Inspiration for baby names can come from anywhere, but one woman specifically turned to a cemetery.
Haley Hodge previously posted a video on TikTok where she visited a cemetery because she thought it would be a good spot to find name suggestions. Now, Hodge is revealing what name she ended up choosing.
Her video began by giving hints to the name as text across the screen read: “Meaning: peaceful, safe; complete.” Hodge also mentioned that there was a “family water connection,” as her daughter would be named after a “34.7 mile-long tributary of the Delaware River.”
She then explained that she found the name at the Old Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, and the man who inspired the name was in the US coast guards and fought in World War II.
“Our lives missed overlapping by about eight months. He was married and did not have any children of his own,” she shared, adding: “But hopefully he will be okay with being an honorary grandpa to our baby girl.”
The video then showed the family leaving flowers near his tombstone as they revealed their daughter’s name would be Salem. “Thank you, Salem, for inspiring us to bring new life to your name,” the clip ended.