Cher Says She Was 'Shocked' to Find Out Her Legal Name After Birth Certificate Mix-Up

Mar. 15, 2025

Cher in November 2024.Photo:Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Chermade an unexpected discovery when she began the process of legally changing her name.

In her new memoirCher: The Memoir, Part One, which was released on Nov. 19, the 78-year-old music legend — who was born Cherilyn Sarkisian — recounts how she applied for a copy of her birth certificate in 1979 and was “shocked” to see that her first name was registered as Cheryl.

“I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher,” she writes, explaining how the mix-up occurred.

Cher and her mother Georgia Holt in November 2010.Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic

While her mother was recovering, a nurse visited her room and asked what she planned to name her newborn. “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? ' " the “Believe” singer recounts in her memoir.

When Cher later learned of the birth certificate error, she asked her mother, “Do you even know my real name, Mom?” She writes that her mother snatched the document from her hands, looked at it and simply shrugged.

She told her famous daughter, “I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break.”

The Grammy Award winner legally changed her name in 1979, shortening her first name to Cher and dropping the four surnames she had at the time: her birth name Sarkisian; LaPiere,the legal name she assumed when her stepfather adopted her in 1961; and Bono and Allman from her marriages toSunny BonoandGregg Allman.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

‘Cher, the Memoir, Part One.’.

Cher’s motherdiedin December 2022 at the age of 96 after being hospitalized for pneumonia that September. TheMoonstruckstar revealed the sad news onX(formerly known as Twitter) at the time, writing simply, “Mom is gone.”

In 2013, Cher opened up to PEOPLE aboutwhat she learned from her mom, explaining that Holt — an actress and musician — never gave the singer and her sister Georganne advice “because, truthfully, she knew we’d never take it.”

Cher remembered being in awe of her late mom’s glamour. “She and her friends were so beautiful. When they walked into the room, everything stopped. She was also an amazing dresser,” she said.

The music icon also admitted to being “really strong-headed” as a child and putting her mom through some trials with her wild behavior.

“I did a couple of things like running away when I was 11. I hopped a train with my friends,” she told PEOPLE. “I was just very adventurous — but never disrespectful. She wouldn’t have put up with that.”

Cher: The Memoir, Part Oneis available now, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com