Pregnant Mom Looks For Baby Names In A Cemetery

Sometimes, you can find nice things in unexpected places, and this applies to selecting baby names. If you want to explore beyond traditional sources, you might draw inspiration from a mom influencer in the US named Haley Hodge. She went viral for her unique approach to picking her baby's name: browsing cemetery gravestones.

In a recent TikTok post, Haley and her husband Rivers shared that they have finally chosen a name for their daughter: Salem. Of course, the married couple got it from a headstone. In the video's caption, the mom of three and soon-to-be four, explained that the name means "peaceful, safe, and complete."

@hodgehouse Replying to @babycenter Now to decide on the final middle name to go with it...???? #reveal #gravestone #graveyard #mom #babygirl #fyp #viral #love #honor #rememberme #julybaby #pregnancyjourney #pregnant #3under3 #2under2 ? original sound - ? Hodge Fam ?

Haley revealed why the name Salem caught their eye when they were exploring ideas at the Old Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina. In the video, she mentioned that the name they chose was after a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who served in World War II, as indicated on his engraved headstone.

Her video continued with details about her baby's namesake, who died in 1992. She narrated, "Our lives missed overlapping by about eight months. He was married and did not have any children of his own, but hopefully, he will be okay with being an honorary grandpa to our baby girl."

"As far as the name went, my favorite has been Salem since I saw the one in the graveyard. My husband's favorite was Sailer, which we also found in a graveyard," said Haley in an interview with People.

She added, "However, we did a tie-breaker by having all of our family vote on their favorite."

Haley also pointed out that her immediate family members has a water-related name, such as Rivers, Rains, Brooks, and Banks. She then made a connection of her daughter's name to Salem River, a tributary of the Delaware River.

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Haley Hodge's Viral TikTok Video

Haley first shared her unusual journey to find her daughter's name in May. In her viral TikTok video, the expecting mom and her children can be seen looking at headstones at the Old Smithville Burying Ground. The video has over 2.9 million views, and it sparked split opinions about the unusual method of selecting a baby's name.

@hodgehouse Fun fact: My sister came from someones gravestone ???? #babynames #southport #love #fyp #viral #weird #graveyard ? Beautiful Memories - Lux-Inspira

While some social media users praised Haley for thinking outside the box, some were unsettled by the strange or spooky content. But Haley was unfazed by the backlash and even defended her approach, explaining that she has never felt uncomfortable at cemeteries.

"I just saw it as I'm going to the place where people's grandparents are, their best friends, loved ones. I don't see it as a place of evil," the content creator said. "These are people who lived lives and hopefully good lives and were good people," she added.

Some comments mentioned superstitions that warned against pregnant women visiting cemeteries and naming a baby after someone who has passed away. However, Haley was prepared for the criticism arising from differing cultural attitudes towards death. 

"If there was something like souls out there, I don't think they are confined just to a cemetery," said Haley. She continued, "We have babies above a morgue at a hospital, if you deliver at a hospital, so we're kind of surrounded by it."

Click here to see the list of trendy baby names for boys in the US and Australia.