Cher Was 'Shocked' to Learn Her Real Name

Cher was shocked to find out the name on her birth certificate when she applied to legally change her name in the 1970s.

In her new book Cher: The Memoir, Part One, the legendary singer recalled how she learned that her real name was Cheryl and not Cherilyn, the name she grew up knowing.

"I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher," the 78-year-old wrote in her memoir.

According to Cher, her mother, Georgia Holt, was too exhausted after giving birth to notice the nurse asking what her daughter's name was.

Cher wrote that her mother had said she "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 confronted her mother after finding out her real name and asked if she knew the truth. According to Cher's recollection, her mother said, "I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break."

Cher: The Memoir, Part One finds the singer reflecting on several other moments in her life, including how her ex-husband Sonny Bono "seriously thought" about throwing her off a balcony due to their marriage falling apart. Cher divorced Sonny in 1975, and he died in 1988 from injuries stemming from injuries sustained while skiing.