Meaning of Last Name

Cohen (כֹּהֵן <font lang=en>kōhēn'</font>, means: 'A Priest') is a Jewish surname of biblical origins (see: Kohen). It is a very common Jewish surname, comparable to 'Smith' in an English-language context. Bearing the surname indicates that one's patrilineal ancestors were priests in the Temple of Jerusalem. A single such priest was known as a Kohen, and the hereditary caste descending from these priests is collectively known as the Kohanim. Being a Kohen imposes some limitations: by Jewish religious law a Kohen may not marry a divorced woman, and may not marry a proselyte (someone who converted to Judaism). Nor should an observant Kohen come into contact with the dead. An effort to trace whether or not people named 'Cohen' actually have a common genetic origin has been undertaken in the specific DNA signature associated with the name known as the Cohen Modal Haplotype. Cohen may refer to: