Cher admits she was shocked to find out her 'real name' after birth certificate mix-up

Cher has opened up about her 'shock' finding out the name written on her birth certificate.

On November 19, Cher released her new memoir - aptly titled Cher: the Memoir, Part One - and in the book, the star opened up about how she got her name.

The 78-year-old 'If I Could Turn Back Time' singer always believed she was born under one name. However, after going to change her name to the iconic shortened version we all now know her by, she realized not everything was quite as it seemed.

Cher was born in 1944 at a hospital in El Centro, California to 19-year-old Georgia Holt.

Holt reportedly went into labor a month early and Cher noted in her memoir her mother was 'exhausted' by the time she gave birth at 'around 7:30am' on the morning of May 20.

A nurse then came into the room and asked Holt what she was planning on calling her baby.

The memoir continues: "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?'"

Naturally, after being retold the story by her mom, Cher presumed her name was subsequently Cherilyn - and her surname Sarkisian, after her dad John Sarkisian.

However, when Cher decided to legally change her name to Cher in 1979, she got a bit of a surprise - she wasn't actually legally registered as Cherilyn.

The name on Cher's birth certificate was different to what she thought (Getty Images/ Jason LaVeris)

Cher's memoir reveals: "I was shocked to discover that I was officially registered as Cheryl and asked my mother, 'Do you even known my real name, Mom?'"

Apparently, Cher's mom turned around and asked to 'look' at the birth certificate, before explaining how exhausted she'd been after the birth.

Cher's mom reportedly said: "I was only a teenager, and I was in a lot of pain. Give me a break."

And during an appearance on The Tonight Show, Cher opened up to Johnny Carson more about her decision to change her name in the first place, dropping all surnames and simply going as 'Cher'.

Cher legally changed her name to 'Cher' in 1979 (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

She explained: "I like it. 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.

"I mean, 'Cher' is just fine. Just plain 'Cher.'"