For some of us, spending time in cemeteries is a routine thing. And while you might enjoy the walking paths and the easy escape from daily conversations, there’s something else lurking among the headstones. I’m not talking about ghosts, although there might be ghosts.
I’m referring to gravestone-inspired baby names. Graveyards can provide endless inspiration for potential names for your future baby, invoking forgotten vintage names and unique spellings. In fact, earlier this year, one family went viral for strolling around their local cemetery in search of the perfect name for their newest addition.
To see just how rich the naming inspo at graveyards is, a few Scary Mommy editors and I went to burial plots near us, including a few in the historic cities of Salem, Massachusetts; Charleston, South Carolina; and Savannah, Georgia. We found some serious gems, and wouldn’t using one be a nice nod to those who carried the names before? So, if you’re looking for a name that honors the dead and celebrates the living, check out these 29 unexpected and charming baby names taken from actual headstones.
A name with Hebrew roots, Asa means “healer” or “doctor.” Captain Asa Hooper was a notable sea captain and privateer in the 18th century around Marblehead, Massachusetts, so this is a great name if you want a kind, sea-loving child. This name with Ecclesiastical roots means “father” or “priest,” and belonged to one Abbott Hall Brisbane — a brigadier general who now lies in Accabee Plantation Cemetery in Summerville, South Carolina. Born in 1804, Brisbane seems to have lived an interesting and illustrious life: a West Point graduate, a decorated military officer, a superintendent for the Charleston and Cincinnati Railroad, and a history professor at Charleston’s esteemed military academy, The Citadel.
So, perhaps a name of acclaim? Scandinavian in origin, the name Iver is sometimes spelled Ivarr or Ivarrs. It comes from the Norse word for yew tree.
Because bows of warriors were often made from the sacred yew, the name Iver means “warrior” or “bow warrior.” Totally up to you if you want to pronounce it like the singer Bon Iver (ee-vare). An alternative to Colette or Nicolette, this French-inspired name means “victorious people” or “victory of the people.” A perfect name for a future Justice of the Peace, world leader, or class president. A version of the more common name William or Wilhelmina, Wilmot means “protection”.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
