The baby name Chantay made an impressive debut in the U.S. baby name data in 1960:
- 1962: 16 baby girls named Chantay
- 1961: 80 baby girls named Chantay [peak usage]
- 1960: 67 baby girls named Chantay [debut]
- 1959: unlisted
- 1958: unlisted
Where did it come from?
Yet another single-episode TV character.
That character was Chantay, who appeared on a November 1960 episode of the TV western Lawman (1958-1962).
Chantay was a Native American teenager (played by actress Sharon Hugueny) who had run away from the Indian school. She was befriended one of the show’s main characters, Deputy Johnny.
The California surf rock group The Chantays — famous today for the surf rock classic “Pipeline” (vid) — formed in 1961 and may have taken their name from the character as well.
Sources: Lawman, Season 3, Episode 9 – Chantay – TV.com, “Lawman” Chantay (TV Episode 1960) – IMDb.com