GRAVE DECISION
Mum-to-be finds unborn daughter’s perfect name in a GRAVEYARD, as she admits she knows ‘it’s a bit different’
The little girl will be named after a soldier who served in the Second World War
A MUM has revealed how she came up with the perfect name for her baby girl - by visiting a local cemetery.
Haley sparked controversy earlier this year when she revealed how she was planning to choose a moniker for her daughter, who is due to make her entrance into the world in around seven weeks' time.
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In the first TikTok video, the mum-of-three showed herself visiting the Old Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, with some of her nearest and dearest, as they looked at the gravestones to see if any stood out.
She then returned to the cemetery for another visit documented on TikTok, which concluded with them revealing which name they'd chosen for their unborn daughter.
She and her husband laid down flowers at the grave of Salem Dickson Rankin, as they confirmed they'd be calling their little girl Salem.
The name means "peaceful, safe, complete" and has a connection to water which Haley wanted to have with all her kids' names - thanks to "being named after a 34.7 mile long tributary of the Delaware River".
Salem Dickson Rankin was a man who was in the US Coast Guard and served in World War Two.
And his and Haley's lives "missed overlapping by about eight months".
Revealing that Salem was married but didn't have any children of his own, Haley added: "Hopefully he will be okay with being an honorary grandpa to our baby girl".
People were quick to comment on the video, with many admitting they'd initially been unsure about Haley's baby-naming methods.
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"Okay, I was NOT a fan of this idea at all when I first read about it," one wrote.
"After this video - I freely admit that I was wrong.
I named my 3-month-old baby after a fruit - people say she’ll hate me for it but I don’t care
"This is beautiful and such a wonderful story.
"Here’s to new beginnings!"
To which Haley responded: "Thank you for being so open minded - I know it’s a bit different."
"Love love love this so much," another added.
With a third writing: "Ok so I’m sappy and it was so wonderful to carry on his name and brought tears to my eyes.
"It’s not creepy or wrong to look for a name like this, it’s inspiring actually.
Unusual baby names 2024
Many parents are opting for meaningful names in 2024 with unisex names on the rise due to their unique element, it's hard to categorise them.
With celebrities at the forefront of this growing trend, after Ed Sheeran named his latest addition Jupiter Seaborn, and Kylie Jenner who named her newborn Aire - it would seem having a unique, unisex name is more common than you think.
Unusual baby names documented in 2024 include:
- Halo
- Aire
- Elio
- Royal
- Atticus
- Ori
- Starlette
- Snowdrop
- Kahlani
- Zyla
- Teddy
- Ezra
- Beau
- Otto
"God Bless you Salem!"
"I have a friend who named her daughter this! Such a pretty name," someone else said.
"Love this. It is such a kind a sweet thing to do for someone who has passed, and a beautiful name," another commented.
As someone else wrote: "I think that's an absolutely beautiful tribute to someone who served our country."
Not everyone was on board with the name choice, however.
"I guess you've never heard of The Salem Witch Trials or Salem menthol cigarettes?" one asked.
With Haley responding: "People can find something bad with almost any name.
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"I love the name Salem and if you don’t then just don’t name your own children that!"
Haley and her husband are now searching for the perfect middle name for their tot - with Adeline the current top contender.