The unisex baby name Shondell first appeared in the U.S. baby name data in the late 1960s:
- 1971: 22 baby girls and 12 baby boys named Shondell
- 1970: 13 baby girls and 8 baby boys named Shondell
- 1969: 15 baby girls and 5 baby boys [debut] named Shondell
- 1968: 7 baby girls [debut] named Shondell
- 1967: unlisted
In fact, lots of Shondell-like names (such as Shondel, Shandell, Shandel, Shawndell, Shawndel, and Chandelle) debuted in the late ’60s.
What was the inspiration?
Rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Their biggest hits — which include “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Mony Mony,” and “Crimson and Clover” — came out during the last half of the 1960s.
The band name was coined by lead singer Tommy James (born Thomas Jackson). He’d borrowed “Shondell” from the name of a solo singer he admired, Troy Shondell.
Troy Shondell (born Gary Schelton) had this to say about his stage name:
I didn’t want to be associated with all the tracks that Mercury still hadn’t released on me so I changed Shelton to Shondell, but there was already a Chantels; and Troy Donahue was a popular actor. I figured I’d might as well go with the best.
Interesting that he was inspired in part by The Chantels, as they had influenced the baby name charts in a similar way a decade earlier.
Which name do you like better, Chantel or Shondell?
Sources:
- Jancik, Wayne. The Billboard Book of One-hit Wonders. New York: Billboard Books, 1998.
- Tommy James and the Shondells – Wikipedia