Cher has opened up about a discovery she made about her own name.
In her memoir Cher: The Memoir, Part One, Cher revealed that she was “shocked” to learn that her first name was registered as “Cheryl” not Cherilyn as she had thought.
The error came into light when Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian, was in process to legally change her name to “Cher” and applied for a copy of her birth certificate in 1979.
She wrote in her memoir, “I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher,” as quoted by PEOPLE magazine.
The legendary singer revealed that the mix-up occurred in 1946 when Cher’s mother, Georgia Holt, went into labor.
Cher shared that when nurse asked her what name she wanted for the baby, she was caught off guard.
“My mother had no idea, but the woman insisted so she replied, ‘Well, Lana Turner’s my favorite actress and her little girl’s called Cheryl. My mother’s name is Lynda, so how about Cherilyn?'” Cher wrote further.
However, when Cher discovered the mistake and asked her mother, “Do you even know my real name, Mom?” Holt responded, “I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break.”
