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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.

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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.