lurker, seeking unbiased opinion.

jseaton61 · April 2011

i know a lot of you ladies don't like surnames as first names, so i'm prepared for whatever responses i get.. dh & i love the name and will use it either way, just looking for an outsiders opinion. TIA.

Cohen Ryder C--------

OR

Cohen Taylor C--------

::holds breath::

jenna0627 · April 2011

Cohen Taylor

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

Cohen Taylor is better.

Are you Jewish? I would think it was odd if someone was named Cohen and not Jewish.

anotheramy · April 2011

jenna0627:
Cohen Taylor

This. I can't get behind the Ryder trend.

CocoBrynne · April 2011

Cohen Taylor

jgengo0 · April 2011

Cohen Ryder. It sounds more masculine to me. Taylor is too unisex now IMO

TheNextWest · April 2011

Cohen Taylor.

SarahPLiz · April 2011

Taylor. I can't stand Ryder on its own, and as a middle name it sounds more like an adjective or adverb (One who rides Cohen.. not a good connotation).

jseaton61 · April 2011

Moneypenny424:

Cohen Taylor is better.

Are you Jewish? I would think it was odd if someone was named Cohen and not Jewish.

i prefer cohen taylor. DH prefers ryder. he's loved the name ryder for years but i couldn't get behind it for a first name because its getting too popular & because we live in the south and it tends to get butchered (ryyyyyyyyyder).

no, we aren't jewish. until you mentioned it (& i promptly googled it), i had never known it to be a jewish name. i found it on TB's baby name archive and it had a completely different meaning.

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

mj.reilly:
I personally can't get behind Cohen ? but some don't see a problem with it.
But I would choose Cohen Taylor oover Cohen Ryder (yuck!)
This controversial debate has been going on for a loooong time and has been discussed on here multiple times. I personally have not kept up with the debate, because I don't plan on using the name (and I am not Jewish).
Here are some articles on the topic:
The Big Baby Naming Battle
Would You Still Use The Name Cohen
And previous posts:
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/51833014.aspx
https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/42493917.aspx

I didn't even know this was a thing, but it was my first thought. It is not a name that would go over well in my world.

jseaton61 · April 2011

until recently, i've never associated taylor with being unisex. all the men on my dad's side of the family have the middle name taylor, so its always been a masculine name for me.

jgengo0 · April 2011

SarahPLiz:
Taylor. I can't stand Ryder on its own, and as a middle name it sounds more like an adjective or adverb (One who rides Cohen.. not a good connotation).

That is a VERY good point...I didn't think about that. I'd go with Taylor myself after reading that.

BlueRidge8 · April 2011

You might want to read some of those links MJ posted. There's a bit of a controversy surrounding this as a given name.

alliejo725 · April 2011

Eh.....as a non-Jew myself, I wouldn't use Cohen. There are plenty of similar-sounding names that don't have any controversy.

As far as MNs....Taylor, absolutely, seeing as how Ryder ranks as the second worst name ever in my book (it follows closely on the coattails of Braxton. Yuck.)

TonyaCody06 · April 2011

jgengo0:
Cohen Ryder. It sounds more masculine to me. Taylor is too unisex now IMO

this!

Spookster · April 2011

Taylor definetly over Ryder...

jseaton61 · April 2011

mj.reilly:

jseaton61:
i found it on TB's baby name archive and it had a completely different meaning.

Honestly ... from what I have seen, I would not trust theBump name archive at all (no offense to theBump Gods ... but it sucks). It is not very accurate in most cases.

Here is from a reliable and accurate etymology site:

COHEN

Gender: Masculine

Usage: English

From a common Jewish surname which was derived from Hebrew ?????? (kohen) meaning "priest". This surname was traditionally associated with the hereditary priests who claimed descent from the biblical Aaron.

when i googled the name (after i posted this and saw some of the comments), that was the definition i saw. when i originally found the name, the meaning posted with it was- bold, fearless leader.

Stormy8881 · April 2011

I have a cousin named Coen. I am not a fan of "different" spelling but it is the same but different......if that made any sense....haha.... Coen Taylor sounds handsome to me

jseaton61 · April 2011

BlueRidge8:
You might want to read some of those links MJ posted. There's a bit of a controversy surrounding this as a given name.

i did. i read the posts and the comments because i freaked a little at first when she posted there was controversy surrounding the name. the majority of the commenters didn't seem "outraged" over it. some didn't like it, but most were indifferent. thanks for the info!

Moneypenny424 · April 2011

Perhaps you can use Owen instead.

COmommy · April 2011

I really like the name Cohen. It is on the top of my boy name list.

I prefer Cohen Taylor. I do not like the name Ryder.

emily1414 · April 2011

I like Cohen Ryder! Both are good names though!

thatjessie · April 2011

When I see Ryder I think Rough Rider condoms....

capulet · April 2011

There are some names I don't like just on an aesthetic basis, and that's just my opinion. This is different. If a name caused offense, even to a small group of people, I would not use it. Granted, I may be biased because I am part Jewish (ethnically) and have a lot of Jewish friends, but I think the objections to the name are serious, and deserve serious consideration. I wouldn't say I'm outraged about the name, or even that anyone I know necessarily would be, but I think it crosses a line that I would not feel comfortable crossing if I were considering naming my child something that aroused analogous feelings in another group of people whose heritage I did not share. I'm sorry that's convoluted; I'm trying to be nice while conveying the strength and sincerity of my feelings.

JLW10 · April 2011

Cohen Ryder

over the moon · April 2011

I like Cohen Taylor better.

FWIW, my best friend named her son Cohen about a year ago, and got such strange looks and negative feedback from those who had connections to the Jewish community, that she actually legally changed his name!! She didn't want him growing up getting those same looks/questions his whole life.

mlf625 · April 2011

I can't imagine using that as a name for a child, given the strong feelings some will have about it. It's not like they just don't like the name, it's that it actually causes huge offense to a segment of the population.

If you do use it, scrap the middle names. They're both bad. Taylor sounds girly, and as a pp mentioned, Ryder makes it sound perverted. Give your son a strong masculine middle name. One he can fall back on if being named Cohen someday embarrasses/shames him.

blu-eyedwife · April 2011

capulet:
There are some names I don't like just on an aesthetic basis, and that's just my opinion. This is different. If a name caused offense, even to a small group of people, I would not use it. Granted, I may be biased because I am part Jewish (ethnically) and have a lot of Jewish friends, but I think the objections to the name are serious, and deserve serious consideration. I wouldn't say I'm outraged about the name, or even that anyone I know necessarily would be, but I think it crosses a line that I would not feel comfortable crossing if I were considering naming my child something that aroused analogous feelings in another group of people whose heritage I did not share. I'm sorry that's convoluted; I'm trying to be nice while conveying the strength and sincerity of my feelings.

I'm full Jewish and wouldn't ever consider naming my child this and actually would be offended if I met a child with this name. The name "Cohen" has such a significant meaning and I tend to think people forget cultural sensitivity in favor of their own beliefs. (and OP, I'm not directing that at you). I'm sure the people who named their kid Adolf Hitler Aryan Nation found their own justification as too why they could name their son that even if some people found it offensive.

forensicmama · April 2011

Taylor is best.

BitsKD13 · April 2011

blu-eyedwife:
I'm full Jewish and wouldn't ever consider naming my child this and actually would be offended if I met a child with this name. The name "Cohen" has such a significant meaning and I tend to think people forget cultural sensitivity in favor of their own beliefs. (and OP, I'm not directing that at you). I'm sure the people who named their kid Adolf Hitler Aryan Nation found their own justification as too why they could name their son that even if some people found it offensive.

This. I also agree with a PP- have you considered Owen? Similar sound, great meaning, and not offensive to an entire group of people.

Owen
Gender: Boy
Origin: Celtic
Meaning: Form of EVAN. young warrior

gumiberg · April 2011

What if one day your son moves to NY or some place with a lot of Jews? Would YOU want to have an offensive name? I understand that you dont find it offensive, and frankly neither do I (and I am Jewish), however some people do.

alohamora · April 2011

I like the sound of the name, but I would never use it due to the controversy. There are a lot of names out there.

Unknown · April 2011

This content has been removed.

TristaD81 · April 2011

mlf625:

I can't imagine using that as a name for a child, given the strong feelings some will have about it. It's not like they just don't like the name, it's that it actually causes huge offense to a segment of the population.

This exactly.

naflmj · April 2011

Carabiner252:
Wow! I had no idea that the name Cohen could be so inflammatory. I guess I also have never met anyone with this name so I did not know. I wouldn't want to appropriate a name that would be so offensive. On one of the other threads they compared naming your son Cohen to naming one's son Adolf Hitler Aryan Nation. That's pretty harsh!
As someone who was raised Christian, I wouldn't mind if anyone named their child Jesus, but it seems to be entirely different issue. Good luck deciding!

Probably because Jesus was a Jew so I don't see how that'd be offensive.

october010bride · April 2011

It disgusts me that so many people in this thread are actually considering using Cohen as a first name. It is a sacred name to the Jewish people and please be respectful and not use the name.

I find the use of the name so ignorant and disgraceful.

Sunshine is mine · April 2011

I have to agree with previous posters, I would think you were "very proud of your Jewish heritage" if I met your son named Cohen

gigismomma · April 2011

Cohen Ryder

Yes

::focus group for a baby name::

Love it!

Good Luck!!!

Sunshine is mine · April 2011

Carabiner252:

Wow! I had no idea that the name Cohen could be so inflammatory. I guess I also have never met anyone with this name so I did not know. I wouldn't want to appropriate a name that would be so offensive. On one of the other threads they compared naming your son Cohen to naming one's son Adolf Hitler Aryan Nation. That's pretty harsh!

As someone who was raised Christian, I wouldn't mind if anyone named their child Jesus, but it seems to be entirely different issue. Good luck deciding!

I find that offensive also!!!! Jesus is a sacred name to the Christian community, just as Cohen is to the Jewish community

anotheramy · April 2011

Carabiner252:
As someone who was raised Christian, I wouldn't mind if anyone named their child Jesus, but it seems to be entirely different issue. Good luck deciding!

Well I find it incredibly offensive!

I had no idea about the meaning of the name Cohen, and am glad it was brought up. OP- I hope you'll consider picking a different name.

KangarooMom · April 2011

feffy11:
It's not just a name, or a Jewish name. It has a profound meaning in Hebrew and has a strong history of "pure" family lineage. I would never use it.

We are also 100% Jewish and would find it offensive and ignorant to a certain extent.

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