When General Titus and his boys razed Jerusalem and kicked the Jews out of their homeland, the priestly caste assumes the name "Cohen". It was a way of being able to identify themselves when, it was hoped, one day the Jews would return and begin the sacrifices at the temple.
“If their last name is Cohen, then they are descended from Aaron.”
I know that’s what is commonly believed, but since I do not know if these men have the prerequisite DNA marker, i thought it more cautious to say “might be descended from priests.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y-chromosomal_Aaron A name does not in itself guarantee a particular heritage.
Sounds a touch pagan, if I may say so.
If your last name is legitimately Cohen but your mother is not Jewish can you still be a Priest?
BOOKMARK THIS RE COHEN
Having the surname Cohen does not absolutely guarantee that the man is of the priestly class of Kohanim. And, there are other surnames associated with being a descendent of the Kohanim, such as Kagen, Kaplan, Kogen, Katz, Cohn, Kohn, Cowan, Kahane, etc. Lineage is passed down through the father. Interestingly, in recent years, a genetic marker was found for men who are of the Kohane class (descendants of Aaron). Over 90% of men identifying as kohanim carry certain genetic markers found in vastly smaller numbers of men not identifying as kohanim.