Co-workers surprise father with billboard announcing family's first baby girl in 137 years

"I was absolutely shocked. We had the whole family there. My mother just went nuts. My mom always wanted a daughter. She was absolutely ecstatic,” Mr Settle says.

The billboard on a South Carolina highway announcing baby Carter's birth

A baby girl has been born into a family in South Carolina for the first time in 137 years - and it was marked in a less-than-understated way.

The happy announcement was celebrated by co-workers of the father, Will Settle, surprising him by making a giant billboard on the state’s highway to broadcast the news.

Will and his wife Kelen were astounded to see the billboard that stretched 24-foot-across and 12-foot-tall with the message: “Welcome to the World Carter Louise Settle.”

“When I first saw it, it was an ‘Oh my God’ moment,” Mr Settle tells ABC News.

“It is so pink [and] so large. It’s pretty obnoxious, I hate to say. It is so in your face, you wouldn’t believe it," he added.

"I think it's a very, very cute idea and it's going to be a fun story for her. It's exciting," said Ms Settle.

Baby Carter is the first Settle girl to be born into the family for 137 years across four generations.

“I was like, ‘What’s going on? This just can’t be possible.’ I was absolutely shocked. We had the whole family there. My mother just went nuts. My mom always wanted a daughter. She was absolutely ecstatic. She could not believe it,” Mr Settle says.

Four generations of Settle boys: Will Settle with his son, father, brother and nephew.

The couple from Bluffton, South Carolina, decided on the name Carter, because they wanted a “really strong name”, Mr Settle says.

“She’s going to have to be strong with all the men she’ll deal with in the Settle family,” Mr Settle, 38 joked.

Baby Carter Louise Settle (Courtesy of Kelen and Will Settle)

The co-workers at Marlin Outdoor Advertising knew just how to surprise their director of sales as by positioning the billboard right where he would see it on his drive.

“I’m spending a lot of time at home so I’m not doing my usual sales route,” Mr Settle explains.

The owner of the company told Will that there would be a surprise for him between the towns of Bluffton and Savannah.

“He wanted me to drive down to Savannah and then turn around. The billboard is about half way. It’s right on the road,” he says.

But such an enormous surprise couldn’t stay under the radar with the couple from Bluffton receiving more than 15 texts and calls from friends who’d seen the billboard before they’d even driven past.

“My friend said, ‘What a great way to keep it low key,’” Mr Settle jested.

"If there's a number two we're going to have to do a bigger billboard," he added.