Editing Kohen (section)

== Surnames ==
{{Main|Cohen (surname)}}
{{See also|Jewish surname}}
As both kohen status and (in many societies) last names are patrilineal, there is often a relationship between the two. But this is not always the case: although descendants of kohanim often bear surnames that reflect their genealogy, many families with the surname Cohen (or a variation) are not kohanim, nor even Jewish. Conversely, many kohanim do not have Cohen as a surname.<ref>[https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5061756/jewish/What-Does-the-Jewish-Last-Name-Cohen-Mean.htm What Does the Jewish Last Name Cohen Mean?]</ref>

Names often associated with kohanim include:
* [[Cohen (surname)|Cohen]], also spelled [[Kahn]]
* [[Katz (surname)|Katz]] ([[Hebrew abbreviations|Hebrew abbreviation]] of Kohen Tzedeq, "priest of justice"/"authentic priest")
* [[:he:מזא"ה|Maze]], Mazo, Mazer (acronym of the Hebrew phrase ''mi zera Aharon hakohen,'' meaning "from the seed of Aaron the priest")
* [[Azoulay]] (acronym of the Hebrew phrase ''ishah zonah ve'challelah lo yikachu,'' meaning "a foreign [non-Israelite woman] or divorced [Israelite woman] shall not he take": a prohibition binding on kohanim, {{Bibleverse|Leviticus|21:7|HE}})
* [[Kahane]] (Aramaic for ''kohen''<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Jastrow%2C_כָּהֵן.1 כָּהֵן, כָּהֵין, כַּהֲנָא]</ref>)

In contemporary Israel, "Moshe Cohen" is the equivalent of "John Smith" in English-speaking countries – i.e., proverbially the most common of names.{{cn|date=November 2024}}