Boy name · Hebrew
Cohen
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: from a Jewish surname meaning priestCohen is a boy's name that comes from a Hebrew surname meaning "priest". It is used in English.
- Meaning
- From a Jewish surname meaning priest
- Origin
- Hebrew
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #225 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Cohen
As a boy's name, Cohen comes from a Hebrew surname meaning "priest". It is used in English.
Cohen is also a surname: the 355th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 86,401 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
How popular is Cohen?
- US rank in 2025
- #225
- 1,590 babies, 931 per million boys
- Best rank
- #225 in 2025
- 1,590 babies that year
- Babies since 1912
- At least 23,040
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 0 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 0 per million |
| 1900s | 0 per million |
| 1910s | 5 per million |
| 1920s | 6 per million |
| 1930s | 1 per million |
| 1940s | 1 per million |
| 1950s | 0 per million |
| 1960s | 0 per million |
| 1970s | 1 per million |
| 1980s | 2 per million |
| 1990s | 13 per million |
| 2000s | 227 per million |
| 2010s | 529 per million |
| 2020s | 783 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #321 | #314 | #305 | #299 | #286 | #287 | #277 | #247 | #239 | #225 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Names spelled like Cohen
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- ColinWhelp, young dog (Scottish Gaelic, boy)
- ConanLittle hound or little wolf (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- CadenMeaning unknown; sometimes from the Irish surname Mac Cadáin (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- ChanBrilliant, dazzling (depends on hanja) (Korean, boy)
- ChengAccomplished; sincere (depends on characters) (Chinese, boy)
- CheoPet form of José (Spanish, boy)
- CihanWorld (Persian, unisex)
- ColeFrom a surname from Nicholas or the byname Cola, charcoal (Old English, boy)
- CollenHazel tree (Welsh, boy)
Names with a similar meaning
- MiriamForm of Mary, meaning uncertain; perhaps Egyptian beloved (Hebrew, girl)
- AaronProbably Egyptian, meaning unknown; Hebrew theories say exalted (Hebrew, boy)
- AlanMeaning uncertain; perhaps little rock, or from the Alans (Brythonic, boy)
- AthenaMeaning unknown; the Greek goddess of wisdom (Greek, girl)
- DeclanMeaning unknown, though likely begins with Old Irish dag, good (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- EvelynFrom a surname derived from the given name Aveline (English, girl)
- GrahamFrom a surname from the place name Grantham, probably gravelly homestead (Old English, boy)
- JacksonFrom a surname meaning son of Jack (English, boy)
- KennedyFrom an Irish surname, from Cennétig, armoured or misshapen head (Irish Gaelic, girl)
- MariaGreek and Latin form of Miriam, of uncertain meaning (Hebrew, girl)
- NayeliPossibly from Zapotec words meaning I love you or open (Zapotec, girl)
- NolanFrom an Irish surname derived from nuall, famous, loud (Irish Gaelic, boy)
- XimenaFeminine of Ximeno, a medieval Spanish name of uncertain meaning (Spanish, girl)
- AdairFrom a surname derived from Edgar (English, unisex)
- AmariMeaning uncertain, perhaps from Arabic Ammar (Arabic, unisex)
Middle names for Cohen
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a longer length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Hebrew
- AdamMan, humankind (Hebrew, boy)
- DavidBeloved one (Hebrew, boy)
- DanielGod is my judge (Hebrew, boy)
- NoahRest, repose (Hebrew, boy)
- EliasMy God is Yahweh (Hebrew, boy)
- GabrielGod is my strength (Hebrew, boy)
- AxelMy father is peace (Hebrew, boy)
- BenjaminSon of the right hand (Hebrew, boy)
- IsaacHe will laugh (Hebrew, boy)
- JanGod is gracious (Hebrew, boy)
- JonathanYahweh has given (Hebrew, boy)
- SamuelName of God (Hebrew, boy)
- SimonHe has heard (Hebrew, boy)
- AbelBreath (Hebrew, boy)
- BenSon of the right hand (Hebrew, boy)
- EthanFirm, enduring (Hebrew, boy)
- IbrahimFather of many nations (Hebrew, boy)
- JoelYahweh is God (Hebrew, boy)
Cohen: common questions
What does the name Cohen mean?
Cohen comes from a Hebrew surname meaning "priest". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Cohen a boy or girl name?
Cohen is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 37 girls and 1,590 boys in the US were named Cohen, according to Social Security Administration data.
Where does the name Cohen come from?
Cohen comes from a Hebrew surname meaning "priest". Today it is used in English.
How popular is the name Cohen?
Cohen ranked #225 in the US in 2025, with 1,590 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What names are similar to Cohen?
Names spelled like Cohen include Colin, Conan, Caden, Chan and Cheng.
What middle names go with Cohen?
Middle names that flow well with Cohen include Alexander, Bernard, Dennis, Florian and Howell. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.

