2000
#320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 87,226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 32.33
Uncommon Last name
Cohen
A Jewish surname indicating priestly descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 99,078 Americans carry the last name Cohen. That puts it at #355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 28.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,459 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cohen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cohen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
99K
1 in 3,459
Census rank
#355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
28.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
86K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 86,401 bearers of the surname Cohen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 28.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cohen
The surname Cohen is of Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to ancient times in the Middle East. It is derived from the Hebrew word "kohen," meaning "priest." The Kohanim were members of the priestly caste who descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses and the first high priest of the Israelites.
Cohen is one of the oldest and most widespread Jewish surnames, reflecting the importance of the priestly lineage in Jewish culture and tradition. The name can be found in various spellings, such as Kohn, Kahan, and Kahane, across different regions and languages.
Historical records indicate that the surname Cohen appeared in early Jewish communities across Europe and the Middle East. One of the earliest known references to the name is found in the Cairo Geniza, a remarkable cache of Jewish manuscripts and documents discovered in the late 19th century, dating back to the 10th century.
Prominent figures bearing the surname Cohen include:
1. Hayyim Joseph David Azulay (1724-1806), a renowned Sephardic rabbi and scholar known as the "Hida."
2. Shalom Cohen (1772-1845), a prominent Kabbalist and rabbi from Hebron, Palestine.
3. Sir William Cohen (1810-1878), a British politician and Lord Mayor of London in 1868.
4. Hermann Cohen (1842-1918), a German philosopher and one of the founders of the Marburg School of Neo-Kantianism.
5. Leonard Cohen (1934-2016), a renowned Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist, widely acclaimed for his poetic lyrics and distinctive baritone voice.
The surname Cohen has also been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For example, the town of Cohen in France, located in the Normandy region, is believed to have derived its name from early Jewish settlers with the surname Cohen.
While the name Cohen is predominantly Jewish, it has also been adopted by non-Jewish individuals over time, particularly in regions with significant Jewish populations. However, the core meaning and historical significance of the name remain intrinsically linked to its priestly origins within the Jewish tradition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cohen
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cohen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cohen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 74,431
- Black or African American5.9% · 5,065
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 4,100
- Two or more races2.2% · 1,924
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 796
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cohen
Cohen appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#351
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 89,091
+1,865 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 30.20
Rank movement Down 31 places
2020
#355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 86,401
-2,690 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 28.91
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #320 | 87,226 | 32.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #351 | 89,091 | 30.20 | +1,865 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 31 places |
| 2020 | #355 | 86,401 | 28.91 | -2,690 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cohen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #351 | #355 | -1.1% |
| Count | 89,091 | 86,401 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 30.20 | 28.91 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cohen bearers went from 89,091 to 86,401 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #351 to #355.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cohen
FAQ
Cohen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cohen?
Name Census estimates that about 99,078 living Americans carry the surname Cohen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,459 residents.
How common is Cohen?
Cohen ranks #355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 28.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 29 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 86,401 people with the surname Cohen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (99,078), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 28.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 28.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 29 of them to have the surname Cohen.
Has Cohen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cohen went from 89,091 recorded bearers to 86,401. That is a decrease of 2,690 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #351 to #355.
What does the Census say about the background of Cohen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohen, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (4.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cohen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (74,431 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cohen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (5.9%), Hispanic (4.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cohen (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cohen mean?
A Jewish surname indicating priestly descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cohen (28.91 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Cohen?
You can see how many people are called Cohen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.