2000
#11,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Cohan
A Jewish surname of Hebrew origin, derived from the word "kohen," meaning priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,623 Americans carry the last name Cohan. That puts it at #12,861 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,673 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cohan 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 Cohan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,673
Census rank
#12,861
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,287 bearers of the surname Cohan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12861st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cohan
The surname COHAN has its origins in Ireland, where it emerged as a variant of the more common Irish surname COHEN. The name can be traced back to the 16th century and is believed to be derived from the Hebrew name "Kohen," which means "priest."
In ancient times, the Cohens were members of the priestly class in the Hebrew tradition, and the name was originally a title bestowed upon those who performed religious duties. As Jews migrated to different parts of Europe, including Ireland, the name evolved into various spellings, such as COHAN, COHANE, and COHANE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name COHAN can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the 17th century by Irish Franciscan monks. The annals mention a "Cohan O'Scannill" who lived in the late 12th century and was a notable figure in County Sligo.
In the 19th century, the name COHAN gained prominence with the birth of George M. Cohan (1878-1942), an American entertainer, playwright, composer, and actor widely regarded as the father of American musical theater. His works, including "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Give My Regards to Broadway," have become iconic pieces of American culture.
Another notable bearer of the surname COHAN was Edward Cohan (1905-1977), a British actor and film director who appeared in numerous films throughout the 1930s and 1940s. He is best known for his role in the 1939 film "The Spy in Black."
In the realm of literature, Emma Cohan (1863-1952) was an American author and educator who wrote several books on children's literature and education. Her works, such as "Stories and Rhymes for Children" and "The Singing Heart," were widely popular in the early 20th century.
The name COHAN has also been associated with sports, with Michael Cohan (born 1969) being a former professional basketball player who spent several seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and played for various teams, including the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat.
While the surname COHAN may have evolved from its original Hebrew roots, it has become a part of the cultural tapestry of various countries, particularly Ireland and the United States, where it has been borne by notable figures across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cohan
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cohan 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 Cohan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 2,049
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 110
- Two or more races2.8% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 38
- Black or African American1.1% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cohan
Cohan 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
#12,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
-21 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 970 places
2020
#12,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,287
-193 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,530 | 2,501 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,500 | 2,480 | 0.84 | -21 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 970 places |
| 2020 | #12,861 | 2,287 | 0.77 | -193 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 361 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 Cohan 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 | #12,500 | #12,861 | -2.9% |
| Count | 2,480 | 2,287 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.77 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cohan bearers went from 2,480 to 2,287 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 361 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,500 to #12,861.
FAQ
Cohan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cohan?
Name Census estimates that about 2,623 living Americans carry the surname Cohan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,673 residents.
How common is Cohan?
Cohan ranks #12,861 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,287 people with the surname Cohan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,623), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cohan.
Has Cohan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cohan went from 2,480 recorded bearers to 2,287. That is a decrease of 193 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,500 to #12,861.
What does the Census say about the background of Cohan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cohan, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Cohan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (2,049 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cohan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Cohan (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 Cohan mean?
A Jewish surname of Hebrew origin, derived from the word "kohen," meaning priest. 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 Cohan (0.77 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 Cohan?
If you just want to know how common the surname Cohan is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.