In May 2024, Haley Hodge and her family decided to visit the Old Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, to look for baby name ideas. Haley shared this journey on TikTok and her post soon went viral with over 2.7 million views. People had strong reactions to this. Some loved it while others were creeped out by it.
Love it or hate it, Haley and her family’s trip was fruitful. They have a name picked out, which they revealed in a follow-up post. Her daughter will be named Salem, which means "peaceful, safe" and "complete," after a US Coast Guard and World War II veteran.
Haley and her husband Rivers are already parents to three children. "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," Haley explained to People. "We did a tie-breaker by having all of our family vote on their favorite."
Haley loves that Salem has a bit of a water connection, which goes with other family members' names: It the name of a river. "Everyone in my direct family has some type of water-related name. We have a Rivers, Rains, Brooks, and Banks already," she explained. "It's a bit of a stretch but I was able to find a little tie between Salem and water."
Another bonus is that her TikTok caught the eye of a famous celebrity talk show host and Haley spoke to them. She can’t reveal who the celeb is yet, but they also loved the name Salem. Haley's conversation is going to air on their show.
More from LittleThings: Mom Visits Cemeteries For Baby Name Inspiration: 'People Might Find It Creepy'
Haley’s daughter’s namesake died in 1992. "Our lives missed overlapping by about 8 months. He was married and did not have any children of his own," she revealed. "But hopefully he will be okay with being an honorary grandpa to our baby girl."
To see Haley's big announcement for yourself, watch this video.
