Would a better parallel be maybe naming someone Reverend, or Minister, or Pastor? She had no idea of the controversy and she and her hub named him this partly in honour of Leonard Cohen, partly simply because they liked the sound.
Since you do know the potential for offence, I might opt to choose a different name, especially since there are so many great names out there. As others have mentioned if you feel like this is THE name and you must use it, perhaps consider an alternative spelling. I know a Koen. You could even have a Kowan, which is much more like Rowan. I guess one just makes peace with this in some way and moves on.
My friend seems to have done so. I would never do it. It seems like cultural appropriation, and we as a culture—particularly white folks—have enoug problems with that already. Swistle, Anonymous here: I totally agree that that the analogy is not perfect! The survey results — as of now — are telling.
Overwhelmingly, the votes are going two ways. People who knew of the controversy would NOT use the name. It seems that people familiar with the Judaic meaning hence the controversy are opposed. As a Jew, I was highly surprised when I first saw anyone using this as a first name. And, for the record, the alternate spellings do not change the meaning. Cohen is a transliteration from Hebrew.
Just a note: the babycenter top list is not the best indicator of popularity because it only represents the names parents share with the website. So it is biased towards parents who are more likely to share their names online!
As though somehow his son is better than the rest of us. They have to live with their name for life! Another Jew chiming in here. Just that somebody picked a baby name because it sounds trendy, and not because of any deeper meaning. And FYI, someone mentioned Korban, which in Hebrew actually means sacrifice, specifically typically old testament animal sacrifice.
I did know of the issue and I think that, yes, you have the right to name your son whatever you want, but would you name him something that would and it will cause scrutiny, and stares by some of the population? I think maybe moving it to the middle name spot might lessen some of the shock.
Being Jewish, for me, some of the issues about this name come from the fact that the Jews have been persecuted and discriminated, and then for a non Jew not trying to be discriminative here to use the name, is kind of like saying I can use the name just because I like it, yet not think about the Jewish associations, and struggle and horrible things they have been through for bearing different names.
Wow, I had no idea that it was a Jewish name and certainly no idea that it was so controversial. I just wanted to write in how appreciative I am of this discussion. As a religious issue, this is not one that is likely to go away. I do wonder about all the folks who have already named their sons Cohen. Particularly those who unfortunately did so before it became a known issue. I am very surprised that parents who use it now were not aware.
Most people Google their baby names in advance and would have discovered the issue. I did have a friend in college who was irritated by the fact that the Seth Cohen character on The OC was sometimes called Cohen by his friends. I am also Australian, and it is NOT less of an issue here. Every capital city and some country centres have strong Jewish cOmmunities, so the chance a child naned Cohen would not eventually come across a Jewish community is small.
His sons name has been the cause if some fallout at the new school. The school actually recommended he be called by his middle or last name instead, and he now goes a different name for just at school. My friend wishes he had put more research into his sons name choice. You have some other great names on your list, and some suggestions above regarding spelling are also useful.
For your sons sake, for the circles he may mix with in his future, please make another choice. Little Bird- The poll is neat for me, too! That group is right now at nearly the same percentage of people who DID know and consider it a deal-breaker. First of all, I am not Jewish nor do I live in an area with a high population of Jewish people. The fact is that a group of people, and not just a small group but a large group living in communities throughout the world, finds this name offensive.
The other question to answer is whether your child will appreciate being called Cohen. A Jewish hiring manager might take one look at his name on a resume and form an opinion subconscious or not about your son, and while that could happen with any name, this name clearly is very offensive to a number of people in a way other names are not.
But aside from what other people think, the fact that your son might suffer if you do name him Cohen seems like a good enough reason to me to find another name. I know someone who named their baby Kohen last year, and they have already run into one or two comments. I personally would not want to go through life with a name that might cause offense to another group of people, and potentially cause some to pre-judge my family as culturally ignorant.
This is obviously a name that a lot of Jewish people do find significantly inappropriate and THAT should then be the end of the discussion for me.
Longtime Swistle lurker and Jew here. The Cohens are indeed descended from Aaron and, traditionally, have specific duties they must perform. People mention it and I go look for it and just have no idea why I can't find it?
Then click on Baby Name Game. We are going with the name Cohen. Husband and I love it, we don't really care how other people might feel about it. Also, we do not know any Jewish people who may be offended.
PP - some of the regulars on the baby name game board are very vocal about their dislike of many different names mainly "boy" names for girls. Try not to let their negativity discourage you xo. Isn't that ridiculous? They act like giving a girl a boyish name will doom her to a life of unemployment and ridicule. My name is Jaime double whammy, spelled "wrong" too! I didn't even know people cared so much until I started reading that board!
OP, I think it's great that you're researching the cultural significance behind the name before giving it to your kid. Cohen is a great name and it seems the general consensus is it's not as offensive as some have made it out to be. I just really had no idea at all this was offensive. There isn't a huge Jewish population where we live. I guess I was just clueless. My cousin's child is Cohen and I never thought twice about his name.
Though my father messes it up at times and calls him Colin. But really.. That's my dad. My husband and I have made a rule that we aren't telling anyone, even strangers, our name choice. People are too opinionated and critical. Name your kid what you want--once he is born, most folks won't make negative comments if they were raised right.
I read those posts online as well, but decided that I really didn't care if some people found it offensive. That's their problem, not mine. I'm not Jewish nor do I know many Jewish people very closely. Agreed that it is weird. I know there is a thing for using last names as first names, but Cohen is very consistently not a first name. It isn't offensive, but if I met someone with the first name Cohen, I'd internally roll my eyes a bit that their parents just grabbed at it because they liked the way it sounded, ignoring its context.
I have the same reaction when non-Jewish couples tell me that they had a chuppah at their wedding. No, dears, you got married under a canopy or similar, which is lovely and not exclusive to Judaism. However, a chuppah is and carries a specific meaning that doesn't get cherry-picked out because you thought it was cute on Pinterest. As someone who happens to also be Dutch, I have far fewer feelings on using the name Koen.
It isn't terribly common among younger people, but doesn't carry any negative or culturally-specific connotations. Close Menu Search. By Naomi Kaye Honova Nov 22, Image via Pixabay. Lior Zaltzman. Then Came the Antisemitic Trolls.
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