How Many People Are Named Cohen?

An estimated 21,505 people in the United States have the first name Cohen. It is predominantly male (98.4%). The average bearer is 11 years old, and Cohen peaked in popularity in 2024 with 1,500 births that year.

Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cohen as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Cohen paired with any surname.

Key Insights

  • While Cohen is overwhelmingly male, 352 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
  • Cohen is a modern name. With an average bearer age of just 11, it has gained most of its popularity in recent years.

Estimated Living Americans

21,505

About 1 in 15,938 people in the U.S.

Rarity

Uncommon

Very Rare Very Common

Predicted Gender

Male

98.4% confidence

Average Age

11

years old

Peak Year

2024

1,500 births

Total Registered

21,796

since 1880

Gender Distribution for Cohen

Cohen is predominantly male (98.4%), though 352 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.

Male 21,444 (98.4%)
Female 352 (1.6%)

Cohen as a male name

Ranked #239 in 2024

1,475 male births in 2024

Peak: 2024 (1,475 births)

Cohen as a female name

Ranked #5,167 in 2024

25 female births in 2024

Peak: 2021 (40 births)

Cohen in the 2020 Census

The 2020 Census recorded 14,451 people with the first name Cohen, which placed it at #1,940 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.

Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.

Gender in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, Cohen was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 14,451 people with this name in that snapshot, 98.3% were male and 1.7% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 98.4% of the time.

Census Count

14,451

people with this name

Census Rank

#1,940

among Census first names

Frequency Rate

4.78

per 100,000 people

Male 14,208 (98.3%)
Female 243 (1.7%)

Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census

In the 2020 Census, the first name Cohen was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (85.57%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.22%) and Two or More Races (5.08%).

These percentages describe the people who had the first name Cohen in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

White
85.57%
Black
2.62%
Hispanic
5.22%
Asian/Pacific Islander
0.89%
American Indian/Alaska Native
0.62%
Two or More Races
5.08%

2020 Census demographic breakdown

Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Cohen.

Group Share Count
White 85.57% 12,362
Hispanic 5.22% 754
Two or More Races 5.08% 734
Black 2.62% 379
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.89% 128
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.62% 90

The Census published separate sex and race/origin tables for first names, so their total counts can differ slightly for the same name. That is why the race section focuses on the demographic mix rather than repeating a second headline count.

Cohen: Popularity Over Time

SSA records for Cohen span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2010s, when 10,102 babies were registered. While Cohen is less common than at its peak in the 2010s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.

Male
Female
0 300 600 900 1K 2K 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

Cohen by Decade

How has Cohen tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.

Decade Total Male Female
1910s 35 35 0
1920s 61 61 0
1930s 10 10 0
1940s 22 22 0
1950s 10 10 0
1960s 5 5 0
1970s 14 14 0
1980s 40 40 0
1990s 246 246 0
2000s 4,565 4,530 35
2010s 10,102 9,948 154
2020s 6,686 6,523 163

Cohen by State

Birth registrations for Cohen span all 46 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Ohio, Georgia. The lowest are in New Mexico, New Jersey, Connecticut. On average, about 442 Cohens were registered per state.

Cohen + Last Name Combinations

How many people share a full name with Cohen as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.

Cohen: Questions and Answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Cohen?

We estimate approximately 21,505 people named Cohen are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 15,938 Americans share this first name.

Is Cohen a common name?

Cohen is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 98.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 21,796 births have been registered with this name since 1880.

When was Cohen most popular?

Cohen reached peak popularity in 2024, when 1,500 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cohen is approximately 11 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.

How common was Cohen in the 2020 Census?

The 2020 Census recorded 14,451 people with the first name Cohen. That placed it at #1,940 in the published Census first-name tables, or 4.78 people per 100,000.

Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?

Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.

What does the SSA popularity chart show?

The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Cohen was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.

What does the Census say about the gender split for Cohen?

In the 2020 Census snapshot, Cohen was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 98.3% male and 1.7% female.

What does the Census say about the background of people named Cohen?

In the 2020 Census, the first name Cohen was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (85.57%). The next largest recorded groups were Hispanic (5.22%) and Two or More Races (5.08%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.

Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?

The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.

Is Cohen a male name?

Cohen is predominantly male. 98.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.

Why can Cohen have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?

Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Cohen peaked in 2024, and the average living bearer is about 11 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.

How many Cohen Smiths are there?

To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cohen Smith, Cohen Johnson, Cohen Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.

Where does this data come from?

Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.

Search for a full name combination