“The Connie Generation: How Asian-American Parents Named their Daughters after Connie Chung”

“When I was little, I was convinced that bearing the name of Connie Chung made me someone exceptional… and then I learned for others.” In a long interactive article published by the New York Times, journalist Connie Wang describes what she calls the “Connie generation”: women who owe their first name to Connie Chung, the first Asian-American journalist to present an evening newscast in the United States.

It is customary for descendants of Chinese immigrants to the United States to choose a Western-sounding first name themselves, in addition to their birth name. Arriving there at the age of three, the author of the article explains that her choice was obvious. Her name will be Connie, “like the beautiful ‘ayi’ [tante] that we see on TV”.

Later, on her first day at college, she hears someone shouting the name “Connie Wang” but eventually finds that it is not her who is being called out to. So she starts looking for all the young women called “Connie” on her campus. Surprise: she comes across a Connie Zheng, a Connie Guo, a Connie Xu, several Connie Chengs, and many Connie Wangs. “For years, I believed that my first name had a special history. I was far from suspecting that it was that of a whole generation”, she confides.

“Culture shock”

Born in the United States to a family originally from China, Connie Chung became the first Asian-American and second woman to host a major weekday news program. She appears every evening alongside Dan Rather to present international news to Americans. Because of her background, many Asian parents who immigrated to the United States in the 1970s decided to name their daughters “Connie”, hoping that they would know “the same success as her”.

“Their children have all been brought up with the dreams, worries and aspirations that come from deep culture shock. But the names these parents gave their children represent so many different approaches to dealing with this shock.”

On the occasion of this article, the New York Times invited Connie Chung along with ten other women dubbed “Connie” to pose for a photoshoot. The author, Connie Wang, unfortunately could not join the group, stranded at the other end of the country. “It was only after, listening to the recordings of that day, that I really understood that we had unwittingly caused a very strong moment”remembers the journalist.