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English and Gaelic speaking countries

Cohen is either a Jewish surname from the Hebrew 'kohen' (priest) or an anglicised Irish surname from 'Ó Cadhan' (descendant of Cadhan).

Cohen is not a personal name in Hebrew. In the Jewish faith, a kohen is assumed to be a direct male descendant of the Biblical Aaron, brother of Moses.

During the existence of the Temple in Jerusalem, kohanim performed specific duties vis-à-vis the daily and festival sacrificial offerings. The Kohen Gadol (High Priest) played a special role during the service of Yom Kippur. Today, kohanim retain a distinct personal status within Judaism and are still bound by special laws in Orthodox and, to a lesser extent, in Conservative Jewish communities. For this reason many observant Jews find the use of Cohen as a first name disrespectful.

Surname of comedian and actor Sasha Baron Cohen, figure skater Sasha Cohen and film makers Joel and Ethan Cohen.