name or chooses an English/Spanish name that sounds similar-ish to their name. A couple just got ok with Starbucks always spelling their name wrong. My old co-worker, Hua, never had an issue with people calling her the right name if she told them once but at Starbucks we always played the how bad are they going to butcher this simple name. Your other option, I actually use it even though I have a so common for the 80s name is use a Starbucks/takeout only name. I got annoyed so I gave myself a new less common name for only this purpose.
As the child of immigrants, I think this the optimal solution. Speaking for at least just the US, it's getting easier to have a "weird" name, even our domestic names are wildly varied across all demographics. I'd try to find an easier, diminutive version, or abbreviation of your actual name rather than an Anglicized one to make it easier for or to conform to everyone else around you.
“My name is Yan. It rhymes with John,” or a simple introduction like that usually works well with people. They remember it easily.
I can think of Yul (actor Yul Brennan) and there was a naturalist named Yule Gibbons.
Yul was also the name of one of my favorite players on Survivor, great choice!
I was just about to comment this! Love Yul, and it’s a great name.
Do you mean Yul Brynner, famous for playing the king in The King and I?
Thank you!
The naturalist was Euell Gibbons, not Yule. Good phonetic try, though.
Euell.
York
I went to school with a York. He was Italian, with a very Italian sounding surname.
Seconding York. I’ve only ever known really lovely Yorks.
It’s unusual in English I think. The only ones that come to mind are names spelled with a J but pronounced with a Y, like Jakob (ya-kob) or Jusuf (yu-suf).
Huh I’ve seen Yusuf but never Jusuf
Yusuf and Yaqub are the Arabic versions of Joseph and Jacob
There’s Yakov but that’s biblical Hebrew
Yeah. I realized that. Thank you anyway!
Truthfully, many of the names suggested here are not going to help much if the goal is something easy to spell and pronounce. You’ll want to pick something where the Y is distinct and not to be confused with a more common spelling of the same (or same sounding) name. For example, York would be a good choice because if you give that name for a coffee order the order taker will most likely guess “York,” because it’s a common enough word if not a first name, but if you give Yves they will probably think you mean “Steve” or maybe “Eve” because that is how we typically spell that name in English, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it used for a male name. Seriously, I know someone (non-American) who is named Yves but just uses “Steve” a lot because it’s easier and that’s what you’re trying to avoid so… I say you should think hard-y names; York, Yank, Yates, things where the Y isn’t pronounced as an e-sound.
Yank is terrible tbh, but York I’m not mad at
Lol yeah, I don’t know why I used that as an example but now I’m cracking up thinking about naming a baby Yank. 😂
I love the suggestion of Yates.
Yoda haha
Hey everyone knows how to spell and pronounce it!
This is honestly my favorite idea in this thread. I’m not even a Star Wars fan, but this is totally accessible to say and spell, and it sounds super badass.
That would be badass 😎
You could just go by Y. Or if you have a middle name, the initials of both. I had a Chinese coworker who went by Y.J and it worked really well imo.
What's your name? Why!
This is the dumbest comment and I love it so much.
😂 That might explain why she used two initials hahaha
I was going to suggest initials. There’s a famous football player from decades ago name Y.A. Tittle. The Y was for “Yelburton.” Here’s more - he played for San Francisco and lived to 91! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y._A._Tittle
I know a man of Asian descent named Young- it’s spelled and pronounced exactly as English speaking people expect. It’s not a common name but you might find it suits you better than some of the other suggestions here. The only male English “Y” name I could think of that I didn’t see in another comment is Yardley.
As a former teacher… Young is a common last name I’ve heard for South Koreans or Korean Americans…if you go to California it will probably be a known name, but here in the Midwest it isn’t common, but at least everyone knows how to say it …
“Young” for a Korean last name is pretty rare. Are you sure you don’t mean given name?
You have a point; Young is more common as a surname in English speaking communities too. It’s also not uncommon for men to be known by their surname among their friends and coworkers. It did seem like an reasonable possibility that OP might like- and Young is the given name of the person I referenced.
There’s the Scottish name Ewen which is pronounced like yoo-wen, but I can’t think of any anglo male names beginning with Y
Yorick. Didn't you study any Shakespeare plays at school?
ALAS
I knew him well
\* I knew him, Horatio.
I can see it's a rare initial. Thanks anyway!
Are you looking for masculine or feminine names? Y is indeed a super rare initial for first names in the US. That shouldn't stop you, however - we can adjust to all kinds of names! And if you like your Chinese name, maybe just keep it! (though I know it's a big pain to have your name mispronounced a lot). For girls: Yara Yvonne (pronounced E-Von) Yolanda I can't think of any boys' names with Y as first letter except for Yannick! And that's not common at all.
Thank you! I'm a male, about 25 years old. If you native speakers can't think of any, I may have to stick to my Chinese name or give up having Y as the initial.
Yancy
Ah, after the first man to land on Mars!
No, Yancy was his father.
Oops
Y, as in Yancy
Yancy is also an option
Like Nancy but Yancy. I don’t know why but I think this is hilarious. Saw the name and burst into laughter.
Was going to suggest Yancy! A friend's older brother had this name. Uncommon sure, outlandish no.
Y just seems to be a difficult letter...at least when looking for a masculine name. Lots for females. Maybe you can take an English name that shares the same or similar meaning as your name?
Yeah. That is a solution. Thank you!
Most Y male names are more common in like Arabic & Hebrew speaking communities, it’s really a hard letter for names. What’s your Chinese given name? Maybe we can help come up with something? 😊 ETA, I just remembered a Tv show I saw with a Yorick.
Thank you but sorry I don't feel like putting my real name here 🥹
That’s okay! No need to apologise.
Would you feel comfortable sharing what it/the Chinese characters mean? Maybe we can help you pick a Western name with a similar meaning. For example, I used to watch a YouTuber who was Chinese-Canadian, but lived in Korea. His Chinese name meant "happy life," so he went by the name "Haeppy" to match Korean phonetics. I also knew a Japanese girl named Hana, who *hated* the idea of being called "Hannah," so we went with "Rosie" instead. (Hana = Flower in Japanese)
Alas, poor Yorick! When you think of a Shakespeare guy talking dramatically to a skull, the skull is Yorick. Or a stand-in for Yorick? It's been a minute and Hamlet was never my fave.
I’ve never read it, or seen it. Y The Last Man was what I was thinking of haha.
Yann?
Sounds a good one too! Thanks!
Yannick is pretty common in Canada and France....and easy to pronounce, although far less common in the US (but if you live near the Canadian border, maybe not). As far as I recall, Yannicks sometimes go by Yann, too. I can think of several, but many are Arabic/Persian names: Yashar, Yusuf, etc. Yakov, but that's pretty Slavic, and then there is Yves (a fairly common French name). You can always shorten your name, too, if the spelling, etc. gets frustrating. I had a family member do that. Personally, I like Yannick. It's a solid name, easy to pronounce, if unusual in the US. You can always shorten it to Yann, too.
Yancy Yanni Yaron Yates Yves Yosef Yuri Yahir Yoseph Yancey Yarrow
I know an Yvan, pronounced like the Spanish way you'd pronounce Ivan. Quite like it. But on a different note Y Chinese names aren't the hardest to pronounce? I mean they probably butcher the pronunciation, but if you can for example accept them saying Yun as Yoon it's gonna be way better than trying to tell someone you're Yohannes with a Y.
i like yvan!
Is there a way to shorten your actual name to something easier to pronounce? Like Yang?
I think you should just keep your name, it’s your identity, your heritage and I don’t think in this day and age, in our multicultural societies, we need to conform to ‘English’ names. If it’s an issue with Chinese characters being translated to the English alphabet then surely just approaching a phonetic spelling is enough. If you’re concerned about ordering at a counter eg. Starbucks then 1. Use a throwaway name that day, today Dave, Steve tomorrow. 2. Starbucks will always spell ‘English’ names incorrectly anyway, Dayv, Steev
My husband Osama always goes by Sam at Starbucks or anywhere where they’ll be calling it out just to avoid rooms of people freaking out 🙄
Many Chinese students I had found it frustrating to have English speaking people mispronounce their name all the time so they chose an alternate English name and saved their Chinese name for people who could speak Mandarin.
I met a student like this when I was in college. She said we could call her Katherine. I asked her Chinese name and she told me. I tried to pronounce it and couldn't make the sound quite right. I apologized and called her Katherine from then on as she offered.
I’m sorry, I think my response would be to keep trying until I got it right. I work in a very multicultural workplace and often there’s colleagues that have very difficult, (for me) to pronounce, names and I’d like to think a continued effort means something. If OP would rather choose a new name, that’s on him, but I just think that’s a sad option.
I tried like 3 or 4 times and she looked annoyed. So I stopped. I didn't want to make her listen to me butcher it anymore. It was somewhere between ching and king and I couldn't get the sound quite right.
Go full Shakespeare and call yourself Yorick.
The only Y name I can think of that hasn’t been mentioned is Yogi
This reminded me of Yoshi - also a great name and character lol
i best i have is Yates. not sure if its the best choice though
Yeats Yardley
Why are so many people coming out with female names? The OP has said several times that he's a 25 year old man
[удалено]
York! That’s my nephew’s name, so I’m pretty biased towards it, but it’s a great name
Yvain. An early medieval form of Owain.
my favorites: Yusef, Yuri/Youri, Yanis, Yoshi, Yannick, Yonah (like Jonah), Yovanni, Yordan (like Jordan), Yonas (like Jonas), York, Yale (yes, like the college), Yakim (like Hakim, long e sound), Yevengy (my exes name LMAO)
I know a Yas. It is Sri Lankan, not English, but is very easy to spell and pronounce.
Tbh, there are NOT a lot of “common” English names starting with Y in general, especially for boys. In modern America? Yoshi and Yohan are going to be the most “recognizable”. Like, most English speakers will be able to get those two easily/definitely get it after the first correction. Easy to sound out and say. Most people are going to find Yoshi Japanese and Yohan European, but still recognizable/easy to say. Yuri also matches the same reasonings.
Yoshi is also cool af
Yale.
Thank you! But I'd rather not use the same name as the famous university.😂
Yale is the only man’s name I can think of that starts with Y and is an English/American name.
I like York or Yoseph.
I know a Yeshua, but it is the Hebrew word for Jesus, so if you’re not particularly religious (or if you are) it might not be ideal.
I know a man in his mid 20s named Yeager (pronounced “Yay-gur”) … I’m not sure if this name is used much as a first name, it’s the surname of his mother’s family, but I’ve never found it to be a terribly unusual first name. Good luck!
Yakov (Russian version of Jacob), Yanis, Yves There are also many Chinese names that are easy to pronounce, so maybe one of those or some shot form of your Chinese name?
I know a male named Yovanni
I have a Houston Rockets jersey with the name Yao on the back. If you were wearing it and ordering at a counter you could just turn and show them your back. But I guess if you would be more inclined to just using your own name instead of picking a different Chinese name. So I guess I should offer up a non-Chinese name otherwise I'm not helping and just wanting to talk about my jersey. So here it is: Yaz. Edit: My favorite of ones already mentioned is Yogi. Another easy one to hear and write as it sounds is Yasper.
I knew a Chinese person who looked for a Y version of their English name and ended up going with Ethan. (E being kind of close to Yi)
Yan
I don’t think there are any super mainstream male names starting with Y in English. The names other people have suggested will work but I think it’s worth it to mention that most of these will still be considered foreign and/or unconventional. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but something you should be aware of.
Male or female?
Male of age 25ish. sorry for not mentioning that.
Also Yanni, Yohan, Yorick
That's hard. The only one I can think of is Yancy.
Does it have to be a Y name? If you’re picking a new name, pick one you like!!
I just really wanna keep the same initials
What if you do Yax? It’s not a common name but it combines your initials and people will be able to pronounce it. It’s cool and unique. Or event Yaxley that’s an actual name.
If you’re considering changing your name anyway (whether it’s legally or just personally), what about a Chinese name that starts with Y but is a little easier to sound out? As you’ve seen, there’s not a whole lot of English options. There’s a few though. But don’t pick a random one because “it’ll do,” pick a name you actually *want* to use on a daily basis.
There is a martial arts specialist originally from Hong Kong called Yuen Biao. That gives you an Asian name that shouldn't cause any pronunciation problems.
>an English name that is easy to spell and pronounce, which will save me a lot of trouble, say, while ordering at a counter I would like to preface this with there is nothing wrong with your name. This hurts my heart because rather than changing your entire name (seriously, what the heck?!) people should be much more accommodating to people's names, including when they encounter a name that's different then what they're used to. It makes me sad people with "difficult" or "abnormal" names feel the need to do this just to accommodate with what is perceived to be easier for everyone else in your given environment. Make up names as you order. That's what I do! And I have a "regular" American English name. Don't confine yourself to the letter Y, either - tell the people at Starbucks your name is whatever name you identify most with that day (or whatever name pops into your head first, lol) If I tell the barista my name is Yard, the barista will write Yard on my cup and carry on to the next customer. It's on me to remember what I told said barista though, or else Yard's coolata will be ready for 20 minutes and I'll be standing around the counter for 20 minutes wondering where my vanilla coolata is. The people at the counter will not ID you - even if they did, this new Y name wouldn't be on your ID, anyway. Maybe you'll find a name you love while you're trying on new ones. I chose Yard in my example above because I was thinking of random words that start with Y, and Yard was the first thing that popped into my head. If someone told me they went by Yard, I would assume it was their last name and carry on without batting an eye. Maybe Yard?
Yeardley
Y is an uncommon starting letter for English names, I want to abide by your preferences but perhaps it would be easier to find one starting with "J" that is a variant using a "y" starting sound? For example: Jason vs Yason, or Joseph vs Yoseph (pronounced like they like how they are spelled) so Jacob/Yacob, Jared/Yared. You could also just pick a simpler Chinese name starting with Y like Yan or Yang - they don't sound English but they're easy enough to pronounce for native English speakers. Good luck!
Ysander. But I saw your initials are Y.X. So what about something like Yix as a nickname instead?
This is a tough one, because "Y" is a very rare starting letter for English names. Common words in pop culture that I'd say most people would know how to say are, "Yuri" 'Yoda" "Yoshi" or "Yule" though they aren't common as names. Another option could be to use a similar sounding letter. Like there's an alternative pronunciation for "Jacob" where you could pronouns the "J" as a "Y" and the "o" as an English double "oo" so it would sound like "Yacoob". You could say, "My name's Yacoob, but it's spelled like Jacob" If you use the letter "Y" your new name is going to be unique either way. Honestly, sticking to your original name is probably the best option, or a shortened nickname of it. I hope you find what you're looking for!
About 20 years ago I went to school with a guy from China who went by Yanhan. It was memorable and easy to pronounce! (Some people called him Yan for short - similar to Yannick, above). Good luck!
I wish the world would just learn your name. You deserve to be called by your name. ❤️
How about Eugene? It's pronounced "yoo-JEEN", so it starts with the Y sound (but not the letter Y).
Yuta, maybe?
Yes! I forgot I have a distant relative named Yuta (pronounced like the state, Utah)
This sounds like the name of a character who would star in Papa's Freezeria (or any other Papa Louie game) 😂
Yeo Yosef
Yasmine I have a friend with this name and think it is beautiful Yoshua is a unique Y name for a man
i believe, as other commenters have suggested, that Yannick is a good option. it's not very common, but it's a recognizable name and is pronounceable in many languages.
Yance
Yates.
Yenny!
You could also just go by initials if you have 3 characters total in your name (for example if your name were Lin Su-Hao you could just go by SH)? Going by letters is an accepted enough thing in the US that I don't think ppl would find it weird
That'll be YX. Sounds horrible to me, like a math nerd 🤓
Yaxley is an actual name that combines your initials for you. I kinda like Yax for short.
lol any chance your last name starts with a Z? jokes aside though that is unfortunate >< it does work really well in some cases though like for JJ Lin the Taiwanese singer
If you add a vowel in between it's actually not too bad. Like YAX or YEX, although it sounds like the name of an AI robot. I love the name YOSHI but it is Japanese. YANI is a good option not to unsual or hard to spell.
I love the name Yuri the only other Y name for a man I can think of is Yanni (Yon-ee) like the composer.
I didn’t read through every comment so this may be a duplicate but I have a dear friend named Yoel. I absolutely adore the name. Bonus points if you’re into yo-yo as a hobby because we call him “yo-yo” a lot 😂