A woman has found inspiration for her child’s baby name in a very unlikely place – a cemetery! American mum Haley Hodge may have stumbled on a kooky new baby naming trend while wandering through her local cemetery looking at the various names on gravestones.
The rise of the gravestone baby-naming trend
In a now-viral TikTok Haley filmed herself walking around Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, on a quest to find her soon-to-be-daughter’s name.
She also got her older three children involved as they hunted for the perfect name for the new addition. Some of the contenders included Bunny, Winnie, Vienna and Olympus. She also pointed out Julia, James, Julian, Galloway and Ella.
But in the end, the family settled on Salem. Very fitting! Haley’s other children are named Finley, Banks and Crew.
Cemetary baby names. Cute or creepy?
While some consider cemeteries creepy, others find them interesting and calming. Haley definitely falls into the latter category, and as a child, she often went epitaphing (visiting cemeteries) with her mum and sister. Haley admits that her sister’s name (Cooper) actually came from someone’s grave too.
“I know there’s baby books, but I feel like I see a lot of repeated names over and over again. And it’s fun to have a story behind finding a name,” she told USA Today.
She decided to record the visit to the cemetery to show her daughter one day.
“I wasn’t even going to post [the videos],” she explained. “[But] I was like, “You know what? This is kind of cool to share’ … I knew it was going to spark some attention, being different.”
Since sharing her video, she’s raked up thousands of comments and shares with many people loving the idea of hunting for names in a cemetery.
“I love this! and it’s absolutely no different than looking at a book of names or getting a name from a movie/show. and it’s a great way to bring back the older generation’s names!” one person wrote.
“How beautiful must it be for some of these souls to hear their name spoken again after so many years. I hope you have an incredible pregnancy and a healthy baby,” added another.
@hodgehouse Fun fact: My sister came from someones gravestone 🤍 #babynames #southport #love #fyp #viral #weird #graveyard ♬ Beautiful Memories – Lux-Inspira
One fellow “gravestone baby” shared that “whenever people compliment my name I love to tell them and see their shocked faces when I say, ‘Thanks, my mum got it from a gravestone.’”
If you do like the idea of ‘gravestone’ baby names, take a look at our top ten choices below, all a little bit spooky, kooky, witchy and supernatural. Halloween is just around the corner, after all.
Top Ten “Gravestone” Baby Names
Hazel – The hazel tree is meant to be a magic tree, known to protect against evil spirits.
Winifred – Hocus Pocus inspired of course.
Arion – Arion is a Greek mythology name, meaning “melodious”. It’s a cute one if you like the nickname, Ari.
Calliope – Another enchanting option, Calliope was a muse of poetry and eloquence.
Clio – Meaning “glory”, Clio was another muse in Greek mythology.
Lucius – Meaning light, Lucius is popular in both religion and literature.
Astrid/Astra – A name fit for your little star, Astrid means “divinely beautiful”.
Althea – Meaning “with healing power”, Althea is another enchanting and unique choice.
Azreal – There is something so mystical and mysterious about this name but it’s also the name of the Angel of Death in Jewish and Muslim tradition.
Theodora – The Wicked Witch of the West.
If you’re after something less mystical but still vintage cool, take a look at our top 10 vintage names.
Top Ten “Vintage” Baby Names
- Ida
- Florence
- Mabel
- Maude
- Hattie
- Effie
- Ernest
- Leon
- Rufus
- Vinnie
Baby name inspiration can come from anywhere – books, shows, street signs or baby naming websites. We have HEAPS of baby name articles here at Mum Central including:
- Food-inspired baby names
- Car-inspired baby names
- Colour-inspired baby names
- Animal-inspired baby names
