### Cher Unveils Birth Certificate Surprise: Her Real Name Is Not What She Thought

Renowned pop icon Cher has divulged a surprising detail about her legal name that she only discovered as an adult. For decades, Cher believed that her birth name was Cherilyn, a name her mother had chosen. However, this belief was turned upside down when she sought to legally change her name in the late 1970s.

In her memoir, *Cher: The Memoir, Part One*, released on November 19, the 78-year-old singer recounts the moment she unearthed the truth about her name. Cher explains that she first encountered this shocking revelation while obtaining her birth certificate to legally shorten her name to just "Cher." Much to her disbelief, the document actually registered her birth name as "Cheryl."

Cher's mother, Georgia Holt, gave birth to her at the age of 19 in 1946. According to the legendary artist, a nurse had pressed Georgia for a name, prompting her mother to creatively combine inspirations from actress Lana Turner’s daughter Cheryl and her own mother's name, Lynda, to form "Cherilyn." Even though Cher had long been convinced this was her legal name, the official records told a different story.

The pop legend shared her astonishment and subsequent conversation with her mother. When Cher confronted her about the discrepancy, Georgia's response was as candid as it was revealing. Holt, reminiscing about her postpartum experience, said, "I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break."

The revelation led Cher to simplify her name by legally dropping her long lineage of surnames, which included her birth name Sarkisian, as well as the last names of her stepfather Gilbert LaPiere and her ex-husbands Sonny Bono and Gregg Allman. As she told Johnny Carson in a 1979 interview on *The Tonight Show*, she found comfort and practicality in being known simply as "Cher."

This narrative of mistaken identity and unexpected discovery reveals an interesting aspect of the iconic singer's life. For more than three decades, what Cher believed to be her given name was not actually hers, marking yet another fascinating chapter in her storied career.