Kohen
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Meaning
means 'priest' in Hebrew
The story
Kohen’s modern English given-name spelling comes through Cohen, from Hebrew kohen, "priest," a word also carried by surnames linked with Jewish priestly families. Priestly status depends on lineage and tradition; a surname alone, or Kohen as a first name, does not establish it. The tradition has a surprising screen connection through Leonard Nimoy’s memory of the priestly blessing in synagogue. His father told him not to look, Nimoy recalled, but he peeked and saw the kohanim’s hands with their fingers spread apart. He learned to make the gesture himself. Later, while playing Spock, he proposed it as a Vulcan greeting for the Star Trek episode Amok Time. A gesture glimpsed during a childhood blessing became a greeting in the fictional world of Star Trek.
How popular is Kohen around the world?
In the United States, 4,700 babies were named Kohen between 2020 and 2025.
Kohen is on the official records of the United States, Canada, South Australia, Scotland and England and Wales.
United States
1 in 4,600
In the United States, 4,700 babies were named Kohen between 2020 and 2025.
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Kohen peaked in the 2020s.
Births with a Social Security record. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration
Canada
1 in 5,200
In Canada, 70 boys named Kohen were born in 2024, the 445th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from provincial and territorial vital statistics across Canada; any name-sex-year under 5 is excluded at source, and small Quebec counts carry a randomized adjustment made at source. Shares divide by Statistics Canada’s count of live births for the year; the 2024 count is preliminary. Source: Statistics Canada, first names at birth (table 17-10-0147-01)
South Australia
1 in 6,1002017
In South Australia, 3 boys were registered as Kohen in 2017.
The count never rose above 4 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in South Australia (not all of Australia) by first name and year of registration, 1944–2017, from the state’s Births, Deaths and Marriages registry, which publishes every name down to a single birth in capitals; a spelling its export repeats inside a year is counted once, and from 2018 only a top 100 is published, so the series ends at 2017. Source: Consumer and Business Services (South Australia), popular baby names
Scotland
1 in 6,500
In Scotland, 7 boys named Kohen were registered in 2024, the 432nd most common name among boys that year.
The count never rose above 7 in a year, too few to chart.
Births registered in Scotland; different spellings count separately but accents are merged at source, and any spelling under 3 in total is suppressed. Source: National Records of Scotland, babies' first names
England and Wales
1 in 17,000
In England and Wales, 35 boys named Kohen were born in 2025, the 896th most common name among boys that year.
share of that year’s name registrations
Birth registrations in England and Wales (not the whole UK); exact spellings are counted separately, and any spelling under 3 in a year is withheld at source. Source: Office for National Statistics, baby names in England and Wales
New Zealand
last on record 2023
Kohen is not on the 2025 record for New Zealand, where names under 10 in a year are excluded at source.
share of that year’s name registrations
First given names from New Zealand birth registrations, grouped by registration year; any name under 10 in a year is excluded at source. Shares divide by Stats NZ’s count of births registered to mothers living in New Zealand, under 1% below the registry’s own count. Source: Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand), baby name popularity over time
Not on the record in Spain, Mexico City, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Poland: those registries withhold small counts, so rare uses may sit below their floors.
Not on the Chile record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 5 registrations in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Montevideo record for 1940 to 2011: that registry withholds nothing, so this spelling was not given there in those years. Not on the France record: nametree keeps spellings that reached 20 births in some year, so rarer uses are not shown. Not on the Austria record for 1984 to 2025: Statistik Austria publishes every first name down to a single birth, so this name was not given there in those years (before 2010 the record covers babies with Austrian citizenship only). Not on Norway’s list: Statistics Norway lists only first names carried by 200 or more living people, so rarer names are not shown.
When you meet Kohen
Most people given the name Kohen in the United States are children or teenagers today. The name belongs to this generation.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
Keep exploring
The Kohen deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Kohen truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Kohen fits with your family’s names and surname.
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