Want to start a fight? Choose this surname for your son.
Thanks to Photoquilty for suggesting Cohen as Name of the Day.
With kids answering to names like Riley and Madison, it might be hard to see why Cohen courts controversy.
Except.
As Nameberry’s Pamela Redmond Satran wrote in her Daily Beast article last May, Cohen isn’t just any surname. It’s from the Hebrew kohen – priest. That’s more than an etymology. The Kohanim are considered direct descendants of Aaron, big brother to Moses and first High Priest of the Israelites. For generations, the Kohanim performed specific duties and formed a priestly class within Judaism. Even today, you’ll find communities where the Kohanim observe specific rules and receive certain privileges in return. Lest you think that’s just an old tradition, it turns out that genetic testing bears out the idea that the Kohanim share a common ancestry.
Not every Kohanim is a Cohen and not every Cohen is a priest. Names like Kaplan, Conklin, Kahn, Coen, Kogan, Cahen and Caen have all been used as equivalents. George M. Cohan was Irish Catholic. Koen is a diminutive for the Dutch and German equivalents of Conrad. It’s perfectly possible to argue that your boy Cohen has nuthin’ to do with the Torah.
Plenty of parents do. In 2004, Cohen entered the US Top 1000 at #650. By 2008, he stood at #356 – a quick climb. (Though even at #356, fewer than 1,000 newborns received the name.) Koen ranked #877 is 2008.
If you’re flipping through the phone book to find a baby name, Cohen seems like a logical companion to Carter, Carson and Cooper, as well as names like Colton and Cody. And, of course, all of those names and more are sometimes subject to respelling with a K. (I’m guessing that very few of the 238 Koens born last year are wearing the name as a nod to their German or Dutch heritage.)
Factor in our continued preference for two-syllable, ends-in-n names for boys, and Cohen was almost sure to surface. The Cohen family – including Adam Brody’s appealing character Seth Cohen – on TV’s The O.C. fueled his rise.
To complicate matters, plenty of popular choices are heavy with religious symbolism. Keeping company with Cohen in the US Top 1000 are:
- Nevaeh (#34) and Heaven (#275), both for girls;
- Trinity (#70 for girls), Genesis (#95 for girls) and Messiah (#704) for boys;
- Zion (#699 for girls and #233 for boys).
That’s without considering virtue names, saints’ names and names culled from obscure Biblical figures. You could argue that calling your kid Messiah is a heavier burden than the possibly-priestly Cohen.
But why bother? If Cohen appeals, surely you could choose Colton or Nico or Colby or Kohl. (I’m a big fan of Crosby myself.)
Odds are that parents picking Cohen mean no disrespect by choosing the name. Some probably like the idea that their son’s name carries a religious connotation.
Assuming you’re reading this before signing Cohen on your child’s birth certificate in permanent marker, think twice. It seems unfair to your child to saddle him with a name that – rightly or not – will be viewed by some as an insult.
I frequent the Nameberry message board, which is the only reason I know about the potential controversy of naming your child Cohen. Although I don’t have any close Jewish friends, I don’t consider myself completely ignorant of Judaism. I’ve taken comparative religion classes and I’ve watched many religious discussions/documentaries on things like Discovery. I can’t recall ever hearing about priests called Kohens/Cohens.
When I think Jewish priest, I think (and probably 90% of non-Jews think) RABBI. Unless I had read nameberry, I would have no idea. I’m not sure you can really blame someone for thinking Cohen is just a surname name, wherever they heard it. (I do think viewers of the O.C. realized that his first name was Seth.) If I Google “Cohen” all of the hits relate to Cohen as someone’s surname (a la Sacha Baron Cohen) or as part of a business name (which I assume would come from it being a surname.) As another poster said, it’s like a non-Scot choosing something like McKenna or McKinley as a name (and thousands of people do.) It isn’t until I scroll all the way down to the bottom where it says Related Searches that I see “cohen Jewish” and even then I would probably just think, Right, it’s typically a Jewish surname.
I don’t think any of the people who choose the name Cohen are deliberately trying to offend. I also don’t see why the children in question would feel compelled to change their name? Are they going to be verbally attacked for having a name that they didn’t choose and that was never intended to be provoking?
ScarlettsMom, you’re absolutely right about parents choosing Cohen as a surname name – if Carson, Carter, Crosby and Colby are options, why not Cohen? Ditto Trinity – it bugs me, but if you’re not religious, I can imagine the name seeming just as reasonable a pick as Destiny or even Dorothy.
If you’ve named your kiddo Cohen not knowing, well, oops. It’s pretty much un-fixable, and certainly not going to ruin his life. But if you’re still pondering possible first names? I think the Cohen controversy is enough to give it a pass.
Today in the Bible study I attend we were discussing names in the Bible and how important the meaning of a name was when biblical parents chose it for their offspring. I brought up the whole Cohen debate, pointing out how thoughtless people often are when choosing a name these days. Then one woman in the group mentioned that she knows two couples who recently bestowed “Cohen” on their babies — they were both Christians and had obviously not done any research into the name. I can’t help wondering whether those two boys (and many others) will one day end up going by a middle name or choosing to legally change their name.
Could we maybe add Israel as well? I hate to say a name should be “reserved” for only a certain group, but Israel has such significance in Judaism that it seems almost wrong when a non-Jew uses it.
Interesting, Holly – I knew a couple who named their daughter Kara Israel. They were very Catholic, so I was stunned that it wasn’t a saints’ name. And I didn’t get the Israel part. I mean – it is a gorgeous word, but it is a lot to put on a child.
I’ve noticed a serious upswing in Kiwi and Aussie Cohens and frustratingly most will have no clue as to where it comes from nor give a flying toss if they did.
The only positive outcome is that this is a trendy name, and as such, will probably spend just a few years on the list before disappearing. I hope.
I hear you, Verity, on the use of the name Trinity as a popular given name — it jars me whenever I hear anyone calling out things like, “Trinity, clean up your toys!”
The problem with names is that most people really are quite ignorant about them. Many of the people I’ve met choose names for their kids based purely on sound and what they think is popular — I’m always amazed at the number of people I come across who want their child’s name to be on the top 25 list — or they choose a name because they think it’s unusual and cool (it usually isn’t).
Also, as Verity already said, religious-sounding names are simply in; the popularity of Christian is another such example. Personally I think it’s sad, because in a way the names lose their meanings as words or religious traditions/beliefs when hollered across the playground.
Exactly, Charlotte. I understand that not everyone feels their kids’ names need to have meaning. I get that. But I do think that it is worth considering whether or not the name that you “just like” has meaning to others.
And that’s not because you want to spare the feelings of those anonymous others. (If you click through to Pam Satran’s post on TDB, you’ll read comments written by parents who had never met a person of Jewish faith. This astonishes me, but then, I’m not sure that I’ve ever met anyone from South Dakota.)
It is because every parent should recognize that their kids’ names are permanent. I’m not sure that Cohen rises to the level of Adolph or Lucifer, but could be a burden.
Exactly, Charlotte Vera. I completely understand why parents might prefer to choose names for reasons other than their meanings. I get that. But to choose a name that clearly has considerable importance to many people and dismiss it? That feels different.
If you click through to Pam’s article on TDB, you’ll see comments by people who say they’ve never met a person of the Jewish faith. This astonishes me, but I don’t believe I’ve ever met anyone from South Dakota. But I can imagine that my kids might very well grow up to live in South Dakota or South America. They could grow up to have very, very different political and spiritual beliefs than mine.
And that’s the thing about Cohen. Let’s say Cohen is perfectly palatable in your small town in Arkansas, where the nearest temple is hours and hours away. But then Cohen grows up and goes to college and finds himself interviewing for jobs in a much bigger city. I can imagine that Cohen could be a hardship professionally, maybe even personally, in a deeper way than Kolton or Kayden. It’s one thing to have a trendy name that seems rather unsophisticated – it is another thing to have one that would sometimes be perceived as openly offensive.
As for the OC, I think the writers chose Cohen – for very specific reasons. Seth Cohen was half-Jewish, half-Christian and had the whole Chrismakkuh storyline. It might not have been a huge plot point, but I suspect they went with Cohen intentionally – something that, unfortunately, some parents cannot say.
I’m with photoquilty. I’m offended when I hear this name on a child. Of the millions of names in the world, why choose one that puts off so many people?
Photoquilty, I think you are overreacting. A non-Jew choosing “Cohen” is no different from a non-Scot choosing “Mackenzie.” Dumb, possibly, but not a wanton act of persecution.
Regarding your example of a Jewish woman naming her child Jesus – there is character on House named Chris Taub. The show has explicitly said that he is Jewish, so the name “Chris” really boggles my mind. I wonder if the writers just weren’t thinking, or if the character has a fascinating unexplored backstory…
Oh please. That’s a television character. Hardly relevant.
How is her television character less relevant than yours? Or are you conceding the argument by declaring your initial tizzy fit about Seth Cohen irrelevant?
Some ignorant writer created Chris Taub. They weren’t thinking about whether Jews use Chris as a name. The other television character has nothing to do with anything – except that the people who are using Cohen as a first name didn’t uderstand that it was his nickname/last name.
Holey, I used to work with a Jewish woman named Christine. It turned out she’d married into Judaism. I realize that the more conservative (am I using that term right?) branches don’t accept adult converts, but I know she was a regular attendee at temple and her three kids all celebrated bar/bat mitzvahs. Still, you’re right – choosing the name Chris for an openly Jewish character implies there’s a story!
Actually, all Jewish groups (with one very small and very unusual exception) accept converts of any age. More conservative groups, like the Orthodox, do have strict rules about what a conversion candidate must do in order to be eligible.
As an Orthodox Jew, this doesn’t bother me as much as it bothers Photoquilty, but I don’t think your comparison of “Cohen” to “Mackenzie” is particularly apt. The difference between “Cohen” and “Mackenzie” is that the Hebrew word “Kohen” is not a name or even a surname – it’s a title, like President, Doctor, or Reverend. So when you name your child “Cohen” you are really naming him “Priest of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.” Add to this the fact that the status of “Kohen” is transferred from father to son – it can only be applied to individuals who are descended from the first Kohen, Aaron (brother of Moses) – and this name does seem a bit sacrilegious.
I hear you, Photoquilty. I can’t identify with all of what you’re feeling, but I do have a similar reaction to names like Trinity – it’s difficult for me to view a term that has real meaning to me as just a nice name.
Mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. This “name” makes me so mad! I just don’t think it’s fair that we Jews hae to deal with AGES of bigotry, slavery, persecution, anti-semitism, and theft, too! Come on, love us or hate us, but pick one, already!
The popularity of this “name”, by the way, stems from this show called The O.C. Maybe you’ve heard of it? A character on the show, Seth Cohen, was called Cohen, I guess. So people (ignoramuses, I mean) watching the show, thought ‘hm, now there’s a valid name choice’ and there you have it. Now thousands of baby boys are wearing a religious symbol of a name. It’s equivolent to a Jewish woman naming her child Jesus. It just makes no sense.
By the way, I’m not even a religious Jew at all. I’m just resentful of always being treated so differently because I’m Jewish (ever since I moved out of NYC, I mean), and then people take what’s ours and don’t even give it a second thought. It seems like desecration…and that’s pretty much how Jews have been treated throughout history. “Oh, was this important to you? Well, I’ll just spit on it a little bit, then belittle you, and then drag your name through the mud. You don’t mind, do you?”
“and then people take what’s ours and don’t even give it a second thought”
All names have some sort of connection to a culture or religion….and people not in those cultures or religions use those names too. NOT trying to take someone else’s “something”…
““Oh, was this important to you? Well, I’ll just spit on it a little bit, then belittle you, and then drag your name through the mud. You don’t mind, do you?””
Again…They aren’t meaning it as a disrespect. And I dont think it belittles anyone…I mean, If they HATED jewish people or meant it as an insult would they really name their child that!? NO! They mean it in every good way possible, they dont want to name their child as an insult to anyone..
I completely and totally agree with Photoquilty. Since we seem to think how many Jews we know matters in this conversation (“some of my best friends are black”- hurl) I am not Jewish, but am married to a Jew. A Cohen even. He doesn’t give two hoots about this. But he also won’t live anywhere that’s all white because “if things get ugly, they’ll come for me.” Think that’s an overreaction? Compare the global Jewish population before and after WWII. Check the Jewish emigration rates from Europe currently.
This is cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is a problem. It is ignorant, disrespectful, and undermines a culture that you don’t understand.
People make ignorant mistakes. They even make ignorant mistakes that they and their children are stuck with. I forgive mistakes even if I think you were foolish to make them.
I am *less* offended by those people than by the people here who now understand that this offends people and belittle that offense. How dare you? And for what? Cuz it sounds cool? Yeah, pick another name. There is no way that this name has significance and family ties for you. You do NOT need to pick it. Sometimes offending people has a pay off that is worth it. I believe in boat rocking. But in this case? The cost is too high for the completely negligible benefit.
Also, we need to stop pretending that all cultures are treated equally. There is greater harm in a majority population disrespecting a minority population. Comparisons to Christian names don’t work because Christians dominate in this country.
Aussies, Kiwis, and Americans not “giving a toss”- yes, that’s the problem. Majority populations don’t give a toss about minority populations and feel they don’t have to. And they don’t. Because what’s the backlash? Nothing that can hurt them. It doesn’t make it ok.
This is an ethnic group that has been endlessly persecuted. You cannot go pillaging around in their culture for some little relic you think is cute.
Hedda, thanks for taking the time to write. And I think it is important that parents considering the name are aware that it can provoke such strong reactions.
But there are an awful lot of parents out there who have named their kids Cohen, and are finding this *after* their child is named, maybe after that child is four or five or seven or twelve. So I think the part of your message that is most important is forgiveness.
Perhaps Koan is a more acceptable substitute? It seems unlikely that Zen Buddhists will get aggressive with a parental over that choice. 🙂
LOL Jim – thanks!