Even though it sounds like I should be cracking gum and slinging hash as a waitress somewhere, I like my first name. I think my middle name, Judith, has a serious, intelligent sound to it, and helps to tone down the 1950s aqua-linoleum-countertop feel to Cheryl.
Traditionally, Jews name their kids in memory of a deceased relative, so my initials are the same as my father's parents, Celia and Jacob. In baby books, Cheryl means "beloved" and Judith means "admired or praised"--all things that sound a lot better than "hair net waitress" or "blond pinups of the late 1970s," a la Cheryl Tiegs and Cheryl Ladd.
No one can ever spell Cheryl correctly, though. I'm always asked if it's spelled with a Ch or an Sh, and the -yl at the end often trips people up. I get a lot of cards addressed to Cherl or Cherly or Sheryl.
