Kagan

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Kagan or Kagen is popular Ashkenazi surname, particularly common among Russian Jews. The name is believed to derive from kohen, as the Russian language lacks the letter "h" and when it appears in foreign words it is normally converted to a "g" sound. Arthyur Koestler in his book "The 13th tribe" Tells about an Eastern Russian tribe whose chief was titled KAGAN, that they were seeking a religion. They were proselyted by the Jews, Christians and Muslims and decided that the Jews offered the best deal and adopted that faith.

Famous people bearing this name include the following:

  • Claude A. R. Kagan (b. Oct 7, 1924) Computer and History Technology
  • Daryn Kagan (b. 1963), a CNN host
  • Donald Kagan (b. 1932), a Yale historian specializing in ancient Greece
  • Elena Kagan, the dean of Harvard Law School
  • Frederick Kagan, a professor of military history (Robert Kagan's brother)
  • Jeremy Paul Kagan (b. 1945), an American television director
  • Henry B. Kagan, a French chemistry scientist
  • Joseph Kagan, Baron Kagan (1915–1995), a British industrialist
  • Lou Kagan (b. 1945), an American bondage artist
  • Robert Kagan (b. 1958), an American neoconservative scholar and political commentator (Frederick Kagan's brother)
  • Shelly Kagan, a philosopher and ethicist at Yale
  • Steve Kagen, a physician and politician
  • Yisrael Meir (HaCohen) Kagan (1838-1933), a Polish born rabbi, halakhist, kabbalist, and ethicist (famous for Chofetz Chaim)

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