This ongoing study focuses on the impact of birth names on the ethnic identity of second-generation Vietnamese Americans living in and/or from Philadelphia, PA, and Houston, TX, two cities with large and well-established Vietnamese communities. Most research relating to names and ethnicity has only focused on name-based discrimination and immigrant parents’ naming decisions, but this study aims to explore the tensions on ethnic identity that may emerge from the ownership of an ethnic name component. Within the sample, there are three main name formulas: ethnic first, middle, and last name (EEE); Anglicized first name and ethnic middle and last names (AEE); and Anglicized first name, ethnic middle name, and Anglicized last name (AEA). All groups face name-related tensions in childhood and adolescence that often correlate with struggles over their connection to and strength of their ethnic identity. Each name-related tension can be broadly traced back to their experiences navigating white spaces and white social institutions, and tensions tend to ease upon transitioning into adulthood. However, the severity and specific source of each group’s tensions differ.