New Post
Search
Help[Opinions] Cohen
What are your thoughts on the name Cohen for a boy? Do you like it? What comes to mind when you think of this name?
Archived Thread - replies disabled
1
Replies
I don't know if anyone else here is Jewish...
But Cohen, despite being a common Jewish surname also means Rabbi (a spiritual leader in Judaism) . So, that's another thing to consider if you want to use it. I wouldn't find it offensive, but it is not really meant to be a first name.
Please see the wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen
But Cohen, despite being a common Jewish surname also means Rabbi (a spiritual leader in Judaism) . So, that's another thing to consider if you want to use it. I wouldn't find it offensive, but it is not really meant to be a first name.
Please see the wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen
1
Sorry for the controvertial post
When I post about this name I really had no idea it's history. I just heard it in passing and liked the sound of it. Not saying I would even use this name but the thread has definitely been enlightening
When I post about this name I really had no idea it's history. I just heard it in passing and liked the sound of it. Not saying I would even use this name but the thread has definitely been enlightening
1
It's alright! It's good to talk about these things, imo. These discussions make us think critically and better appreciate cultural diversity. I recognize, however, that it probably felt like you'd stepped on a hornet's nest that someone had already kicked repeatedly.
1
Well said!
1
I think I understand now why so many people said they hated it when I made that poll three years ago. I had no idea it was a controversial name either. This site says it has English usage as a first name and it's at number 300 something on the popularity chart in the US.
*cries* but I like it...
*cries* but I like it...
This message was edited 11/2/2013, 9:53 AM
1
I had no idea either
I was completely taken aback by this issue. Apparently I'm naive and ignorant! I still think Cohen sounds really nice and it seems that people apparently get "offended" about things a lot quicker than I do. (Since I wouldn't get up in arms if someone used a title from my religion. I'd think it was odd. Not a big deal though) Anyhow, I'd still consider the name, I think, but good to be aware of what *some* reactions might be depending on where you are.
I was completely taken aback by this issue. Apparently I'm naive and ignorant! I still think Cohen sounds really nice and it seems that people apparently get "offended" about things a lot quicker than I do. (Since I wouldn't get up in arms if someone used a title from my religion. I'd think it was odd. Not a big deal though) Anyhow, I'd still consider the name, I think, but good to be aware of what *some* reactions might be depending on where you are.
This message was edited 11/2/2013, 12:23 PM
1
This site doesn't say Cohen is an English name. It says it has English usage (i.e. it is used by English speakers).
1
That's what I meant, sorry for the wording. I know it's a Jewish name.
1
Wellll...I like the sound of the name, but since I am not a Jewish person, I wouldn't touch it with a 30 foot pole. It's not my place, it's not mine to use. That's just how I feel.
1
Common Jewish surname. Referring to the priestly class, to boot. A big no-no.
1
What are your thoughts on the name Cohen for a boy?
I don't think it's usable. Well, realistically, I know that it is used, but I don't think it should be.
Do you like it?
Nope. It has a pleasant sound, but it's too problematic for me to really enjoy it. I feel like it's on the wrong side of the line in terms of appropriateness and good taste. Sort of how I feel about Muhammad's use by non-Muslims or Messiah's use by anyone.
What comes to mind when you think of this name?
As a surname, Jewish people. As a first name, ignorance.
For some perspectives on both sides of the Cohen debate, do a search on the Nameberry forums (man, does it feel weird to recommend Nameberry to someone on BtN--I'm usually doing the opposite) filtering out the game board's threads. They're interesting reading...if for no other reason than they get awfully heated, by Nameberry standards. Posting about Cohen is like dropping a bomb over there.
Couple examples:
http://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/110916-Middle-Name-for-Cohen?highlight=Cohen
http://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/137719-Help!-My-child-s-name-is-offensive?highlight=Cohen
Satran also wrote this article about Cohen for the Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/05/05/the-big-baby-naming-battle.html
I don't think it's usable. Well, realistically, I know that it is used, but I don't think it should be.
Do you like it?
Nope. It has a pleasant sound, but it's too problematic for me to really enjoy it. I feel like it's on the wrong side of the line in terms of appropriateness and good taste. Sort of how I feel about Muhammad's use by non-Muslims or Messiah's use by anyone.
What comes to mind when you think of this name?
As a surname, Jewish people. As a first name, ignorance.
For some perspectives on both sides of the Cohen debate, do a search on the Nameberry forums (man, does it feel weird to recommend Nameberry to someone on BtN--I'm usually doing the opposite) filtering out the game board's threads. They're interesting reading...if for no other reason than they get awfully heated, by Nameberry standards. Posting about Cohen is like dropping a bomb over there.
Couple examples:
http://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/110916-Middle-Name-for-Cohen?highlight=Cohen
http://nameberry.com/nametalk/threads/137719-Help!-My-child-s-name-is-offensive?highlight=Cohen
Satran also wrote this article about Cohen for the Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2009/05/05/the-big-baby-naming-battle.html
1
To me it's a Jewish last name that is actually stereotypically Jewish. Not a first name, and I wonder if Jewish people ever use it as a first name.
1
I am Jewish, and the answer to that question is no.
1
Basically not ever.
1
Not in my experience.
Maybe secular Jews who are really really assimilated into, like, American suburban mall culture.
Maybe secular Jews who are really really assimilated into, like, American suburban mall culture.
1
I somewhat doubt it. It's like naming a child "High Priest" or something.
1
What the heck is with all the hate of Cohen around here? I think Cohen sounds awesome and I think the Jewish association can be irrelevant if it is not meaningful for you. It sounds soft and still strong somehow.
1
But what if it's meaningful and hurtful to someone else??
1
So what if Sophia is meaningful and hurtful to me, or a friend of mine, or my cousin's mother's nephew? The thing is, no matter what name you choose, people will have negative associations with it. Even with popular names like Alexander and Sophia.
1
I think I agree with this. When I made this post, I knew nothing about the name, I just heard it in passing and thought I'd ask people's opinions. In my country there was actually a child named Number 69 Bus Stop and I find that more offensive (to the child) than Cohen. Now that I know what Cohen means I still don't think it would bother me enough to not use it because most people where I live are so far removed from most things Jewish. Though we do have people of Jewish descent, a lot of them no nothing about anything Jewish anyway (not all of them though). I think it just depends on your context. There's probably heaps of names that we use that would seem weird or offensive to a small group in some part of the world but that's just how it is. It's like how Korean people will eat dogs, yet we find that horrific and inhumane because they're friends to us. It depends on your context and the society you were raised in. I'm fairly sure if I named my son Cohen (and I'm not likely to anyway), I can't imagine anyone where I live would be offended.
1
Nonsensical argument
1
No, not really.
You can't compare Cohen to Hitler, and really, it's JUST a name. So what if Jews doesn't use it themselves? Shouldn't stop anyone else from using the name. And if Cohen is offensive, shouldn't other religious names be that as well? I wouldn't be offended if anyone named their son Priest, and I wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid God either (even though I'm an Atheist). I think it's a bit stupid, but not offensive.
And besides, Cohen is a pretty common name nowadays.
You can't compare Cohen to Hitler, and really, it's JUST a name. So what if Jews doesn't use it themselves? Shouldn't stop anyone else from using the name. And if Cohen is offensive, shouldn't other religious names be that as well? I wouldn't be offended if anyone named their son Priest, and I wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid God either (even though I'm an Atheist). I think it's a bit stupid, but not offensive.
And besides, Cohen is a pretty common name nowadays.
1
At the risk of sounding dumb, ignorant, or rude, I think I'll make a bad decision and chime in here. I agree with your point about the use of Cohen being more stupid than offensive. "Offensive" seems like too intense of a word for this sort of thing, in my very humble opinion. I personally don't understand how people can become truly offended by the use of a name, and this all sort of reminds me of that kid whose named got changed from Messiah to something else because the judge was deeply offended.
Regardless of whether I think Jewish people should be offended or not, I'll remember not to use this name because I'm not interested in offending people or making anyone upset. I do definitely understand and respect the argument against Cohen that has been presented in this thread.
Regardless of whether I think Jewish people should be offended or not, I'll remember not to use this name because I'm not interested in offending people or making anyone upset. I do definitely understand and respect the argument against Cohen that has been presented in this thread.
1
You compared Cohen to Hitler! Twice now. I never did that, nor did anyone else on here. You also compared to to Sophia. Both comparisons were totally fallacious.
It's not just a name! It's a sacred title in a major religion. Sophia, on the other hand, is just a name. Of course you wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid Priest - you're an atheist, so you really can't speak on behalf of the people who might be offended. I am personally bothered by names like Priest (which is never used...) and Deacon (which is), but even they aren't as charged as Cohen.
A gentile using the name Cohen is ultimately okay, just like everything else is ultimately okay. It stinks nastily of ignorance and entitlement, and it is literally cultural appropriation. It is just as okay as ignorance, entitlement, and cultural appropriation are.
...Oh, sorry, there was a Hitler comparison. Well, that's just dumb. LOL
It's not just a name! It's a sacred title in a major religion. Sophia, on the other hand, is just a name. Of course you wouldn't be offended if someone named their kid Priest - you're an atheist, so you really can't speak on behalf of the people who might be offended. I am personally bothered by names like Priest (which is never used...) and Deacon (which is), but even they aren't as charged as Cohen.
A gentile using the name Cohen is ultimately okay, just like everything else is ultimately okay. It stinks nastily of ignorance and entitlement, and it is literally cultural appropriation. It is just as okay as ignorance, entitlement, and cultural appropriation are.
...Oh, sorry, there was a Hitler comparison. Well, that's just dumb. LOL
This message was edited 11/1/2013, 12:17 PM
1
This is what I was trying to get at further down.
1
Cohen is a title, but nowadays it's also a name. And people get offended way too easily, especially when it comes to religion.
I give up. I'm not even gonna try to make my point again.
I give up. I'm not even gonna try to make my point again.
1
Your point is totally clear. It's not really your business to declare whether other people are right to be offended. It's your business to take that knowledge and decide whether you're going to respect those people, or whether you feel entitled to be a jerk about it anyway.
1
There are so many religions and races, each with their own meaningful term, names, and phrases. I just feel like people should be reasonable enough to recognize that what is critically meaningful to them, may not hold meaning for someone else.
1
What's funny is, it only has ONE meaning. Cohen may not hold meaning for you - to you it's just another surname in the phone book, just as available and meaningless and spunky and spiffy as Chase or Ryker or Cooper or Mason - but if you're even slightly informed and in touch with the world around you, you're aware that it holds meaning for the people who bear the surname Cohen (none of whom seem to bear it as a personal name).
So what the heck would you be doing naming your kid it? You can't do it without deliberately dismissing the significance of the name to the people you're taking it from. It's a perfect example of cultural appropriation - a rare instance of relatively benign appropriation. I don't agree with blaaarg that there's a sense of entitlement or domination about it, because we're talking about Jews, and in the US, Jews basically thrive and are not generally marginalized. But still, it's potentially offensive, just because of the claim that that minority group's meanings don't matter, and can be forgotten or even interfered with by taking Cohen to be just another meaningless, imagey surname name.
I want to accept your argument that it's just a name and all that, and I do see the point. But it still boggles me that anyone non-Jewish would feel comfy using Cohen as their kid's first name. It's not just another surname name.
Imagine if this were a majority culture name, instead.
Stretch for a minute and imagine that Christianity was connected with an ethnicity, so a person could be ethnic Christian. Suppose Christianity had always had an inherited, God-ordained priesthood, people who were needed, according to the Christian Bible, to perform specific Christian rituals. (I know, it doesn't quite make sense, but just for the sake of argument) Suppose these priests are called Kythans, and all of them bear the surname Kythan, and Kythan etymologically means this special type of cleric. Everyone whose surname is Kythan can be assumed to be ethnic Christian and related somehow to the Kythan priesthood. It's the surname used for a family on TV, the Kythans, when the producers want to give a quiet clue to the clueful that the family is supposed to be a mainstream Christian family.
So what the heck would you be doing naming your kid it? You can't do it without deliberately dismissing the significance of the name to the people you're taking it from. It's a perfect example of cultural appropriation - a rare instance of relatively benign appropriation. I don't agree with blaaarg that there's a sense of entitlement or domination about it, because we're talking about Jews, and in the US, Jews basically thrive and are not generally marginalized. But still, it's potentially offensive, just because of the claim that that minority group's meanings don't matter, and can be forgotten or even interfered with by taking Cohen to be just another meaningless, imagey surname name.
I want to accept your argument that it's just a name and all that, and I do see the point. But it still boggles me that anyone non-Jewish would feel comfy using Cohen as their kid's first name. It's not just another surname name.
Imagine if this were a majority culture name, instead.
Stretch for a minute and imagine that Christianity was connected with an ethnicity, so a person could be ethnic Christian. Suppose Christianity had always had an inherited, God-ordained priesthood, people who were needed, according to the Christian Bible, to perform specific Christian rituals. (I know, it doesn't quite make sense, but just for the sake of argument) Suppose these priests are called Kythans, and all of them bear the surname Kythan, and Kythan etymologically means this special type of cleric. Everyone whose surname is Kythan can be assumed to be ethnic Christian and related somehow to the Kythan priesthood. It's the surname used for a family on TV, the Kythans, when the producers want to give a quiet clue to the clueful that the family is supposed to be a mainstream Christian family.
This message was edited 11/1/2013, 4:00 PM
1
I guess I didn't realize the one meaning was that evident to seemingly everyone. I didn't know what it meant. I didn't realize that everyone else did. So I see your point. If I really loved the name, I'd argue hard that it is pretty benign cultural appropriation, but yeah I see what you're saying.
I guess I get offended so little, that I am at risk of offending others just by nature; If the reverse situation you described doesn't really seem like it would offend me, than what's the harm. I tend to err on the side of what-floats-you-boat-might-not-float-mine-and-I-find-yours-odd-or-interesting-but-rarely offensive.
I guess I get offended so little, that I am at risk of offending others just by nature; If the reverse situation you described doesn't really seem like it would offend me, than what's the harm. I tend to err on the side of what-floats-you-boat-might-not-float-mine-and-I-find-yours-odd-or-interesting-but-rarely offensive.
1
Well said.
1
This!
1
I like Cohen. And I don't care if anyone else finds it offensive or not, I find it rather childish to be offended because of a name as long as it's not HItler or something. Cohen is a bit trendy sounding though, but it doesn't bother me.
1
To some Jewish people someone naming her child Cohen would be just as offensive as if she named her child Hitler. Hitler just seems more obvious to non-Jewish people.
1
Great, you distracted the entire argument. Now everyone who wants to make the point that Cohen is okay will just simply negate your point that it's the same as Hitler, which is very easy to do because your point is totally absurd.
Rule 1 of the internet: If at all possible, leave hitler out of it!
Rule 1 of the internet: If at all possible, leave hitler out of it!
1
Except that Cohen would be a positive association wouldn't it? Priestly lines and such. As opposed Hitler, where it would be tough to argue a positive association.
1
Exactly
1
I think it's trendy and ignorant. It doesn't even sound or look that pleasing.
I think of the OC and Judaism.
I think of the OC and Judaism.
1
The use of Cohen as a first name is sacrilegious and offensive to Orthodox Jews. So, not on my list.
1
I really like the name Cohen! I would consider using it if it weren't so offensive to the Jewish community. I try to be culturally sensitive so it wouldn't work for me.
1
I mostly just think of famous Jewish people whose last name is Cohen. Sasha and Sacha and Leonard come to mind. It's not quite just another surname name to me ... it seems screamingly obvious to me that it's a strongly ethnicity-suggesting surname, with a fairly obvious religious origin, so, what else is there to like about it? Trying to evoke bright, artsy Jewish people? Or you just don't know it's Jewish? It does not seem like a name that Jewish people would use as a first name (correct me if I'm wrong, that's just my impression?). So, I don't get it.
Idiosyncratically, I also think of the Coen brothers, which makes me think of the wood chipper scene in the movie Fargo.
Idiosyncratically, I also think of the Coen brothers, which makes me think of the wood chipper scene in the movie Fargo.
1
Can someone tell me why this is offensive to Jewish people?
I had no idea the name was even Jewish, I just heard it today as the name of a boy who appeared on a TV show. I just knew it was a last name. I don't really have a lot of knowledge about last names and I don't know whether it's just that we're probably from different places, because here, though we of course have Jewish people, it's not really a dominant ethnic group and and I've never even met anyone with the last name Cohen. We also are not a hugely religious place. Nor do I know who Sasha and Leonard are. The only association I have is that it was the last name of the family on the OC, which is a pretty neutral association to me.
I had no idea the name was even Jewish, I just heard it today as the name of a boy who appeared on a TV show. I just knew it was a last name. I don't really have a lot of knowledge about last names and I don't know whether it's just that we're probably from different places, because here, though we of course have Jewish people, it's not really a dominant ethnic group and and I've never even met anyone with the last name Cohen. We also are not a hugely religious place. Nor do I know who Sasha and Leonard are. The only association I have is that it was the last name of the family on the OC, which is a pretty neutral association to me.
This message was edited 10/31/2013, 8:20 PM
1
I think because of this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen
For me it's more offensive than, say, Rosenthal or Apfelbaum, if someone fancied using those as first names.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohen
For me it's more offensive than, say, Rosenthal or Apfelbaum, if someone fancied using those as first names.
1
But the dynamics aren't the same. There's a huge difference between a minority culture picking up a name used by the dominant group, and a dominant group co-opting a name used by an oft-repressed minority.
The concept of Cohen is deeply significant to a lot of Jewish people, and I think many would be uncomfortable with members of another ethno-religious group using it. If they're doing it in ignorance it highlights how little they care about others' traditions; and if they're doing it deliberately it's an insult to the importance placed on the Cohen tradition.
Also, I wouldn't call my son Cohen any more than I'd call him Priest, King, Earl, Duke, etc. It's presumptuous, claiming an honour that is not his.
The concept of Cohen is deeply significant to a lot of Jewish people, and I think many would be uncomfortable with members of another ethno-religious group using it. If they're doing it in ignorance it highlights how little they care about others' traditions; and if they're doing it deliberately it's an insult to the importance placed on the Cohen tradition.
Also, I wouldn't call my son Cohen any more than I'd call him Priest, King, Earl, Duke, etc. It's presumptuous, claiming an honour that is not his.
1
Wasn't earl used quite a lot in past generations? I know quite a few in their 60's
1
Yes, but I personally find it embarrassingly aspirational :)
1
I am a Christian(the religion), and I have met non-Christians who used the name Christian for their son. I found it a little ironic, but not offensive. Christian is a popular enough name that people could get away with it. Jesus isn't as popular. I've met people named Jesus, but they were all Christians (the religion). I don't find it especially offensive, but more so than Christian (the name) if you aren't a Christian (the religion).
I hope that isn't too confusing.
I hope that isn't too confusing.
1
I feel like only the most uptight of Jewish people would have a problem with non-Jewish people using the name Cohen.
Very rude of you. Your "feel like" is based on basically nothing.
Very rude of you. Your "feel like" is based on basically nothing.
This message was edited 11/1/2013, 12:00 PM
1
Ditto what the others say, and I'll add to it that I think most Jews would find it tacky and vulgar. And probably funny.
1
Because it's a Jewish religious term.
Kohen or Cohen (or Kohain; Hebrew: כֹּהֵן, "priest", pl. כֹּהֲנִים Kohanim) is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohanim are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron.
Kohen or Cohen (or Kohain; Hebrew: כֹּהֵן, "priest", pl. כֹּהֲנִים Kohanim) is the Hebrew word for priest. Jewish Kohanim are traditionally believed and halachically required to be of direct patrilineal descent from the Biblical Aaron.
1
To Orthodox Jews, Cohen refers to a sacred bloodline said to descend from the biblical Aaron. Cohens have special privileges, but they also have restrictions (e.g. not marrying a widow, a divorcée, or a non-Jew). These restrictions, according to the Jewish faith, maintain the "pureness" of the bloodline.
Some Jews aren't offended by it. They feel naming your child Cohen, regardless of faith or faithlessness, is better than giving your child a name that is little more than a meaningless string of popular sounds. On the other hand, some Jews are extremely offended and find the use of the name by non-Jews to be ignorant and disrespectful. To them, the name is more than simply "priest", it is a religious statement. Cohen is a holy name that deserves to be venerated, in their opinion.
Some Jews aren't offended by it. They feel naming your child Cohen, regardless of faith or faithlessness, is better than giving your child a name that is little more than a meaningless string of popular sounds. On the other hand, some Jews are extremely offended and find the use of the name by non-Jews to be ignorant and disrespectful. To them, the name is more than simply "priest", it is a religious statement. Cohen is a holy name that deserves to be venerated, in their opinion.
1
I read about that in a book on Judaism. My town has only a handful of Jewish families, though three of my dad's cousins who live elsewhere have married Jews. They also explained to me the rules of the Cohens. (Obviously, none of them are Cohens, since my family is not Jewish.)
A lot of religions have this kind of thing. Hinduism has a similar thing with the Brahmans, who are their priestly caste. They have their own privileges and restrictions (one rule they have is that they have to be vegetarian).
A lot of religions have this kind of thing. Hinduism has a similar thing with the Brahmans, who are their priestly caste. They have their own privileges and restrictions (one rule they have is that they have to be vegetarian).
1
Oh I see thank you for that. I'm not sure I would ever come across people that would feel so strongly about it where I live, but it's certainly something to keep in mind
1
This type of thing is less about hurting the feelings of individual people and more about your abstracter relationship with other cultures. I just think it's kind of gross to use a set of sounds that is cute and meaningless in your language, knowing it holds a sacred meaning that you don't understand in another (ancient, religious) culture. Encountering gentiles named Cohen always makes me want to roll my eyes totally out of my head. I guess people are free to do what they want or whatever, but it's harder to embody the idea of ignorance in a name than giving your child a name that literally is used as the title of a specific priestline in another culture.
But, like, Minerva is one of my favorite names, and there were people who worshiped Minerva, and I'll never be one of them, so! I'm probably just being uptight.
The word derives from a Semitic root common, at minimum, to the Central Semitic languages; the cognate Arabic word كاهن kāhin means "soothsayer, augur, or priest".
That's pretty neat.
But, like, Minerva is one of my favorite names, and there were people who worshiped Minerva, and I'll never be one of them, so! I'm probably just being uptight.
The word derives from a Semitic root common, at minimum, to the Central Semitic languages; the cognate Arabic word كاهن kāhin means "soothsayer, augur, or priest".
That's pretty neat.
This message was edited 10/31/2013, 11:01 PM
1
There seems to be quite a bit more leeway with things from classical Greece and Rome. In terms of neo-poagan worship, those two cultures are considered "open" - anyone is free to explore them, and the same seems to go for names. Maybe because those cultures gradually faded out of use rather than being forcibly persecuted and destroyed the way others were (like Native American culture was)?
1
Years ago, my sister had a boyfriend who was Jewish and whose surname was Cohen. She dated him for three years. My father was awful to her about it. He was really awful. He never referred to this guy in any way other than "the miserable Jew". At that time, I was in my early to mid-twenties and I had never had any idea previous to that that my father was so anti-Semitic. In fact, when I'd told my husband that my sister had a new boyfriend and that he was Jewish, he asked me what my parents would think of that. I said, "Oh, they won't care at all." That's what I really believed because neither of my parents had ever said anything at all anti-Semitic all during my growing up years. It sure came out when my sister started dating this guy. My mother cared, too, she just wasn't as vocal about it as my father.
It was the only really bad character trait that my father had and the way he treated my sister regarding her boyfriend was the only really bad thing I had ever seen him do. I witnessed him say to her, once when she was in a petulant mood, "You're so crabby, no wonder you can't get a Christian guy." It made my sister cry, and I actually yelled at my father, but he only laughed.
Anyway, forgive this off-topic (I suppose) and long digression, but it explains why I very strongly associate the name Cohen with Jewishness (is that the right word? I don't mean Judaism, because that's the religion, and this guy was not an observant Jew). I do believe that I knew before this that the name was Jewish, as far as I can recall. And I know that my mother thought so, because my sister told me that one of the things she'd said to her when she began dating him was, "He's not Jewish, right? He just has a Jewish last name?" No, Mom, he's Jewish lol.
It would seem odd to me to see it as a first name on a gentile child, that's how strongly I associate it with Jewish people.
And besides that, I find it very clunky and unattractive.
It was the only really bad character trait that my father had and the way he treated my sister regarding her boyfriend was the only really bad thing I had ever seen him do. I witnessed him say to her, once when she was in a petulant mood, "You're so crabby, no wonder you can't get a Christian guy." It made my sister cry, and I actually yelled at my father, but he only laughed.
Anyway, forgive this off-topic (I suppose) and long digression, but it explains why I very strongly associate the name Cohen with Jewishness (is that the right word? I don't mean Judaism, because that's the religion, and this guy was not an observant Jew). I do believe that I knew before this that the name was Jewish, as far as I can recall. And I know that my mother thought so, because my sister told me that one of the things she'd said to her when she began dating him was, "He's not Jewish, right? He just has a Jewish last name?" No, Mom, he's Jewish lol.
It would seem odd to me to see it as a first name on a gentile child, that's how strongly I associate it with Jewish people.
And besides that, I find it very clunky and unattractive.
This message was edited 10/31/2013, 8:50 PM
1
I don't know that it is
I just know that the surname has belonged to Jewish people every time I've ever encountered it, and that "cohen" referred to some kind of religious role in some kind of Judaism.
I'm speculating a lot here, because I'm not Jewish, but I doubt that any but the most conservative Jews would find it really offensive. I think it's more likely that most Jewish people would find it funny, at worst. It doesn't seem disrespectful to Jews, to me, anyway - it just seems kind of weird, or else just oblivious. Maybe Jewish people would even be satisfied that the "ethnic" aspect of the surname wasn't relevant or noticeable to some people at all? Dunno.
I just know that the surname has belonged to Jewish people every time I've ever encountered it, and that "cohen" referred to some kind of religious role in some kind of Judaism.
I'm speculating a lot here, because I'm not Jewish, but I doubt that any but the most conservative Jews would find it really offensive. I think it's more likely that most Jewish people would find it funny, at worst. It doesn't seem disrespectful to Jews, to me, anyway - it just seems kind of weird, or else just oblivious. Maybe Jewish people would even be satisfied that the "ethnic" aspect of the surname wasn't relevant or noticeable to some people at all? Dunno.
1
I love Cohen :) I've liked it for awhile. It used to be one of my top boys names, and even though it's not necessarily anymore I still love it. My mom's friend has a little boy named Cohen and he's adorable, so that's a good association for me haha.
1
I really like it. I think it has a nice sound; solid but also soft and warm at the same time. I also like the Leonard Cohen association. I made a poll about this name a few years ago and was kind of shocked by how many people hate the name: http://www.behindthename.com/polls/179664 I don't understand what there is to hate about it. In addition to Leonard Cohen, I also think of Sacha Baron Cohen who I don't know much about, but I think he's pretty funny.
1
I agree that it has a soft nice sound but is still strong and solid which is hard to achieve for boys names. I've had that happen with a few other names in the polls too, especially with Nadia and Conrad. It's funny how sometimes the comments people make on the boards don't really match up with the poll results. But I don't think a bad poll result would stop me from using a name. Only is someone pointed out something terribly obviously wrong with a name or a potential for teasing
1
Yes, it's difficult to get a good balance of strong and soft when it comes to boy names. I think there is a different group of people voting on the polls than there is on this board, which is probably a good thing because it allows for more diversity with opinions. I always seem to get bad results with my polls though and it does make me want to refrain from using certain names. :(
1