Ohtori: Phoenix
    Aki-: Dawn
    -o: Living

(These translations are courtesy of the Utena Encyclopedia. I also dumped them into Jeffrey's Japanese-English Dictionary, and found the same meanings, except for Ohtori, which clarified a MALE phoenix bird, and -o, which seems to also be "pure, undiluted". Don't quote me on the second part, though, there were dozens of translations, and I'm not a Japanese speaker.)

Here the phoenix is depicted in the flames of its own destruction, heralding the coming of dawn.

    Though he hopes to return to heaven, God has forbidden it. He's an angel that repents while in hell: the ultimate futile effort, for he can never be redeemed. He's described as a child obedient to the one that summons him—an image that resembles Dios, though his fondness for the sciences (especially explaining them to others) and literary talents (he's also described as a great writer of letters) are all Akio. This duality appears frequently concerning Akio and Dios and the references they're bound to.

    The idea of pointless attempts at redemption hints at possibilities in Akio's past. Did Dios try to repent before Akio completely took over? Phenex has a sense of hope Akio doesn't share—buried in the references in his name, has Akio added an in-joke prodding the hope-against-hope faith that Dios sported to the bitter end?

    His first name, translated as "Dawn Living" is an elaboration of the phoenix mythos, as the phoenix often performed the rebirth at dawn. (I noticed -o to mean many things, though I'm not sure which would apply here, one of the definitions was to rise up, which would also be a reference to the phoenix rising from its ashes.) This choice of timing for the phoenix ties it strongly to Lucifer, who is known as the Dawnbringer.

    This is an optimistic name for a man like Akio, but it does fit him, if you think of the perspective he has. Viewers tend to see Akio as a sad, fallen shell of the Dios he once was, but Akio isn't going to see it that way. After all, HE is enlightened. Akio is he who chose his path, knowing the whole of the world. To Akio, the phoenix is an appropriate metaphor for him. Though he's without a power he once had, he considers himself, as he is in the series, to be a greater being in thought and influence. Dios destroyed himself, and from his ashes came Akio, reborn beautiful, knowing, immortal, and powerful.

    Ohtori is also the name of the school. A phoenix would be an appropriate mascot for a school where people have to, in a sense, lay down their lives to be freed and "hatched" into the new world. The name has significance both for the school and for Akio personally.

    Akio never elaborates on the phoenix reference in his name. He seems to be much more satisfied with the meaning his name has as it pertains to the stars. (Series Akio is discussed here. Manga Akio's speech is provided for comparison.) Here are the dialogues in question:

Wait, I think I did this wrong. Better? No? Damn. What about this one? Blast! I just can't get this right! Try again? Oh, much, much closer. Ah-ha! Believe it or not, Satan wasn't always sexy.

    Lucifer is now basically another term for Satan, similar to the way Beelzebub and Mephistopheles, separate fallen angels, became other names describing Satan. Lucifer was, like them, a whole other member of the fallen host, however, the difference is semantic to all but demonology enthusiasts—Akio is calling himself Satan. Lucifer was the term used because it's the one that alludes to the Morning Star, and also, it sounds pretty. (What? It does.) In the manga version, he goes so far as to call Lucifer an angel that "chose the Devil's path", suggesting he's aware of the difference between Lucifer and the original Satan. Utena isn't, though, so series Akio doesn't bother to elaborate, since he gets the reaction he wanted immediately, anyway.

    Akio also, both times, describes Lucifer (and so himself) as having chosen his fate. This is a strange thing for him to say, considering that the flashbacks in the series tend to place most of the blame on Anthy. Certainly, it suits Akio to blame Anthy, but his personality keeps him from playing the victim, and it wouldn't have helped him manipulate anyone, so he recalls the story as him choosing that path, instead of being set on it by Anthy, though it was a little of both. Anthy made the path available to him, and he chose to take it. This is a setup that sounds very much like Adam and Eve. Though they both sin, Eve sinned first, and is punished more severely as a result.

    Finally there's the evening star. In Greek mythos, Hesperos is the god of the evening star (which is his name translated literally). Phosphoros/Eôsphoros was the light-bringer/dawn-bringer, and there are arguments made as to whether all three names describe the same God. Hesperos' Roman name? Luciferus. It's around here that etymology begins to blur the various mythos together. Hesperos was depicted as a white winged god with a starry oreole crown atop a mass of curly hair. Many of these features have been picked up in artistic depictions of Satan.

    All other references aside, that "star" is still Venus. A fact that Akio is quick to point out. Venus (Aphrodite) is the goddess of beauty and sex, and ignoring the obvious difference in gender, it stands to be said both her and Akio seem to have a 'way' with the opposite sex. (Or the same sex. ) Not to mention they share a habit of leaving flowers (or their scent) in their wake. Venus (or Aphrodite, if you prefer), was not necessarily a good thing. She was the goddess of love and sex, but she might better be described as the goddess of sexual passion. People under her influence were rarely wise or responsible in their sexual exploits. In astrology, Venus is a feminine force of love, beauty, and sex—just as with the goddess, her presence does not necessarily indicate that said love, beauty, and sex are good things. A poorly represented Venus in a chart shows a person who is extremely vain, manipulative, and usually "addicted" to sex. This description fits Akio much better than her male astrological counterpart, Mars, does.