Why do Asians fake their names?

It's not uncommon among non-western cultures.

Africans have been westernizing their names for a long time. In UK, many African people you meet will have 2 first names. Legally.

It's just that the US doesn't have many actual African 1/2nd gen immigrants so this is not well known.

It's also pretty obvious why. Westerners can have trouble with non-western names (which I think is usually laziness but that's a different discussion). Easiest way to get over this friction is to use a western name.

Cause nobody is gonna be able to remember / pronounce / write correctly something like Wen-shaio

thought you were talking about chinese kids giving themselves ridiculous names like Lebron, Kobe etc. While the girls pick some obscure name out of a 50s sitcom like candace, Chelsea, met a madonna once lmfao 

Because you would have probably complained if one's name was Wen Yao or Shi Wei saying that its too hard for you to pronounce anyways. 

So...complain they don't integrate, then complain when they do.

Got it

I grew up with a weird name that everyone mispronounces. What they're doing is very smart.

OP has a valid point, not clear why there is backlash. Some of these Chinese have really ridiculous first names and it simply does not align with how they carry themselves or behave (no issues with that, you can stick to your culture but then do not pretend to portray yourself as Westernized).

In short, it is a facade. 

This works both ways. When you learn Chinese you are given a Chinese name and that is the name you use when speaking mandarin. It is just part of the language learning process

They're doing you a favour. You think it's ridiculous? Then ask each one you meet for their govvy or whatever their parents named them and call them by that. Let's see how well you pronounce them. 

What an extremely provincial question to ask, lol.  First time workin' in The Big City?

Indians routinely shorten their names to make them easier to pronounce for westerners. Chinese people pick western names (and amusingly, often names that were in fashion decades ago.) 

Is this your first time leaving South Dakota?

I'm a bit data-obsessed so I once spent a weekend digging into this rabbit hole just talking to bunch of people while in school.

The biggest reasons are - 1) to fit in, 2) because it's fun! It's basically like you going on "choose my Japanese name" generator running it then showing it to friends for fun when you are bored and have nothing better to do; 3) because their Asian names come from their parents and they want to choose their own to define their identity, 4) some names sound weird in English - I once knew a guy whose name sounded like "Suck One". And there's this other guy "One Yuck". I mean just imagine your name being Gary and going to Japan because that's the word for diarrhea over there. Or imagine introducing yourself in Chinese if your name is Ben because they'd think you're telling them "Hi my name is retard".

Not ordered in any specific order and each individual can have 2-3 overlapping reasons.

presume that it's also fun. I assume it's also a bit like celebs choosing their own names. That culture is very much a thing in East Asia to choose your own name - it means you are controlling your own destiny instead of one 

Let's set aside the fact that Indians are Asians too... you've never seen Indians and Hispanics making up their own first names, you say? Ted Cruz and Bobby Jindal are disappointed

I mean if I moved abroad I'd most likely go by something else, too. 

While we're on this topic we should consider surname-shaming the Polish into Anglicizing their names. I cannot for the life of me pronounce a single one of them correctly.

I'll help out the fellow Polish-Americans who will need to change their surname after we make this a rule:

Nowak is now Newman

Kowalski is now Smith

Wisniewski is now Perry

Dabrowski is now Oakenshield

Kaminski is now Peters

Kowalczyk (lol what) is now Turner

Zielinski is now Lee

Szymanski is now Simpson

Wozniak is now Clark

Kozlowski is now Goddard

You're welcome.

I grew up in California and am Indian origin who travelled that eastern axis so I am more than qualified and thank you for calling them out. you don't see it with Japanese. you don't see it with Indonesians. Malaysians.

I'm Indian and I know ASEAN nations and SouthEast Asia due to extensive travel there.

Indonesians, Malaysians, Brunei people are very proud.  No comment of Filipinos because they are not even Asian remotely they are such a distinct peoples.

Same for Japanese ethnic. I've studied in California and grew up there so I became very fond of who is who in the bloc.

Generally it's Koreans or Chinese or wannabe whites from Colonial overhang like Hong Kong.

When I see Anglo Celtic Teuton names like William, Alvin I also get a huge laugh.

But it's unfair to say all of them do it. I think some are shamed of identity and some are indifferent and inferiority complex may play a role.

I will put the Hong Kong at worst of worst. I noticed they bring this "I want to be white" complex too when they go abroad. After whitey in the Cello, Saxophone - it's always them. Like they have 0 originality. Just do whatever whitey does to get social cred.

I frankly find Arabs, Indians, Middle East crowd more honorable. There is 0 to little ethnic identity betrayal regardless of what whitey thinks.

Top tier ragebait but no ones really said this yet so I'll bite. The biggest reason is simply because you have 0 shot of pronouncing their actual name. East Asian languages have phonetics that are extremly different from western languages. Those Hispanic and Indian names are way easier to say then Chinese, Vietnemese, and Thai for example. Its not that you cant pronounce them "correctly" you just cant pronounce them at all so it would be stupid to try and use their real names in conversation because you probably wouldnt be able to remember it either. I'd rather just put Jimmy into my phone than try and figure out how to spell some dudes name I cant pronounce. 

Also as an American who can speak a little Mandarin and has spent time in China you are expected to do the exact same thing they do here and adopt a "Chinese name" that is often completley different from your real name. Imagine trying to phonetically sound out your English name to Mandarin speakers and have them remember it. It doesnt work because the sounds are completley different. 

If your ancestors are from Europe (especially Germania) your last name is also westernized

because it aint turning anyone one imagine getting smashed by Fan Bu Ming

in the tri-state many chinese and korean families picked american names based off names that were ubiquitous among ivy league attendees. they chose names intentionally to blend in and fit a certain preconceived status. they followed their own trends that at the time were clustered around more traditional/popular English/UK names. Not so much the saint names/religious/country of origin names as is common in some tri-state communities. these trends have shifted since then as what names associate with high status is different from 30 years ago.

It's only gonna last a couple more years, if that. Once they take Taiwan, they're gonna stop doing that and make us learn how to pronounce Zhang/Qiang/Li etc. correctly.

If you see a Chinese or Indian name you just immediately assume they’re back office.

Self hatred, it reminds me of those Iranians and Lebanese people who are like “I’m not Arab 🤓👆”