Is Cohen or Kohen appropriate to use as a baby name?

[newmumtobe26]

Hello,

I am due a little boy next month and me and my partner both like the name Kohen/Cohen. However, we are a little worried about its religious association as we don’t want to offend anyone. We’ve read that it’s linked to both the Jewish and Dutch communities for different meanings/reasons. Does anyone know if this name is ok to use? Or whether it would be classed as inappropriate by the Jewish culture? Thanks so much in advance.

No, they sound like washing machine brands

People would most definitely presume he was Jewish

It’s very much a Jewish surname - …I do think it’s an odd choice in general tbh

Like the chemist chain ?

Awful names

I think it is seen as an inappropriate first name by a lot of Jewish people yes, as it's a title for a priest. There's lots of threads on Reddit about it. Not all agree of course but it would be offensive to some.

I lived in north London for ages and it would be a pretty weird first name (would see it a v Jewish).

It is strongly identified as a Jewish surname.

No. (It’s a Jewish surname.)

Do you communicate or socialise with a lot of Jews that you may offend? I know of a cohen and he’s not Jewish and he gets on ok

I am woefully unaware of Jewish surnames in general, but even I know this one! I would say people will make assumptions. Whether that matters or not is up to you.

Is it the sound of Cohen you like? What about
Roan (or Rowan if you pronounce it ro-an not row-an)
Colin
Corran
Noah

I would think Jewish surname, I'm afraid.

Be prepared for him to be the victim of anti-Semitism.

I don’t know if Jewish people would find it offensive but they may well find it weird like the rest of us. It is a very obviously Jewish surname, not a standard first name.

Rowan sounds similar and is a lovely boys name.

What about Johan?

I know a Cohen. He must be about 13 now. Wouldn’t be my choice and yes it is a Jewish surname, but it’s obviously used as a first name too 🤷‍♀️

No idea why anyone would choose this Jewish surname as a first name. Apparently the founder of Tesco, Jack Cohen named it after his wife, Tessa.

Cuilin (Coo-lin) is a lovely Scottish Gaelic boy's name with a similar, though not identical, sound.

In Netherlands its usually spelled Coen or Koen, and is often mispronounced like "cone"

I personally wouldn't. Cohen as a surname has strong religious and cultural meanings in the Jewish community. I think many in the community would see the use of Cohen as a first name as ignorant or culturally insensitive.

The Dutch name is typically spelt Coen or Koen and it has a different pronunciation from Cohen.

What about Owen?

Cuillin (two Ls) is the name of a mountain range, not a given name. Do you mean Cailean?

I’d change it to Koan. Pronounced the same but not a surname. It’s a masculine Japanese first name. It means riddle.

Lowen or Rowan instead?

No, I don’t think it’s appropriate

One of my closest friends has a Cohen and is in North West London and there's no issues with her boy who's in a secondary school with a high percentage of Jewish kids of varying orthodoxy.

A lot of people don't like surnames as first names, Cohen is very popular in many other countries.

I really like it as a first name