Entry № 0512 · English, French origin

Cheryl Cheryl — Meaning, Origin & Baby Name Popularity

/ SHER-il /
Gender
Girl
Origin
English, French
Meaning
"Beloved (peaked #14 in 1958; Cheryl Strayed, Cheryl Tiegs)"
Syllables
2
Rank · US 2025
№ 980
First recorded
Modern (English)

A name that means "beloved (peaked #14 in 1958; cheryl strayed, cheryl tiegs)".

Cheryl is a 20th-century American blend of Cherie + Beryl — from the French cher ("dear") + the Greek beryllos (the gemstone beryl). **A top-30 US baby name from 1947 to 1965, peaking at #14 in 1958**. **Cheryl Strayed (born 1968)** — American memoirist; *Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail* (2012) spent 7+ weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and was adapted to a 2014 film starring Reese Witherspoon. **Cheryl Tiegs (born 1947)** — American supermodel; *Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue* cover three times. **Cheryl Boone Isaacs (born 1949)** — first African American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Subject of Cheryl Strayed's *Tiny Beautiful Things* (2012) and *Wild* (2014 film).

Beloved. Peaked at #14 in 1958; Cheryl Strayed's Wild bestseller and PCT memoir.

The name in its native script.

Cheryl
Transliteration
Cheryl
Pronunciation
/ ˈʃɛr.əl /
Root
Grammatical form

Where Cheryl stands.

Current rank · 2025
№ 980 in the U.S.
All-time peak
№ 14 in 1958
Babies named Cheryl · last year
190 in the U.S.
First entered SSA top-1000
1925
Rank, 1995–2025 Lower = more popular
№25 №75 №150 №250 1995 2005 2015 2020 2025 PEAK · #14 NOW · #980

Cheryls before her.

Real people
Cheryl Strayed
American memoirist.
born 1968
Cheryl Tiegs
American supermodel.
born 1947
In fiction
Cheryl
Wild.
2012

Names connected to Cheryl.

The number behind Cheryl.

2

The Diplomat

Cheryl reduces to two — the number of beloved.

Why families chose this name.

"Strayed's beloved. Six letters. Cheryl."
Catherine · Mother of one · Minneapolis