Cheryl is a female given name common in English speaking countries. The name appeared in the early 20th century. In the US it was most popular from the 1940s to early 1980s and in the UK from the 1950s to early 1990s.[citation needed] There are several prevailing theories about its etymology. The most common is that it has Italo-Celtic roots and is an Anglicised version of either the French name Cherie (from Latin cara, "beloved"; see also Carissa (name)) or the Welsh name Carys (a cognate of "Cara"),[1] modelled on names such as Meryl and Beryl that were popular during the early decades of the 20th century. A less popular theory is that the name is Germanic in origin and is a feminine version of the Germanic male name Charles, which means "free man".[2] (CLOSE)