Chapter 3: Being, Having and the Present
Luo Names and Their Meanings
Why Luo children are named after the time, season and circumstances of their birth: Akinyi, Odhiambo, Okeyo, Oyoo and more.
📚 Theory: Luo names.
The Luo often name their children based on the circumstances of their birth. This can include the time of day that the child was born, the season of the year, or even the weather at the time of birth. Boys names usually start with ‘O’ and girls names start with ‘A’ but its very common to have a boy named after a female relative, in which case their name would start with ‘A’. Similarly, girls could be named after a male relative in which case their names would start with ‘O’. It is believed that a deceased relative will visit the mother in a dream, and the child will be named after that deceased relative.
📚 Luo Names And Their Meanings
Luo names according to the time the child was born
| Dholuo Name (Male) | Dholuo Name (Female) | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omondi | Amondi | Child born in the morning | Derived from the verb ‘mondo’ which means ‘to wake up really early in the morning |
| Okinyi | Akinyi | Child born in the morning | Equivalent of the name Omondi/Amondi. It’s derived from the word ‘okinyi’ which means ‘the morning’ |
| Odhiambo | Adhiambo | Child born in the evening | Derived from the word ‘odhiambo’ which means ‘the evening’ |
| Otieno | Atieno | Child born at night | Derived from the word ‘otieno’ which means ‘the night’ |
📚 Luo Names And Their Meanings
Luo names according to the circumstances of the child’s birth
| Dholuo Name (Male) | Dholuo Name (Female) | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Okeyo | Akeyo | Child born during the harvesting season | Derived from the word ‘keyo’ which means ‘to harvest’ |
| Odoyo | Adoyo | Child born during the weeding season | Derived from the word ‘doyo’ which means ‘to weed’ |
| Okech | Akech | Child born during a famine | Derived from the word ‘kech’ which means ‘hunger’ |
| Olweny | Alweny | Child born during a war | Derived from the word ‘lweny’ which means ‘war’ |
| Ochieng’ | Achieng’ | Child born when the sun is shining | Derived from the word ‘chieng” which means ‘the sun’ |
| Obiero | Abiero | Child born and the placenta remains inside its mother’s womb |
📚 Luo Names And Their Meanings
Luo names according to the place of birth
| Dholuo Name (Male) | Dholuo Name (Female) | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ogot | Agot | Child born on a mountain | Derived from the word ‘got’ which means ‘hill’ or ‘mountain’ |
| Oyoo | Ayoo | Child born on the road | Derived from the word ‘yoo’ which means ‘road’ |
| Ooko | Aoko | Child born outside the homestead | Derived from the word ‘oko’ which means ‘outside’ |
✍️ What is your Luo name?
What would your Luo name be? Write 2–4 sentences.
- Choose a Luo name from this lesson
- Why would you have this name?
- Think about time of day, season, or place
- Use Dholuo as much as you can
Suggested length: up to 1000 words.
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