Cohen () is a surname of
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
,
Samaritan and
Biblical
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...
origins (see:
Kohen
Kohen (, ; , ، Arabic كاهن , Kahen) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic Priest#Judaism, priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakha, halakhically required, to ...
). It is a very common
Jewish surname (the most common in Israel). Cohen is one of the four Samaritan last names that exist in the modern day. Many Jewish immigrants entering the United States or United Kingdom changed their name from Cohen to
Cowan (sometimes spelled "
Cowen"), as Cowan was a Scottish name. The name "Cohen" is also used as a given name.
Origin
Bearing the surname often (although not always) indicates that one's
patrilineal ancestors were
priests
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...
in the
Temple of Jerusalem. Although not all Kohenic lines stem from
Aaron
According to the Old Testament of the Bible, Aaron ( or ) was an Israelite prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of Moses. Information about Aaron comes exclusively from religious texts, such as the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament ...
, the brother of
Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
, he is generally regarded as the patriarch of the lineage and the first Kohen. A single such priest was known as a Kohen, and the hereditary caste descending from these priests is collectively known as the
Kohanim. As multiple languages were acquired through the
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora ( ), alternatively the dispersion ( ) or the exile ( ; ), consists of Jews who reside outside of the Land of Israel. Historically, it refers to the expansive scattering of the Israelites out of their homeland in the Southe ...
, the surname acquired dozens of
variants. Not all persons with related surnames are kohanim, and not all kohanim have related surnames.
Some Kohanim have added a secondary appellation to their surname, so as to distinguish themselves from other Kohanim—such as
Cohen-Scali of Morocco, who trace their lineage to
Zadok, and Cohen-Maghari (Meguri) of Yemen, who trace their lineage to
Jehoiarib, one of the
priestly divisions.
Being a Kohen imposes some limitations: by Jewish law a Kohen may not marry a divorced woman and may not marry a
proselyte (someone who converted to Judaism). Nor should an observant Kohen come into contact with the dead or enter a cemetery unless for the death of a close relative.
An effort to test whether people named "Cohen" have a common genetic origin has been undertaken, using a
genealogical DNA test associated with the
Cohen Modal Haplotype (see
Y-chromosomal Aaron).
Variants and derivations
*
Cahn
*
Coen
*
Cohan
*
Cohn
*
Kahane (Aramaic for ''kohen'')
* Kahanow/
Kahanov//
Kokhanov
*
Kahn
*For some bearers, the surname
Katz may stem from "Kohen Tzedek", meaning "righteous or authentic priest."
*
Kohn
*
Kon (surname) Polish variant
*
Kagan (surname) (transliterated from Russian)
**
Kaganovich (disambiguation)
**
Kogan
**
Kogen (disambiguation)
**
Kogon (surname)
*
Arabic
Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: al-Kohen, al-Kahen, al-Kahin, Tawil, Tabili, Taguili
*
Ancient/Modern Hebrew: Kohen, HaKohen, ben-Kohen, bar-Kohen
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen
Hebrew-language surnames
Kohenitic surnames
Occupational surnames
Modern names of Hebrew origin