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[Opinions] Solomon
My friend's name is Hunter Christian and neither name has ever fit him, as he's not a Hunter and he's not a Christian. He is very observational and ponderous and fanciful. Besides, we live in the south, so he says his name Hunn'er. Instead of Hunter, which could be sort of okay, he says Hunn'er. I've never been comfortable calling him that personally, and he says it took him a long time to get used to introducing himself as Hunn'er.So today I was inspired that he should change his name to Solomon. He thought it was a very good idea if maybe a bit remote; he also found Solomon slightly pretentious at first. But we are talking more seriously about it. I think this is so awesome! I would have no problem thinking of him as Solomon at all.I suggested several names and he picked out his four favorites:
Soloman
Gideon
Tobias
ConradI think Solomon fits him best though. Anyway, what do you guys think of Solomon? What are your impressions? He worries it would be hard to live up to; do you see it as a kind of name that needs "filling"?As for middle names, the major contenders are Burning-Heart and Orion. Burning-Heart is super whimsical but I feel like that kind of thing is only oppressive if you give it to a baby. It is a name I kind of bestowed on him to replace Christian, and he liked it a lot and made it his facebook username thing. A really cool thing about it was that it made his initials HB-HB. Orion is to refer to Hunter, which has obviously been an integral part of his identity for years. I feel like it takes Hunter and distills it down to things he doesn't like about it, and adds a fanciful element.What do you guys think of Solomon Orion?
Man check out all those Os!What are you guys' favorite Solomon combos? I am actually interested. And if you have any comments about name changing in general I'd love to hear them!

This message was edited 9/19/2011, 10:17 PM

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Solomon August Anand is my combo for Solomon right now. Anand means happiness/bliss - hey, everyone wants to be happyAugust means great /venerable -OK, so maybe we aren't all great leaders, but I like August because my hubby and sister were born that month... Also, you can look at the history of people named Augustus and find some cool people there to refer to...I like Solomon Orion quite a bit. I like that it references who is is/has been referred to as for all these years. The whole Burning Heart thing may not seem as great to him when he's 45 either... jus' sayin'....

This message was edited 9/20/2011, 11:57 PM

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Thanks!Thanks for your comments and suggestions, y'all! They're interesting/helpful. I should add that one of the things he likes most about Solomon is that it nicknames so neatly to Sol, which is not only much less ponderous but means "Sun."
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I really like Solomon. It sounds wise, mature, and handsome. I also like Gideon, Tobias, and Conrad.Burning-Heart sounds too hippie or puritanical to me, but if he's spirited and fanciful, it could work for him. I prefer the idea of Orion as a middle name, though. It sounds more solid. Burning-Heart also kind of reminds me of Burning Man, so it's hard to get past that as well. If a name really doesn't fit someone and he or she would much rather be called something else, I think it's fine to change it. Sometimes names that people are given by their parents just don't work for them.I used to hate my name and thought it was the most boring name on Earth, but I ended up deciding not to change it. I got used to it I guess you could say. I use a pen name and stage name for creative outlets, and that seems to suffice. At least my name is something that people can take seriously when they see it on job applications and such. Most people can spell and pronounce it just fine, so that's another good thing. In terms of practicality, it's works. As far as being interesting, it doesn't do its job, but thankfully, pen names and stage names exist.

This message was edited 9/20/2011, 5:34 PM

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Hmmm...I kinda like Solomon. Really, I like the nicknames Sol and Solly better and would use Solomon to get them. Solomon Orion is melodic and if it were my name, I'd say both names when introducing myself because I would like hearing it over and over again.Better than Solomon, imo, is the Hebrew version, Shlomo, simply because it's hilarious. I don't know, Shlomo and Shmuey are the two most hilarious names I can think of.But yes, I like Solomon Orion. There are so many Os it almost seems symbolic.
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I think Hunter Christian fits him better than you think. And I think it's not such a bad name.
But ...Solomon sounds kinda glum to me. I mumble it. Solemn, funereal. And words with too many aw sounds, like bottom and lobotomy. But I don't really dislike it. I think the biggest reason I like it is nn Sol. And it does have a buttload of dignity. And because it's old and well-known as a name, it's not so overwhelmingly heavy that I can't picture a guy named Solomon as a standup or a humorist.Solomon Orion is pretty cool as a spinoff of his name. The extra Os sort of justify the repeated sounds in Solomon. I'm all in favor of pseudonyms and alter egos and whatnot. But I'm not a fan of permanent legal name changing. Your name isn't an expression of who you are; it's not even supposed to be. It's a handle others give you, to be used by them to identify you. Changing your name to something you feel suits you better is really pretty egotistical IMHO. However, I don't think less of people that do it. Egotism happens. I can understand wanting to, and being happy you did. Even if the change is OTT, like changing a name Rachel to Lavender or Thomas to D'Artagnan, something that is liable to make people roll their eyes when changing the way they address you, it's not a huge deal. Hunter to Solomon is alright. I knew a guy that changed his name from something like Matthew (I can't recall his old name!) to Ford (and he actually changed his surname to Prefect). It was pompous and dorky at first but soon enough, sure enough ... he IS Ford. Still, I can't help thinking that by the time people got used to it, he likely felt it didn't express him the way he wanted it to anymore, and would have changed it to something else - except the whole experience of changing it maybe brought him some humility.
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totally OTBut I just thought you should know that I laughed myself silly at "buttload of dignity" :)
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:-)f
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Thanks for your comments, first of allFord Prefect! Really! One might as well go all the way and take Zaphod
I see what you mean about egotism. I think the biggest problem HunterChristian has with his name (ok and partly the problem I have with his name, let's be honest, but since it's not really my business) is that it's an active expression of who he isn't; it's a name laden with expectations he completely did not live up to. Two nouns that refer directly to integral parts of a culture he has never related to. If he had gotten one of the names his brothers got (Harrison Rae and Hayden Greer), or something like, say, Matthew, I don't think it would fit him so poorly. I don't think I could really justify changing my name from Emma to something fanciful like Princess Buttercup l just because I find my name boring, but if it was, like, Reagan or something, I think I'd forgive hypothetical Reagan for wanting to change to Claudia or Irene.If the shoe is ugly or boring that's one thing, but for him it's just never seemed to fit, yanno? I should suggest Ford to him though.
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Solomon is lovely, so deep and velvety smooth. I really like it, and I've never understood why it isn't more popular. I'm no fan of Orion, but I do think O is a terrific middle initial, and I like the connection between Hunter and Orion. Solomon Burning-Heart is hilarious, crossing over the line from whimsical to ridiculous, and I think he's better off leaving it as a facebook nn or using it for a mage in a roleplaying game than legally making it part of his identity. The world is full of observational, ponderous, fanciful people whose names don't induce laughter. Your friend should be one of them.I rather like Solomon Conrad, taken from his short list, but I'll suggest a few names that are reminiscent of Burning-Heart but sound less like dragon-kin. Similar in sound:
Solomon Berinhard
Solomon Bernhard
Solomon Bernard Meaning "heart"
Solomon Obi
Solomon Lev
Solomon Kamon "heart, mind"
Solomon Hugh "heart, mind, spirit"
Solomon Hubert: terminally unhip, I know, but perhaps the meaning ("bright heart") could make up for it?Meaning or reminiscent of "burn/burning"
Solomon Sirius: Alliterative, but I think that's okay if there aren't a lot of Ss and soft Cs in his last name. ETA: I take it back; it doesn't work. Too close to "solemn and serious."
Solomon Phoenix
Solomon Cole
Solomon Ash

This message was edited 9/20/2011, 1:33 PM

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Hah I like the idea of Bernhard or Berinhard!
Thanks for the suggestions, they're cool.
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I love Solomon! It's very sophisticated and gentle yet masculine. It's one of my favorite names though I haven't come up with a good combo yet.
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I dislike Hunter, especially pronounced Hunn'er. I like Christian though :)Solomon is a nice name and uncommon, it could be nicknamed to Solly if that makes him feel more comfortable, it might make it feel more down to earth for him. I dislike Orion but it goes with Solomon well and as for Burning-Heart, I agree with you, no for a baby, but if an adult wants to use it as their middle name then fair doo
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Solomon Orion is good.
Some other combos I'd like:Solomon Elijah
Solomon Isaiah
Solomon Jeriah
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