This is my name, and although I like it very much, it can be a bit frustrating to have this name in an English-speaking country where the majority of people have never heard of it. I almost always have to spell my name when I introduce myself, and tell people explicitly how to pronounce it (like "certain" without the T). People who read the name without hearing it pronounced first tend to say it with a long O. Then there's the fact that the umlaut over the O is usually omitted from official documents and even identification cards, because English language keyboards have no way to type it. Sören is a much easier name to have if you live in a country where it is used or at least known, like the Nordic countries or Germany.
Soren (without the dots over the O or anything) is an owl from Guardians of Ga'Hoole. He is a barn owl and the first six books are about him. He went to the Great Ga'Hoole tree and had to fight in a war against his own brother, Kludd, who was the leader of the Pure Ones (almost an owl version of Nazis).
Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (IPA: [ˈsœːɐn ˈkʰiɐ̯g̊əˌg̊ɒːˀ] Søren Kierkegaard (help·info); 5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a 19th century Danish philosopher and theologian, generally recognized as the first existentialist philosopher. He bridged the gap that existed between Hegelian philosophy and what was to become Existentialism. Kierkegaard strongly criticized both the Hegelian philosophy of his time, and what he saw as the empty formalities of the Danish church. Much of his work deals with religious problems such as the nature of faith, the institution of the Christian Church, Christian ethics and theology, and the emotions and feelings of individuals when faced with existential choices. Because of this, Kierkegaard's work is sometimes characterized as Christian existentialism and existential psychology. Since he wrote most of his early work under various pseudonyms, which would often comment on and critique the works of his other pseudo-authors, it can be exceedingly difficult to distinguish between what Kierkegaard truly believed and what he was merely arguing for as part of a pseudo-author's position. Ludwig Wittgenstein opined that Kierkegaard was "by far, the most profound thinker of the nineteenth century".