This Mom On TikTok Is Going Viral After Visiting A Cemetery For Baby Name Ideas

There are so many ways people find baby names they love — maybe you heard it as a kid and you’ve held it in your heart ever since. Maybe you bought all the baby name books and dog-eared the pages of named you liked best. Or, the modern-day equivalent, you’ve probably scoured all the baby name listicles online. But one pregnant mom, Haley Brooks Hodge (@hodgehouse on TikTok), has now gone viral for her unique method of finding baby name inspiration: she visited a graveyard.

Hodge’s TikTok has amassed 2.4 million views in a matter of days. In the video, Hodge arrives at the Old Smithville Burying Ground in North Carolina with her partner and two children. The family walks all around the cemetery, which was founded in 1792, pausing to read the headstones and share the ones they like. Take Salem, who was born in 1914, or Bunny, who died in 2017. It sounds like Hodge got the idea from her own parents; her caption states that her sister’s name was inspired by someone’s gravestone.

If you find yourself drawn to vintage baby names, the cemetery walk-through is kind of a genius way to find some names you might love, and maybe some that are lesser known. On the other hand, if you’re the least bit superstitious, this whole idea might just give you the heebie jeebies.

The vast majority of comments on the video were positive. Commenters wrote things like, “Carrying a brand new soul thru a garden of the past. What a clever way to find a beautiful name,” and, “How beautiful must it be for some of these souls to hear their name spoken again after so many years.” (Sob.)

Others were not so into the idea. “I wouldn’t go to a cemetery while pregnant, dangerous game you’re playing,” said one commenter. “Omg not on my alive body, I’m too superstitious,” wrote another.

Of course, Hodge saw that her video didn’t sit well with some viewers. She made a follow-up post, explaining that she sees graveyards as “a library of stories,” and a peaceful place to go and visit people from the past, rather than a scary or morbid site. Growing up, her family would often go on ghost tours when they would travel, Hodge says. Her parents were “history buffs,” and leaning into spooky stories was their way of getting their kids interested in history too.

So, would you take an afternoon stroll through the cemetery to find baby name inspo? Whether it’s a hell yes or a hard pass, this method of finding a name seems to be a polarizing one.