Solomon

About Solomon

Solomon is a Hebrew name connected with shalom, meaning “peace.” Its best-known ancient bearer is the biblical king associated with wisdom, while Solomon Northup and Solomon R. Guggenheim give it substantial later connections with memoir and art. Its three syllables also yield the familiar forms Sol and Solly.

Meaning and international forms

The name comes from Hebrew Shelomo. Modern Hebrew Shlomo preserves a form close to that source, while Salomon is familiar in several European languages. Arabic Sulayman and forms such as Suleiman belong to the same wider tradition. Italian Salomone and Turkish Süleyman offer further international forms.

In English, Solomon is usually pronounced SOL-uh-mun, with stress on the first syllable. The initial vowel varies between English accents, but the three-part rhythm remains recognizable. Sol and Solly are established familiar forms rather than new shortenings created from its ending.

The biblical king and a famous judgment

In the Hebrew Bible, Solomon is the son of David and Bathsheba and becomes king of Israel. His reputation for wisdom is illustrated by the judgment described in 1 Kings 3.

Two women each claim that a living baby is her own. Solomon orders that a sword be brought and proposes dividing the child between them. One woman accepts, while the other begs that the baby be given away alive. Solomon identifies the woman who wants to save the child's life as his mother.

The episode made the king's judgment one of the name's most enduring narrative associations. Its force comes from recognizing compassion beneath the competing claims, rather than from the threatened action itself. The story belongs to the biblical account of Solomon and the wisdom attributed to him.

Solomon Northup's memoir

Solomon Northup was a free Black man living in New York before traffickers lured him to Washington, DC, in 1841. He was kidnapped and enslaved, regaining his freedom in 1853.

After returning home, he published Twelve Years a Slave, describing his experiences. The memoir connects the name with a firsthand account of enslavement written by someone who had known freedom before his abduction. Its title records the length of the separation between those two parts of his life.

A name in the art world

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation was established in 1937. Its first New York exhibition venue, the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, opened in 1939, displaying works from Guggenheim's collection. The collection introduced many visitors to artists including Vasily Kandinsky. This association places Solomon within the institutional history of modern art as well as biblical and literary history.

American popularity

Solomon's largest annual boys' count in the United States was 907 in 2016. In 2025 it ranked #422 with 767 births, compared with 516 in 2000. Its best historical ranking was #198 in 1880. That earlier rank came with a much smaller count, illustrating how the number of births behind a ranking changes across generations.

How popular is Solomon?

In 2025, Solomon ranked #422 among boys in the United States, with 767 recorded uses. The U.S. birth records first list this spelling for boys in 1880; its largest annual count was 907 in 2016. Rankings count each spelling separately. They describe national use, so local familiarity can differ. The popularity chart shows whether the name has remained common, returned after a quieter period, or risen recently.