Cher was 'shocked' when she discovered legal name decades after birth certificate error

Cher recalled finding out her legal first name when she was in her 30s. The singer believed that she was named Cherilyn but discovered an error was made on her birth certificate.

"I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher," the "Moonstruck" actress remembered in her book, according to People magazine. "I believed Cherilyn was my name until the day years later when I decided to legally change my name to simply Cher." Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to ashley.hume@fox.com and on Twitter: @ashleyhume

Cher's late mother, Georgia Holt, was 19 when she gave birth to the singer in 1946. In her book, Cher explained that Holt went into labor a month earlier than her expected due date. Cher wrote that her mother endured a long labor without medication at a small hospital in El Centro, California.