Kohen as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Kohen

What is the meaning of the name Kohen ?

The baby name Kohen is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KOH-en (IPA: /ˈkoʊ.ən/; Hebrew approx.: /ˈko.en/).

Kohen is Hebrew in Origin.

Kohen is a modern given name derived from the Hebrew כֹּהֵן (kōhēn), meaning “priest.” In the Hebrew Bible, a kohen belonged to the hereditary priestly class descended from Aaron, brother of Moses, and the term became a hereditary title and common Jewish surname indicating priestly lineage. The common English transliteration is Cohen; Kohen preserves a closer phonetic link to the Hebrew (pronounced KOH-en).

Usage as a personal name emerged in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, particularly in North America, aligning with the rise of surname-style and K-initial names. Notable variants and related spellings include Cohen, Kohan, Cohan, and the Dutch Koen/Coen (often conflated but etymologically unrelated, from Conrad/Coenraad, meaning “bold counsel”). As a given name, Kohen is typically masculine but sometimes used unisex. Because “kohen” is a sacred title within Judaism, some Jewish communities view its use as a first name as culturally sensitive or inappropriate.