African surname
Born on Nkwo market day
Descriptive surname
Okonkwo is an Igbo surname meaning 'born on Nkwo market day'. Like Okafor, it reflects the traditional Igbo practice of naming children after the market day of their birth. Nkwo is one of the four days of the Igbo market week.
The name is well known partly because of the protagonist of Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart. It remains common among the Igbo people and preserves a traditional naming custom.
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Born on Nkwo market day. An Igbo (Nigerian) name referencing "Nkwo", another of the four days of the traditional Igbo market week.
Okonkwo is a African-origin surname. Popularity varies widely by country and region, and the same surname can be common in one place and rare in another.
Yes. Surnames, especially occupational and descriptive ones like this, were often adopted independently by many unrelated families who happened to share a trade, appearance, or location.
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