Absalom

Reminds me of one of the "a" names Ron from "Ron's Gone Wrong" said.

This name is a good example of why a name isn't necessarily the best choice just because it's in the Bible and sounds okay. When I learned Absalom's story, I saw him as someone fraught with drama and not someone I would ever want to be like. He dies a pretty embarrassing death after killing his own father's soldiers. Though he may have avenged Tamar, it meant killing his half brother and being tied to that tragic and messy story.

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No, I just wouldn't want my son to have bear that history along with his name.

No, sorry, reminds me of abstinence.

Something about it makes me think of distant shores, chilly water rushing up against gray rock. It's not soothing, but it is compelling.

Absalom is a wonderful name, with biblical and literary associations. However, due to its obscurity, it'd take daring parents to bestow the name upon their child.

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If you do choose the name for your son (or pet, or book character), here are some middle name combinations I think suit Absalom well:
Absalom Cyrus
James Absalom
Philip Absalom

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A lighter, more "wearable" alternative is the Scandinavian Axel.

True, Absalom killed Amnon because Amnon raped his sister. But we should bear in mind that Absalom waited "two full years" before doing anything about it, and all the while he pretended not to hate Amnon, lulling him into a false sense of security before finally luring Amnon away and having someone else kill him. I'm not saying that murder is ever right, but waiting two years and then getting someone else to do it? That's practically the definition of cold, premeditated murder. Also, once David accepts Absalom back into his sight, Absalom uses deceit to try to usurp the throne.
All this is to say that, despite thinking it's an awesome-sounding name, I don't think I would want to be saddled with it.

Sounds like the name of an extremely wise old man; the Dumbledore or Gandalf of a story. I like it very much as a character name.

I like that guy. His brother raped his sister and David didn't do anything about it. So, as a good brother, Absalom killed the guy who had hurt his sister. Then David annoyingly starts to care. That story made me really not like David. Dinah's brothers got to slaughter (yes, my translation uses that word) an entire town without any major reprecussions.