Surname Cohel - Meaning and Origin

Cohel: What does the surname Cohel mean?

The last name "Cohel" does not have a universally recognized meaning as it is not a common surname and does not appear in many traditional surname databases. It could potentially be a variant of the surname "Cohen," which is a common Jewish surname. "Cohen" means "priest" in Hebrew and was traditionally given to the leaders of the Jewish community who were descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses, in biblical times. Alternatively, "Cohel" could also be a phonetic transcription or misspelling of a surname from another language. Without specific genealogical or historical context, it is difficult to pin down an exact meaning for the surname "Cohel."

Cohel: Where does the name Cohel come from?

The surname Cohel is not widely recognized and does not have a clearly known origin. However, it might be a variant of the Jewish surname Cohen, which is of biblical origin and derived from the Hebrew word "Kohen", meaning priest. Cohen was a title given to the leaders of Jewish congregations in ancient times. If the surname Cohel is indeed a variant of Cohen, it is most likely associated with Jewish ancestry. Alternatively, there's also a possibility for it to have a completely different origin, such as from the French surname Cohet, or from some other cultural heritage. There isn't enough information readily available to definitively state the origin of the Cohel surname. The rarity of this surname, Cohel, makes it hard to determine where it might be common today too.

Variations of the surname Cohel

The surname Cohel, commonly associated with Jewish ancestry, has several variants and similar spellings due to phonetic transcriptions throughout history and across different regions.

The name, which might mean “priest,” is derived from the Hebrew name, Kohen or Cohen. Alternate spellings include Coen, Cohn, Kohn, Cone, and Kohen. It can also be found as Cohon, Kahan, Kahn, Kahane, Kagan, and Kogan in different regions, often depending on specific pronunciation and dialect quirks. There’s also Kahen, which is used in Persian Jewish communities, and HaCohen or Ha-Kohen, which implies direct descent from the Biblical Aaron.

Some double-barrelled or hyphenated versions like Cohen-Tannoudji, Hallakohen, or Cohen-Scali also exist. Since Jewish surnames often originated from professions or locations, the surname might transform based on that. For example, Kohen becomes “Katz”, an abbreviation for “Kohen Tzedek” meaning “righteous priest”.

Like many Jewish surnames, the spelling of these variants can greatly depend on individual family traditions, region of origin, and the process of translation or transcription to different languages and scripts, particularly when moving from the Hebrew alphabet to Roman letters. Because of this, there are likely many other variants.

Famous people with the name Cohel

• Albert Cohen: French writer
• Delphine Cohen: French politician
• Didier Cohen: French food journalist
• Dominique Cohen: French swimmer
• Eric Cohen: French photographer
• Gaston Cohen: French politician
• Ian Cohel: American firefighter
• Madeleine Cohel: Canadian romance novelist
• Marvin Cohen: American physicist
• Rebecca Cohel: American lawyer
• Rikki Cohel: Canadian musician
• Robert Cohel: French artist
• Ted Cohen: American musical theorist
• Trina Cohen: American artist
• Ursula Cohel: German singer
• Yves Cohel: French politician

Other surnames

Cohen