Wikipedia

Cohen

For other uses, see Cohen (disambiguation).
For a list of persons with the surname Cohen, see List of people with surname Cohen.

Cohen (Hebrew: כֹּהֵן, romanized: kōhēn, lit. 'priest') is a surname of Jewish, Samaritan[1] and Biblical origins (see: Kohen). It is a common Jewish surname, and is the most common surname in Israel.[2]

Origin

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Bearing the surname often (although not always) indicates that one's patrilineal ancestors were priests in the Temple of Jerusalem. Although not all Kohenic lines stem from Aaron, the brother of Moses, 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.[3] As multiple languages were acquired through the Jewish diaspora, 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,[4] 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).[5] Nor should an observant Kohen come into contact with the dead[6] 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).

Cohen is one of the four Samaritan last names that exist in the modern day.[citation needed]

Variants and derivations

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The Suleiman ben Pinhas al-Cohen family of Sana'a, circa 1944

Some Jewish immigrants to the United States or the United Kingdom changed their name from Cohen to Cowan (sometimes spelled "Cowen"), as Cowan was a Scottish name.[7]. In Ireland, Coyne is also a similar replacement. The name "Cohen" is also used as a given name.[8]

  • Arabic: al-Kohen, al-Kahen, al-Kahin, Tawil, Tabili, Taguili
  • Ancient/Modern Hebrew: Kohen, HaKohen, ben-Kohen, bar-Kohen, (Sephardic Portuguese variants) Cunha, Coina, Coinha

References

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  1. ^ Schreiber, Mordecai (2011). The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia. Taylor Trade Publications.
  2. ^ אלון, אמיר (4 February 2019). "למ"ס: אלה שמות המשפחה הנפוצים בישראל". ynet (in Hebrew).
  3. ^ Donin, Rabbi Haim Halevy (1972). To Be A Jew. A Guide to Jewish Observance in Contemporary Life. Basic Books. p. 198. ISBN 9780465086245.
  4. ^ Shlomo bar Yosef ha-Cohen Atzvan, Ma'alot Shlomo, Jerusalem 1985, p. 56 in PDF (Hebrew)
  5. ^ Donin p. 291
  6. ^ Donin p. 304
  7. ^ Krupnick, Mark (1993). "Assimilation in Recent American Jewish Autobiographies". Contemporary American Jewish Literature. 34 (3). University of Wisconsin Press: 451–474. doi:10.2307/1208683. JSTOR 1208683.
  8. ^ "What's the Deal With People Using Cohen as a First Name?". November 22, 2019.
  9. ^ Nissim, Daniele (2001). "FAMIGLIE RAPA E RAPAPORT NELL'ITALIA SETTENTRIONALE (SEC. XV-XVI). CON UN'APPENDICE SULL'ORIGINE DELLA MISCELLANEA ROTHSCHILD". La Rassegna Mensile di Israel. 67 (1): 177–192. JSTOR 41263551. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  10. ^ כָּהֵן, כָּהֵין, כַּהֲנָא
  11. ^ Charles W. Bell (October 4, 1997). "Counting the Cohens, and some of them could be named Katz". The NY Daily News.