Cohen
Cohen was the 225th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,590 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 111 places. More babies were named Cohen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning priest · Hebrew
Say it KOH-uhn /ˈkoʊən/
- Rank in 2025
- #225 boys, up 61 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,590boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,590 babies
- Total since 1880
- 23,429babies recorded
What does the name Cohen mean?
Cohen is the Hebrew word kohen, 'priest', and the most common Jewish surname, traditionally borne by families descended from the hereditary priests of ancient Israel, who traced their line to Aaron; Wiktionary and Wikipedia agree. Wikipedia notes that its use as a boy's given name in the US is recent. Wikipedia also explains that the title is associated with hereditary priests descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses.
כֹּהֵן (Biblical Hebrew, “kohen, priest”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Kohen, Cohn, Kahn, Katz.
See also: Hebrew names, names from occupations.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cohen', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Cohen (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Cohen popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 389 since 2005, 37 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #225 | 1,590 |
| 2020 | #286 | 1,183 |
| 2010 | #360 | 835 |
| 2000 | #1,898 | 55 |
| 1990 | #5,051 | 10 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,265 | 8 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Cohen, counting every spelling?
Cohen is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #138 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #225 for Cohen on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,753 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cohen | 1,590 | #225 | 6,935 |
| Kohen | 1,143 | #296 | 4,187 |
| Kohyn | 20 | #4,965 | 54 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cohen?
1,590 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cohen (0.44 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cohen born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 5 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cohen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cohen?
About 22,700 people born in the US named Cohen are alive today, with a median age of 9; half are between 4 and 15. That makes Cohen a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cohen by state
How common Cohen was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in North Dakota (4.0×), West Virginia (3.9×), Louisiana (3.1×), Arkansas (3.1×), South Dakota (3.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cohen: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cohen, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cohen · Sibling names for Cohen
Questions about the name Cohen
What does Cohen mean?
Cohen means “priest” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Cohen?
Cohen was the 225th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,590 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 111 places. More babies were named Cohen in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Cohen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Cohen in the US.
Where is Cohen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cohen was most common in North Dakota (3.22 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Louisiana.