Cohan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Ireland
Israel

The distinguished surname Cohan is a proud sign of an ancient Jewish culture. The surname Cohan is an occupational surname for a priest, and it comes from the Hebrew word kohen. Traditionally, priests were considered to have been members of a hereditary caste, descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. Not all Jewish bearers of the surname Cohan belong to this caste, however. When many Jews were being forced to join the Russian Army for a term of 25 years, a number of them changed their last name to Cohan, because members of the clergy were exempt from service.

Cohan Ranking

In the United States, the name Cohan is the 10,522^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Cohan migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Cohan Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Cohan, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1794 2
Angel Cohan, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1794 2

Cohan Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Cohan, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 2
Michael Cohan, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1854 2
Benedict Cohan, who landed in Arkansas in 1860 2

Cohan migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Cohan Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Hyman Cohan, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jura" in 1861 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Cohan (post 1700) +

Sir Robert Paul Cohan CBE (1925-2021), American-born British dancer, choreographer, and founding artistic director of The Place, London Contemporary Dance School, and London Contemporary Dance Theatre (LCDT)
George Michel Cohan (1878-1942), famous American actor, author and producer
George M. Cohan (1878-1942), American composer
Timothy F. Cohan, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 39th District, 1934 4
Erin Cohan, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 2004 4

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html