I read somewhere that when you write out a strain name the female comes first and the male comes second like Cherry Bomb(female) x Chitral Kush(male). Is this commonly used?
It usually goes f x m, but you can do what ever you want. Just, if you want most internet forum seed people to understand you should go f x m.
Have fun with your crosses.
F x M is what most folks (myself included) use. Technically it wouldn't matter if the writer specified which was M or F, but as a general rule of thumb, the first to be listed is assumed to be female.