Acholi names and their meanings

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The Acholi are a Luo-speaking, Western Nilotic people whose ancestors migrated from southern Sudan into what is now northern Uganda between the 15th and 19th centuries. Their traditional homeland is still called Acholiland, and Acholi communities live across northern Uganda and into South Sudan.

First names (4)

birth order name

Apio

Given to the first-born of twins (female form of Opio).

Ocen

Given to the second-born of twins, from "cen", meaning "behind", reflecting the second twin's position in birth order.

Okello

Given to a child born after a set of twins. One of the best-known Acholi names outside Uganda (borne by former Ugandan president Tito Okello).

Opio

Given to the first-born of twins. Acholi naming strongly marks birth order and the circumstances of birth, and twin births carry their own dedicated set of names.

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