Thoughts on Cohen?

[fluentinsarcasm]

Really grown on me, what do you think?

As a treat for those who do give a fuck - here is the lovely Leonard Cohen singing the title track from his last album. Note the Jewish Cantors singing on the backing track....

I really despair of the mindset of people like the OP, who have no fucks to give. She may not, and she's welcome to call herself Cohen if she wants to spend the rest of her life fielding confusion. But her son may (one hopes) grow into someone who DOES give a fuck, and may not thank her for this burden.

Is cultural appropriation a thing now??
Aren't we all humans!!

Do you feel the same way about racism and sexism Holly? Are they "things"? Perhaps you should ask the people who might be offended - rather than the people who might do the offending?

How about Cian/Kian? It's another Irish name.

Do you feel the same way about racism and sexism Holly? Are they "things"?

Nah, aren't we all humans!!!

OP, I really like it, but given the info on here (that I didn't know, just thought it was a surname) I'd avoid it.

Have you considered Cowan? I teach a boy called this, it's pronounced the same and is Gaelic apparently? Just a thought.

The same as Cohen I mean

No. Makes you (and the poor child) sound ignorant, anti Semitic and stupid

No way, change your own name to Cohen if you want to make a statement don't put a burden on your baby. I'd definitely be if I met a non-Jewish Cohen. There are so many other names to choose from.

Your comments about Manchester are in poor taste. That has nothing to do with Jewish people or religion in general. Why did you ask opinions on here if you don't care what people are saying?

I'd just think it was a tribute to Leonard Cohen.

If he did ever convert to Judaism and study enough to gain the title, would he be Cohen Cohen?

User LOL. No you'd have to be born Cohen. The original 12 tribes of ancient Jews split off into 3 divisions - Kohanim, Leviim and Yisraelim. These are recognised in Orthodox Judiasm whereas in more liberal Reform Judiasm I think no Jew is believed to be of a different status to another. So if you were a Rabbi you could easily be a Levi. Cohen isn't a title like Rabbi, Cantor etc. As an atheist Jew I'm not well up on all this at all though, but this is my understanding.

^ and that is why I'd never call my child Cohen. Thanks flapjack I love learning new things like that. Some people have such an amazing wealth of knowledge about the origin vs "oh I just liked the sound of it"

I'd feel simple. I feel kind of simple now having just asked the question 😂

What a song that is, Ain'tNoCure. What an incredible, uncompromising final statement from, IMHO, one of the greatest writers in history 💜

Don't use it. poor kid.

user I had a teacher that said always ask questions. No question is stupid. I love learning new things too. You get to find out so much on MN. I feel infinitely cleverer since I signed up

I had Cohen on our list OP - we aren't Jewish. I hadn't appreciated the cultural issues with this name (apologies for the ignorance). I might stick with Caleb now unless that's also a no go? Reuben and Noah are becoming too popular.

There's nothing at all wrong with Caleb Hopefully. It's a lovely name.

It is important to learn the origin of a name whatever it is before saddling your child with it and the endless questions they will receive.

Have your DNA analysed, you'll find that most people have some Jewish ancestry, so you'll be fine using it.

I don't like it compared to other Hebrew names, but that is irrelevant.

I'm from an immigrant family, I didn't realise that I had to choose names that I can barely say.

?

I doubt many people would make the Jewish connection. I'd say that many people would have been drawn to this thread as they recognised the Jewish connection, thus the majority being against it. Most places people in the UK would be non the wiser.

It's an interesting approach- just hoping no one knows or asks what your dcs name means.

It doesn't really matter if "the majority" of people have never heard the name before or had no idea that it's Jewish.
When it comes to "problematic" naming choices you're not thinking about the 75% or people for whom it's a neutral name - you're considering the 23% of people your child will meet with whom he has to have the "You're not Jewish? " conversation and the 1% of people who will assume his parents are idiots and the 1% of people who will be genuinely offended. "Most people won't know or care" isn't going to stop the minority of people who do know or care being a serious PITA throughout your child's life.

Now obviously there has to be a cut off as that 25% of people who care decreases to 0.25% or 0.0025% - you can't rule your life by the fact that 1 weirdo in America thinks that gentiles shouldn't call their boys David. But I'd say that this case falls well before that cut-off.