boy's name
Cohen
KOH-en
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 32,268
the United States
#225
2025 births
Cohen is a boy's name from the Hebrew word for priest, and a surname marking descent from the priestly line of ancient Israel. Its use as a given name is contested by some Jewish communities. It ranks 176th in Northern Ireland and is at its all-time peak.
- Cohen is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2025, when 1,627 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 2,038 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1912.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Cohen over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 35 |
| 1920s | 61 |
| 1930s | 10 |
| 1940s | 22 |
| 1950s | 10 |
| 1960s | 5 |
| 1970s | 14 |
| 1980s | 40 |
| 1990s | 246 |
| 2000s | 4,565 |
| 2010s | 10,103 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 8,318 |
What Cohen means
Cohen means priest. In Jewish usage it is not a description but a claim of descent — a Cohen is held to descend in the male line from Aaron.
Where Cohen comes from
Cohen is the Hebrew kohen, a priest, and as a surname it marks a family that claims patrilineal descent from Aaron, brother of Moses, whose line held the priesthood of the Temple. That status still carries specific ritual obligations and restrictions in observant Jewish practice, which is why the surname is treated as a statement of lineage rather than an ordinary family name. Its adoption as a given name by non-Jewish parents, largely in English-speaking countries from the 1990s, has drawn objection from a number of Jewish writers and organizations on exactly that basis: the name asserts something inherited that a bearer outside the line does not have. Parents who like the sound should know the objection exists; it is a live discussion rather than a settled one.
Cohen in use
Cohen ranks 176th in Northern Ireland on 13 births, 225th in the United States on 1,627, 306th in Scotland, 407th in England and Wales and 571st in Ireland. It peaked in the United States in 2025, when 1,627 babies were registered, which is the latest year in our data — it has never been more common than at the current count. Our records carry it from 1912 across 32,268 lifetime births, with almost all of that volume arriving since 2000.
How popular is Cohen?
In 2025, Cohen was given to 1,627 babies in the United States, ranking #225 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Cohen is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Cohen
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Cohen also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Cohen over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Cohen in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Cohen
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Cohen — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Cohen
What does the name Cohen mean?
Priest, from the Hebrew kohen. As a surname it marks descent from Aaron's priestly line.
Is Cohen offensive as a first name?
Some Jewish writers and organizations object to its use by families outside the priestly line, because the name asserts an inherited status. It is a live objection rather than a settled question.
Is Cohen a Jewish name?
The surname is specifically Jewish and marks priestly descent. Its recent use as a given name is largely outside that community.
How popular is Cohen?
176th in Northern Ireland and 225th in the United States, at its highest recorded level.
Is Cohen a girl's or a boy's name?
Cohen is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Cohen?
Cohen has 2 syllables.
Is Cohen a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Cohen currently ranks #176 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.