Cohen
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Cohen Surname Genealogy
The surname Cohen comes from the Hebrew cohen or "priest." Priests are traditionally regarded as members of a hereditary caste descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. Cohen today is one of the most common Jewish surnames.
Other Jewish surnames come from cohen, such as Cohn, Cone, Cahn, Kahn and Kahana; Cohen-Tzadek, meaning a righteous Cohen, gives us the shortened version Katz; while the surname Kaplan is related. These variants of Cohen are more evident in America than they are in Britain.
The Jewish diaspora spread the Cohen surname across Europe and the Russian empire. By the early 1800's Jews in the Russian empire were being herded into the so-called "Pale of Settlement;" and, later in the century, they were being driven into exile. Cohens fled, from Lithuania and Poland mainly, and headed west.
The following were the main countries in Europe where Cohens are to be found today:
The number of Cohens in America is larger. And there are Cohens also across the Atlantic in Argentina and Brazil.
England. The Jews had been expelled from England in 1290 and were not to return until the 1650's. It was then that Jewish merchants in London, having perhaps previously presented themselves as Portuguese, could legitimize their presence as Jews.
Levi Barent Cohen, the son of a wealthy merchant in Amsterdam, arrived in England in the 1770's and built up his financing business in London. During the 19th century, nearly all of the leading Jewish families of his day - the Rothschilds, Montefiores, Goldsmids, and Salomons - were connected to him through the distinguished marriages which his children contracted. A descendant was the mid-20th century British diplomat in Africa, Sir Andrew Cohen.
The German Ashkenazi immigration of the early 19th century was entirely swamped by the great Polish-Russian immigration which started in the 1880's. Hundreds of thousands of Jews arrived in the East End of London and other provincial centers such as Manchester and Leeds. Their children were to contribute the backbone of the Anglo-Jewish community of the 20th century. Perhaps the Cohen who succeeded the most was Jack Cohen, the founder in the 1930's of the Tesco supermarket chain. Ronald Cohen, from a Sephardic family, has been called "the father of British venture capital."
Some later Cohens have, through inter-marriage, lost track with their Jewish roots. These have included the English footballer George Cohen (who played in the 1966 World Cup final) and his nephew Ben, the rugby player.
Ireland. Cohen can also be an Irish surname, a variant of Coyne, Coen, or Kilcoyne. and mainly to be found in county Mayo.
America. There were Sephardic Cohens in America who had come to Charleston from London in 1750. Solomon Cohen of this family was a prominent slaveowner in Georgetown, South Carolina in the early 1800's. These Cohens gave rise to a number of black Cohens in the area, including, it is said, Rosa Ella Cohen, the great grandmother of Michelle Obama.
Cohens from Germany arrived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the 1770's. One branch became prominent bankers in Baltimore (Jacob I. Cohen and Brothers). Others settled in Philadelphia. Henry Cohen, arriving there from London in 1843, established a successful business manufacturing envelopes.
The flood of Russian Jews and Cohens into America really began in the 1870's and it continued strong until 1914. Many brought their Cohen name with them; others only adopted it on arrival. One family account starts:
Likewise, Basche, Rassel, Sonie, Golde, and Ilke became Americanized to Bessie, Rose, Sophie, Goldie, and Edith.
Life was a struggle for this first generation of Cohen immigrants. Some ended up catering for Jewish immigrant tastes: Al Cohen's rye bread bakery in Buffalo, for instance, or Louis Cohen's original tasty coddies in Baltimore.
In the 1930's, Nehemiah Cohen started the first Jewish-type supermarket.
Other Cohen arrivals made more of a name for themselves: Morris Cohen, the philosopher and legal scholar at City College; Fannia Cohen, the labor activist in the garment industry; and David Cohen and his daughter Blanche through their support for Jewish philanthropic causes.
However, it was the next generation of American-born Cohens that really distinguished themselves, in business, law and science in particular. And today, in diverse areas, a Cohen family runs the Hudson News stores at New York airports (which it has for three generations); Lyor Cohen has been the developer of hip-hop talent in New York for Warner's; and Ben Cohen from Brooklyn is the Ben of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
A number who were Cohen changed their name to de-Jewify themselves. These have included: Joshua Cowen, the co-founder of the toy manufacturer Lionel; Elliot Corday, the eminent cardiologist; Allan Carter, who started the Carter pharmacy in Los Angeles; and Howard Cosell, the sports journalist and commentator. The comedian Rodney Dangerfield was in fact born Jacob Cohen.
Select Cohen Miscellany
Select Cohen Names
Levi Barent Cohen was the founder, in the late 18th century, of the oldest Ashkenazi family in England.
Morris Cohen, the Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York in the inter-war years, was one of the leading academic teachers of his day.
Jack Cohen, of Polish-Jewish roots, was the founder of the Tesco supermarket chain in Britain.
Wilbur Joseph Cohen, who worked for the Social Security Administration from its inception on 1935, has been called the "father of social security."
Elie Cohen, a Dutch doctor, survived Auschwitz and lived to write a number of books about the Holocaust.
Eli Cohen was the celebrated Mossad agent who penetrated Syrian security and provided intelligence which enabled Israel to capture the Golan Heights. He was captured and executed by the Syrians in 1965. An earlier Mossad female spy in Lebanon, Shula Cohen, was captured but then released in the prisoner exchange of 1967.
Leonard Cohen is an acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter. His family roots are Polish/Lithuanian.
Ben Cohen from Brooklyn was co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's.
Steven Cohen, manager of SAC Capital Partners, is one of the leading hedge-fund operators in America.
Sacha Baron Cohen is the creator of comic characters such as Ali G and Borat. His family roots are from Lithuania.
Select Cohens Today
Site Map: Select Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
The surname Cohen comes from the Hebrew cohen or "priest." Priests are traditionally regarded as members of a hereditary caste descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. Cohen today is one of the most common Jewish surnames.
Other Jewish surnames come from cohen, such as Cohn, Cone, Cahn, Kahn and Kahana; Cohen-Tzadek, meaning a righteous Cohen, gives us the shortened version Katz; while the surname Kaplan is related. These variants of Cohen are more evident in America than they are in Britain.
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Cohen
Resources on
The
Internet
- The Tribe - The Cohen-Levi Family Heritage. The Cohen-Levi heritage from Aaron.
- Cohen Family. Cohens from Lithuania to New York.
- Cohen Family. Cohens from Russia to London and South Africa.
- Cohen DNA Project. Cohen DNA results.
- The Cohen DNA Connection. Cohen DNA.
The Jewish diaspora spread the Cohen surname across Europe and the Russian empire. By the early 1800's Jews in the Russian empire were being herded into the so-called "Pale of Settlement;" and, later in the century, they were being driven into exile. Cohens fled, from Lithuania and Poland mainly, and headed west.
The following were the main countries in Europe where Cohens are to be found today:
The number of Cohens in America is larger. And there are Cohens also across the Atlantic in Argentina and Brazil.
England. The Jews had been expelled from England in 1290 and were not to return until the 1650's. It was then that Jewish merchants in London, having perhaps previously presented themselves as Portuguese, could legitimize their presence as Jews.
Levi Barent Cohen, the son of a wealthy merchant in Amsterdam, arrived in England in the 1770's and built up his financing business in London. During the 19th century, nearly all of the leading Jewish families of his day - the Rothschilds, Montefiores, Goldsmids, and Salomons - were connected to him through the distinguished marriages which his children contracted. A descendant was the mid-20th century British diplomat in Africa, Sir Andrew Cohen.
The German Ashkenazi immigration of the early 19th century was entirely swamped by the great Polish-Russian immigration which started in the 1880's. Hundreds of thousands of Jews arrived in the East End of London and other provincial centers such as Manchester and Leeds. Their children were to contribute the backbone of the Anglo-Jewish community of the 20th century. Perhaps the Cohen who succeeded the most was Jack Cohen, the founder in the 1930's of the Tesco supermarket chain. Ronald Cohen, from a Sephardic family, has been called "the father of British venture capital."
Some later Cohens have, through inter-marriage, lost track with their Jewish roots. These have included the English footballer George Cohen (who played in the 1966 World Cup final) and his nephew Ben, the rugby player.
Ireland. Cohen can also be an Irish surname, a variant of Coyne, Coen, or Kilcoyne. and mainly to be found in county Mayo.
America. There were Sephardic Cohens in America who had come to Charleston from London in 1750. Solomon Cohen of this family was a prominent slaveowner in Georgetown, South Carolina in the early 1800's. These Cohens gave rise to a number of black Cohens in the area, including, it is said, Rosa Ella Cohen, the great grandmother of Michelle Obama.
Cohens from Germany arrived in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the 1770's. One branch became prominent bankers in Baltimore (Jacob I. Cohen and Brothers). Others settled in Philadelphia. Henry Cohen, arriving there from London in 1843, established a successful business manufacturing envelopes.
The flood of Russian Jews and Cohens into America really began in the 1870's and it continued strong until 1914. Many brought their Cohen name with them; others only adopted it on arrival. One family account starts:
"We have all heard that our family name
was originally Gutschabes and that it was changed to Cohen at Ellis
Island."
Likewise, Basche, Rassel, Sonie, Golde, and Ilke became Americanized to Bessie, Rose, Sophie, Goldie, and Edith.
Life was a struggle for this first generation of Cohen immigrants. Some ended up catering for Jewish immigrant tastes: Al Cohen's rye bread bakery in Buffalo, for instance, or Louis Cohen's original tasty coddies in Baltimore.
"He would walk with his basket from
store to store, selling coddies. He had to make a living.
It was bad in the early 1900's."
In the 1930's, Nehemiah Cohen started the first Jewish-type supermarket.
Other Cohen arrivals made more of a name for themselves: Morris Cohen, the philosopher and legal scholar at City College; Fannia Cohen, the labor activist in the garment industry; and David Cohen and his daughter Blanche through their support for Jewish philanthropic causes.
However, it was the next generation of American-born Cohens that really distinguished themselves, in business, law and science in particular. And today, in diverse areas, a Cohen family runs the Hudson News stores at New York airports (which it has for three generations); Lyor Cohen has been the developer of hip-hop talent in New York for Warner's; and Ben Cohen from Brooklyn is the Ben of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.
A number who were Cohen changed their name to de-Jewify themselves. These have included: Joshua Cowen, the co-founder of the toy manufacturer Lionel; Elliot Corday, the eminent cardiologist; Allan Carter, who started the Carter pharmacy in Los Angeles; and Howard Cosell, the sports journalist and commentator. The comedian Rodney Dangerfield was in fact born Jacob Cohen.
Select Cohen Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Cohen Names
Levi Barent Cohen was the founder, in the late 18th century, of the oldest Ashkenazi family in England.
Morris Cohen, the Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York in the inter-war years, was one of the leading academic teachers of his day.
Jack Cohen, of Polish-Jewish roots, was the founder of the Tesco supermarket chain in Britain.
Wilbur Joseph Cohen, who worked for the Social Security Administration from its inception on 1935, has been called the "father of social security."
Elie Cohen, a Dutch doctor, survived Auschwitz and lived to write a number of books about the Holocaust.
Eli Cohen was the celebrated Mossad agent who penetrated Syrian security and provided intelligence which enabled Israel to capture the Golan Heights. He was captured and executed by the Syrians in 1965. An earlier Mossad female spy in Lebanon, Shula Cohen, was captured but then released in the prisoner exchange of 1967.
Leonard Cohen is an acclaimed Canadian singer/songwriter. His family roots are Polish/Lithuanian.
Ben Cohen from Brooklyn was co-founder of the ice cream company Ben & Jerry's.
Steven Cohen, manager of SAC Capital Partners, is one of the leading hedge-fund operators in America.
Sacha Baron Cohen is the creator of comic characters such as Ali G and Borat. His family roots are from Lithuania.
Select Cohens Today
- 12,000 in the UK (most numerous in London)
- 41,000 in America (most numerous in New York).
- 40 ,000 elsewhere (most numerous in France).
Site Map: Select Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames