I have a question. I am wanting to name my son [name]Cohen[/name], or some spelling of the name. Actually it would be [name]William[/name] and the middle name [name]Cohen[/name], but he would go by [name]Cohen[/name].I am not Jewish, but I am half-Irish/ half Swedish. I understand the importance of the name to those of Jewish faith, but I also know that the name has some roots in [name]Ireland[/name], as well. I don’t wish to offend anyone by naming my child [name]Cohen[/name], but I also don’t want to give up my love for this name. Is there a spelling variation that is considered less offensive to those in the Jewish community? I know that Coyne or [name]Coen[/name] are some common spellings of the Irish surname. Any help or input would be appreciated. Thanks!
I know a little boy named [name]Coen[/name], I am not sure if he is Jewish or not though. I think the sound is very sweet and would work well for both a young boy or adult.
FYI: The last name [name]Cohen[/name] is the English pronunciation of the word pronounced “Co-hayne” in Hebrew, which is the sect of high priest in the Jewish faith.
I think the spellings that you gave are great options, but I think if you move towards the “cowen” or “cowin” route you are taking the barnyard route…which I would think is a no-go 
I’d go with [name]Coen[/name] if you’re more Irish than Jewish. It looks a little cooler to me and a little less like a surname, too. You’re also less likely to get people pronouncing it co-[name]HEN[/name], which I could see happening with those who aren’t familiar with [name]Cohen[/name] as a Jewish surname.
So, yeah, if you like the [name]Coen[/name] spelling I’d definitely go with that!
I would go with Cohan or [name]Coen[/name], or another legitimate way to spell the Irish surname.
I wouldn’t worry about it. Names from [name]Elizabeth[/name] to [name]Adam[/name] to [name]Abagail[/name] to [name]Ann[/name] (e) to [name]Ben[/name] to [name]Bart[/name] to [name]Caleb[/name] to [name]Matt[/name] to [name]James[/name] to [name]Sarah[/name] to [name]Seth[/name] to [name]Zachary[/name] are all Hebrew.
Names for the most part criss-cross these days, esp in the US where I think it would be highly unlikely for anyone to be offended.
Good [name]Luck[/name]!
[name]Just[/name] found this from a yahoo blog that took place two years ago and thought it might be of interest…
“[name]Cohen[/name] is not a first name, at all. It is a last name, and it is pretty disrespectful to use it as a first name. Cohenim were the high priests in the Holy [name]Temple[/name] according to Jewish tradition, and many Jews find the practice of using the name [name]Cohen[/name] as a first name to be disrespectful.”
I don’t know too much about the issue, but I found two blogs regarding [name]Cohen[/name]:
http://appellationmountain.net/2009/11/18/name-of-the-day-cohen/
and
It seems that some are quite offended, while others don’t really care and compare it to “a non-[name]Scot[/name] using [name]Mackenzie[/name]”.
If I were Irish, I would personally use [name]Coen[/name] out of the two…
Good luck! 