From French 'chérie' meaning dear or darling; popular mid-20th century American name.
Cheri is an anglicized form of the French word chérie, an endearment meaning 'dear' or 'beloved one,' derived from the Old French chier and ultimately from the Latin carus, meaning 'dear' or 'precious.' French speakers have used chérie as a term of affection for centuries — the sort of word whispered between lovers, murmured to children, and carried in letters across long distances. When English-speaking parents began adopting it as a given name in the twentieth century, they were essentially making a declaration of love permanent in their child's identity.
The name surged in popularity in the mid-twentieth century United States alongside a broader fashion for French-flavored names — Michelle, Renée, Danielle, Monique — that carried an air of Continental sophistication during the postwar era. Cheri, Sherry, Cherie, and Cher all flourished in this period, helped along by popular culture: the entertainer Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian, brought one variant of the name to global attention, while the song 'Oh! Susanna' and similar folk music helped embed rhyming short names in the American ear.
Today Cheri feels vintage in a way that is cycling back toward charm. Its peak popularity in the 1950s and 60s gives it the warm nostalgia of a grandmother's name without the more severe formality of Victorian-era choices. It retains its French softness, its built-in declaration of affection, and a certain unpretentious sweetness that feels increasingly appealing to parents navigating an era of maximalist baby names.