Okeke as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Okeke

What is the meaning of the name Okeke ?

The baby name Okeke is a Unisex name , 3 syllables long and is pronounced oh-KEH-keh (IPA: /oˈkɛkɛ/).

Okeke is Igbo in Origin.

Okeke is an Igbo name from southeastern Nigeria, rooted in the traditional four-day market week. Eke is one of those days (Eke, Orie, Afor, Nkwo), and the Ok- prefix marks a male born on that day; thus Okeke means “male child born on Eke (market) day.” The name carries connotations of auspicious timing, community life, and adherence to the indigenous calendar. While widely used as a masculine given name, it is also very common as a hereditary surname across Igbo families.

Day-names were typically bestowed at birth and later stabilized in written records, which helped spread Okeke as a family name within Nigeria and the diaspora. Related forms include Nweke (“child of Eke”), and the parallel day-name cognates Okorie (Orie), Okafor (Afor), and Okonkwo (Nkwo).