In the mood to do some detective work? Here are a few one-hit wonder baby names with mysterious origins.
First we have the French words enchantée and enchanté, which mean “enchanted.” Both debuted in the U.S. baby name data in 1987:
- 1989: unlisted
- 1988: unlisted
- 1987: 9 baby girls named Enchantee + 6 baby girls named Enchante
- 1986: unlisted
- 1985: unlisted
My first guess was perfume, and indeed both words have been used in perfume names before (e.g., Rêve Enchanté by Van Cleef & Arpels). None of these perfumes were launched circa 1987, though.
The fact that there are two spellings suggest an audio source — perhaps music or a minor TV character (à la Ibe) — but I haven’t found a song or a character that fits the bill yet.
The only other information I have is that the name Chantee saw a spike in usage the same year.
Second we have the fanciful name Enchantra, which debuted in 1978:
- 1980: unlisted
- 1979: unlisted
- 1978: 8 baby girls named Enchantra
- 1977: unlisted
- 1976: unlisted
Five of those eight babies were born in Louisiana specifically.
The popular sitcom Bewitched (1964-1972) included a character named Enchantra, as did a cartoon called Sabrina: Secrets of a Teenage Witch (2013-2014), but neither of these shows was airing new episodes in 1978.
So where did Enchantee/Enchante and Enchantra come from? I wish I knew! What theories do you guys have?
Skateaway by Dire Straits has the lyrics ” And enchanté, what can I say” but that was released in 1980.
Good guess though!