Kahn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Kahn

What does the name Kahn mean?

Jewish surnames were reserved for exceptional individuals, people who were scholars and poets. Therefore, families began to use their surnames as a sign of prominence because of their established family name. 1

The distinguished surname Kahn is a proud sign of an ancient Jewish culture. The surname Kahn is an occupational surname for a priest, and it comes from the Hebrew word "kohen." Traditionally, priests were considered to have been members of a hereditary caste, descended from Aaron, the brother of Moses. Not all Jewish bearers of the surname Kahn belong to this caste, however. When many Jews were being forced to join the Russian Army for a term of 25 years, a number of them changed their last name to Kahn, because members of the clergy were exempt from service.

Kahn Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Cohen, Kahn, Cohan, Cohn, Coen, Kohn, Kohen, Cahan, Cahn, Cahen, Kahen, Cohane, Kahane, Kahan, Cohani, Cahani, Cahany, Kahany, Cahana, Kahana, Cohener, Kohener, Kohaner, Kahner, Kahaner, Cohansky, Cahansky, Kahansky, Kogen, Kogan, Cagan, Kagan, Kuhn and many more.

Kahn Ranking

In the United States, the name Kahn is the 2,591^st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Kahn is ranked the 3,809^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 4

Kahn migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kahn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Michael Kahn, who settled in Philadelphia in 1733
Johan Jacob Kahn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 5
Johannes Kahn, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 5
Daniel Kahn, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1753
Valentine Kahn, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1765 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kahn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johann Melchior Kahn, who landed in Brazil in 1825 5
Charles Kahn, who arrived in New York, NY in 1832 5
Karl Kahn, who arrived in North America in 1842 5
Salomon Kahn, who landed in North America in 1842 5
Mr. Emil. Kahn, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Neptune"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kahn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Julius Kahn, who landed in Mississippi in 1904 5
Boris Kahn, who arrived in North Dakota in 1920 5
Rosa Kahn, who arrived in Alabama in 1920 5

Kahn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kahn Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Thomas Kahn, aged 24, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1775

Contemporary Notables of the name Kahn (post 1700) +

David Kahn (1930-2024), American historian, journalist, and writer
Wolf Kahn (1927-2020), German-born American painter
Robert Elliot "Bob" Kahn (b. 1938), Jewish American electrical engineer, co-inventor of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Robert Kahn (1915-1998), birth name of Bob Kane, American comic book artist and writer, co-creator of the DC Comics superhero Batman, inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 1996
Nikki Kahn, American co-winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography
Michael Kahn, American actor and film editor
Lois Kahn (1901-1974), American (Estonian-born) architect, her designs include Yale University art gallery (1954)
Albert Kahn (1869-1942), German-born U.S. industrial architect, principal architect for most of the large American automobile companies
Jean-François Kahn (1938-2025), French journalist and essayist
Claude Kahn (1935-2023), French classical pianist
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kahn family +

Bismarck

Heinz Kahn (1922-1941), German Matrose II who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6

Sources +

Weiss, Nelly. The Origin of Jewish family names: Morphology and History. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
Weiss, Nelly. The origin of Jewish family names: morphology and history. Peter Lang AG, 2002. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details