Daytime/Seasonal Names

The Luo have a tradition of naming their children for the time of day or year they're born. For instance, the head of TICH's Health Sciences Department, Stephen Okeyo, was born during harvest time, as indicated by “Okeyo.” The men's names start with “O” and the women's with “A.” Most Luo have a first name followed by their time-of-birth name, followed by their family name. Here's the breakdown as provided by Paul Odhiambo Ramogi (Paul was born during sunset. If he had been a girl, his middle name would have been Adhiambo):
· Mid-day or sunny season – Ochieng or Achieng
· Morning hours – Okinyi/Akinyi
· Night-time – Otieno/Atieno
· Harvest time – Okeyo/Akeyo
· Weeding time – Odoyo/Adoyo
· Rainy season – Okoth/Akoth