Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Kohen

In Hebrew “kōhēn” means “priest”. In Jewish tradition Kohens are distinguished as hereditary priests directly descended from the biblical Aaron. As the elder brother of Moses, Aaron was appointed by God as the first High Priest of Israel (כהן גדול), or Kohen Gadol. As most people are aware, Cohen is a very common Jewish surname, the bearers of which are said to descend from the ancient priests of Jerusalem’s two Temples (which stood between the 10th century B.C. and the first century A.D. before their destructions at the hands of the Babylonians and Romans, respectively). In modern times, Cohen and Kohen have been taken up as masculine given names (as well as Coen and Koen) primarily in the United States, Canada and Australia. Interestingly, as a forename, Kohen and his brethren are used more on Gentiles than Jews!

All About the Baby Name – Kohen

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME KOHEN

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME KOHEN

In the age of the American naming style we’ll just call the “surname” craze, we are constantly finding new entrants to the Top 1000 list of baby boy names. Cohen came onto the scene in 2004, and Kohen followed in 2011. Although Kohen is much less popular than the Cohen spelling, his ascension to the Top 1000 list is evidence of Cohen’s growing popularity. Not to mention swapping the “K” in for a “C” is a super common practice among many American parents. Technically speaking, however, Kohen is a closer transliteration to the Hebrew כֹּהֵן. Parents who are looking for new and creative ways to impart spiritual or “priestly” names on their children might discover Kohen as an original choice. In ancient Hebrew priests of all religions were referred to as “kohens” – centuries and centuries before Christianity and Islam were on the scene. For instance, priests of Ba’al were called “kohens”. Ba’al was in ancient competition with Yahweh; he was the focal point of idolatry worship in the days of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. Ancient Canaanite and Mesopotamian priests who oversaw sacrifices and rituals to Ba’al (mainly for agricultural and military benefits) would have also been referred to as “kohens”.

Quick Facts

ON KOHEN

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Hebrew

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

954

PRONUNCIATION:

KO-әn

SIMPLE MEANING:

Priest

Characteristics

OF KOHEN

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Kohen

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME KOHEN

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Kohen

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME KOHEN

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Kohen


Popular Songs

ON KOHEN

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Kohen


Famous People

NAMED KOHEN

We cannot find any celebrities or significantly famous people with the first name Kohen.

Children of Famous People

NAMED KOHEN

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Kohen

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME KOHEN

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Kohen