Mystery baby names: Enchantee & Enchantra

Graph of the usage of the baby name Enchantee in the U.S. since 1880
Usage of the baby name Enchantee

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?

2 thoughts on “Mystery baby names: Enchantee & Enchantra

  1. Skateaway by Dire Straits has the lyrics ” And enchanté, what can I say” but that was released in 1980.

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