Absalom
Absalom Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity
/ˈæb.sə.ləm/
Meaning of Absalom: Absalom derives from the Hebrew Avshalom (אַבְשָׁלוֹם), a compound of av (“father”) and shalom (“peace, wholeness”). The literal reading is “father of peace,” though some rabbinic commentators prefer “my father is peace” as an affirmation of divine protection.
The biblical Absalom appears in 2 Samuel as the third son of King David, famous for his long hair, his beauty and his rebellion against his father.
The Britannica biography of Absalom summarizes his death during the battle in the forest of Ephraim, when his hair caught in an oak branch.
What Does Absalom Mean? Origin & Etymology
Medieval and Reformation-era Christians read the story as a tragedy of ambition and paternal grief. Therefore, Absalom circulated among Puritan families in 17th-century England and New England, often balanced by its sober moral lesson. Parish registers in Massachusetts Bay record dozens of bearers before 1700.
Literary use kept the name alive. Notably, John Dryden’s political satire Absalom and Achitophel (1681) cast Charles II’s illegitimate son as Absalom, and William Faulkner’s 1936 novel Absalom, Absalom! borrowed the biblical lament for a Southern Gothic saga set in Yoknapatawpha County.
As of 2024, Absalom records roughly 20–35 US births annually, well outside the SSA top 1000 but steadily present. The peak recorded year was 1880, the earliest year of SSA coverage, and the name attracts Old Testament revivalists alongside Ezra, Moses, Gideon and Hezekiah.
Numerology & Symbolism of Absalom
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Absalom – Similar Names & Alternatives
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