The name Monchel appeared in the U.S. baby name data for a total of four years:
- 1989: unlisted
- 1988: 7 baby girls named Monchel
- 1987: 14 baby girls named Monchel
- 1986: 23 baby girls named Monchel
- 1985: 12 baby girls named Monchel [debut]
- 1984: unlisted
- 1983: unlisted
The variant name Monchell also debuted that year, and Michelle-like Monchelle followed a year later.
Where did they come from?
A bar of soap.
Procter & Gamble began introducing scallop shell-shaped beauty soap Monchel to selected markets in 1983, and within a couple of years they were selling (and, more importantly, advertising) the product nationally. They were taking aim at Unilever’s Dove.
Dove won, though, and Monchel was discontinued after several years. In fact, Businessweek labeled Monchel “P&G’s flop in the 1980s.”
Source: Schiller, Zachary. “Ready, Aim, Market: Combat Training at P&G College.” Businessweek 3 Feb. 1992.