Kohen
Kohen was the 296th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,143 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 490 places. More babies were named Kohen in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Cohen) priest · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #296 boys, up 345 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,143boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,143 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,561babies recorded
What does the name Kohen mean?
Kohen is a spelling of Cohen, pronounced the same way, so it shares Cohen's meaning and origin.
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
Kohen popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 154 since 2008, 17 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #296 | 1,143 |
| 2020 | #641 | 418 |
| 2010 | #1,077 | 180 |
| 2000 | #6,613 | 10 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kohen, counting every spelling?
Kohen is a spelling of Cohen, a name family that ranked #138 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #296 for Kohen 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 Kohen?
1,143 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kohen (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kohen 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kohen.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kohen?
About 8,300 people born in the US named Kohen are alive today, with a median age of 6; half are between 2 and 11. That makes Kohen 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.
Kohen by state
How common Kohen was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (7.1×), Louisiana (4.5×), Mississippi (4.2×), South Dakota (3.8×), Iowa (3.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, Nevada, New York.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kohen: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kohen, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kohen
What does Kohen mean?
Kohen is a spelling of Cohen, which means “priest” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Kohen?
Kohen was the 296th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,143 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 490 places. More babies were named Kohen in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Kohen a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kohen in the US.
Where is Kohen most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kohen was most common in West Virginia (3.43 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Mississippi.