Today I learned: www.sidefx.com/docs/houdini/hom/hou/Attrib.html#setOption
attrib.setOption(‘attribute:exportname’, ‘some.text.huzzah’)
You can set an arbitrary exportname attribute option on any attribute and the alembic exporter plugin will rename the attribute that upon export. Including characters that aren’t allowed in attribute names inside of houdini. Hot damn.