Cher reveals her unexpected real name after birth certificate mix-up

Cher has revealed an extraordinary chapter of her life, sharing how she spent years not knowing her real name.

In her newly released memoir, Cher: The Memoir, Part One, which hit shelves on November 19, the legendary singer opened up about the moment she discovered her birth name was not what she had always believed it to be.

Cher, who thought her name was Cherilyn, was stunned to learn it was actually listed as Cheryl on her birth certificate.

The revelation came when the Grammy-winning artist decided to legally simplify her name to “Cher” in 1979.

“I was shocked,” she writes in her memoir, recounting the moment she realized her official name differed from what she had believed her entire life. Cher explained that her mother, Georgia Holt, had told her the story of how her name came to be, which provided some clarity.

“My mother was only a teenager and in a lot of pain when she had me,” Cher explained, referring to her mom’s struggles after giving birth to her in May 1946. Georgia, uncertain about what to name her daughter, had reportedly been pressed for a name by a nurse.

“She didn’t know what to say,” Cher writes, adding that her mother’s inspiration came from Hollywood. “She told the nurse, ‘Well, Lana Turner’s my favorite actress, and her little girl’s called Cheryl. My mother’s name is Lynda, so how about Cherilyn?’” While the intention may have been for her name to be Cherilyn, it was officially recorded as Cheryl.

Cher writes that when she confronted her mother about the mistake years later, Georgia asked her daughter to “give [her] a break.” The oversight, however, stayed with Cher, particularly as her name has become a singular symbol of her identity and artistry.

In 1979, Cher made the decision to legally go by her first name alone, dropping all surnames associated with her father, John Paul Sarkisian; her stepfather, Gilbert LaPiere; and her ex-husbands, Sonny Bono and Gregg Allman.

The decision marked a defining moment for the star, who appeared on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson at the time to explain her choice. “It’s better for me than having people wonder if they should call me Mrs. Allman or Mrs. Bono or Mrs. Bono Allman or Miss Cher or whatever,” she said. “Cher is just fine. Just plain Cher.” Reflecting on the simplicity of the name, she added, “I like it. It feels right.”

In her memoir, Cher doesn’t shy away from the complexities of her life and relationships. She candidly discusses the darker aspects of her marriage to Sonny Bono and the rollercoaster romance she shared with Gregg Allman. She also opens up about her relationship with Val Kilmer, whom she identifies as the only partner to break up with her—a fact she recalls with humor and honesty.

One of the more surprising stories Cher recounts involves losing her virginity, which she describes as an act of “revenge.”

She writes about a neighborhood boy who had kissed her but then cruelly “ditched” her. Hurt and determined to reclaim her power, Cher decided to “loan out her virginity” to him. However, the experience turned out to be far from what she had imagined. “When what turned out to be a massively overrated experience came to an end, I asked him, ‘Is that it? Are we finished?” she recalls. Without hesitation, she told him to leave and never return.

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