Our beloved AUstin J J Okocha is perhaps the most entertaining Nigerian midfielder of all time. I'm curious to know what his name "Okocha" means and the language it comes from. Thanks.

Okocha means 'Light skined man' I think it's Delter Ibo.

Thanks. Okocha must have been really light-skinned as a baby to earn that name!

Seun:

Thanks. Okocha must have been really light-skinned as a baby to earn that name!

Seun, dont forget that is his surname.

His own name is Augustine Nwabuzuike( i hope i get the spelling)

forgive me if i sound outrageous, but okocha may mean white rat in another part of iboland.
oke is rat and ocha is fair/white. in ibo whenever there is a combination of words where the 1st ends with a vowel and the 2nd begins with a vowel, there is what is called "vowel assassination". so in this case(oke + ocha) the vowel lost is the e in oke leaving you with okocha= white rat. but i must confess, most young ibos don't really know the deep meaning of some names and i guess the real meaning of okocha must be something else(not what i think it is)

and, okocha is from delta state, so i'm not sure of his ethnic group(though he grew up in the east)

i guess kajad is right.

YEAH i'LL GO WITH KAJAD'S DEFINITION

Okocha means light skin man. Origin of okocha comes from oke. In igbo land, there are four oke's
1-okeke
2- okori
3- okafor
4 - okonkwo

Oke is a male while mgba is for the women. like someone suggested above, the "e" is okocha is silent due to the igbo vowels and consonants. Ocha remains a light skin person. Therefore okocha means, a light skin man. Okocha and Nwoke Ocha are the same thing. Okocha is not is not really light skinned or maybe i havent got close to him, haha

I'm going to co-sign kajad's definition. Larger_20, great addition! Probably his grandfather was light-skinned & that's how it became is last name.

What does Okocha himself say in interviews?

I would like to know what JJ means as am his fan. How he makes me proud in Bolton?

@ Toshmann
It is not "vowel assassination" but "vowel assimilation"
the meaning is ok.

Priscila:

What does Okocha himself say in interviews?

I would like to know what JJ means as am his fan. How he makes me proud in Bolton?

"jay jay" is just a nickname which is originally owned by Augustine's elder brother, Emmanuel, during his ball day's.

@ wormedup
I agree with u to the extent that Jay Jay is a nick name, but the name does not belong to Emma like u said. We lived in the same street (Mbanefo) then at New Haven, Enugu.

Most people don't know that Jay Jay is the nick name of their eldest brother who once played for Railway FC in Enugu then.

Jay Jay being an Ogwashi man from Delta State, 'Okocha' can only mean: Nwoko (Man) + Ocha (fair, pure, light) = Nwokocha (light/fair/pure skinned man). Ibos are always in the habit of abbreviating names will rather call the name Nwokocha, 'Okocha'

youngies you got it right there!!!

when Okocha was reigning for bolton, . guess what was written on the banner attached to the bus?,

"He is so good, he was named twice, Jay Jay"

Okocha = Nwoke-ocha
Nwoke = Man
Ocha = Fair complexion

youngies:

@ wormedup
I agree with u to the extent that Jay Jay is a nick name, but the name does not belong to Emma like u said. We lived in the same street (Mbanefo) then at New Haven, Enugu.

Most people don't know that Jay Jay is the nick name of their eldest brother who once played for Railway FC in Enugu then.

well, i don't know about the eldest brother u are talking about, but i do know that Emma was nicknamed "jay jay" during his time with Rangers FC enugu.
secondly, i also know that their father played for Railway FC.

wormedup:


well, i don't know about the eldest brother u are talking about, but i do know that Emma was nicknamed "jay jay" during his time with Rangers FC enugu.
secondly, i also know that their father played for Railway FC.

Youngies is very correct. His elder brother is the original Jay-Jay. That's why you have Emma Jay-Jay and then Austin Jay-Jay, by way of Mbanefo street, New Haven, Enugu.

Idekeson:

Youngies is very correct. His elder brother is the original Jay-Jay. That's why you have Emma Jay-Jay and then Austin Jay-Jay, by way of Mbanefo street, New Haven, Enugu.

As soon as I remember his eldest brothers name I will tell, but for the avoidance of doubt, as a kid then in New Haven, I know the three brothers very well. I know that Emma is the only tall one in their family; Augustine and his eldest brother is of the same height with bow leg. They lived in New Haven even after Emma came back from Algers '90 Nation's cup. It was after USA 94 that Augustine built his home in Independence Layout. The eldest brother was a civil servant with Railway, Enugu.

his eldest brother played for Rilway FC, and his real name was James Okocha, he was then nicknamed jayjay, the second son-Emmanuel Okocha, too when he started playing was called emma jayjay-just to indicate that he was jame's brother, the same also applies to Austine. so jayjay is not his name but his brother's.

@moyosoret

Yea, his name is James. I am just reminded.

Most of the definitions here are correct. Okocha simply means the light-skinned man or the fair man. Normally, it might not be the real name of the person being refered to but just a way to identify him. I have a cousin who is well known by everybody in the village as Nwokocha because of his fair skin but that is not his real surname . Most of the invitations he gets bears the name, Nwokocha because most people now think that is his surname.

I also know Austin's two other Brothers, Emma and James and they lived then in New Haven, Enugu before Jay Jay built the "cathedral" at Independence Layout. Austin, as I know him (when we were in National Grammar School(Nike Boys), Enugu) was destined to succeed thru football. I was actually in J.S 3 when he finished S.S 3.

mmomi:

@ Toshmann
It is not "vowel assassination" but "vowel assimilation"
the meaning is ok.

thanx a lot mmomi, i had the lecture at fed govt col okigwe in 1988. lond time isn't it? so i hail myself for remembering that much 18yrs later.

anyway thanx. and cheers

@ Toshman

You are wellcome that means you are a wonderful student.

Why una dey cast my FATHER, PAPA J OF THE WHOLE WORLD

Toshman, I can't believe that you do not know what ethnicity Okocha belongs to.
Okocha is a name found all over Igboland.
In some places it is called Nwokocha, Wokocha, Okorocha, nwocha. They all mean the same thing.
The meaning: OKO OR NWOKO OR NWOKE, WOKO MEANS MALE
OCHA means purity or immaculate or innocent.
Thus OKOCHA means a man pure in heart.
@Seun: Next time, post similar questions to the Igbo section on culture forum. Inugo.

True^^ my great grandpa was an okocha

platinumnk:

True^^ my great grandpa was an okocha

Okocha is an Igbowide name.

Okocha=Albino

chamotex:

Okocha=Albino

NOOOOOO.

chamotex:

Okocha=Albino

quit hatin