In the mid-2000's when I was a teen I would have insisted that
Cheryl was such a stuffy, olden times name. Very dated, very dull.
Then we read a book in English class called "In Search of
April Raintree" that completely turned my opinion around. The book begins during the childhood of two sisters and follows them until they are adults,
Cheryl being the younger sister of the titular
April.
Long story short the book is terribly tragic, but me being an older sister like
April, I felt awful for
Cheryl and wanted to protect her from a world she did not understand yet (and sadly fell victim to when she got older). I had never seen the name on a child before, I'd only ever seen it given to bland, middle-aged, WASPy type women. Seeing this name on a child breathed new life into it for me and I could finally see the purity and appeal.
I really want
Cheryl to have a renaissance, I think it looks wonderful, sweet, and innocent on a little girl.
As for
Meryl? It's...there. Once upon a time my opinion would have been the other way around, in my teens I definitely would have chosen
Meryl, but
Cheryl is my winner now.