The etymology of "Kaplan"

I've heard this name used quite alot, the only meaning I know for it is "Tiger" in Turkish, its used as a name, usually a surname. Kaplan also exists in other Turkic dialects, however, I also have heard that the name is used among Jews aswell and I think its used in Pakistan and India but I'm not sure.

So where does the word derive from? how comes its so widely used in unrelated language groups?

Originally posted by gcle2003 The Ashkenazi Jewish name is taken straight from the German 'Kaplan' which means (and is cognate with) 'chaplain', and therefore equivalent to the common Hebrew surname 'Cohen'.

Some Historians claim Askenazi Jewishs are actually Khazar Turks. Khazars was Jewish Turks, but they can be assimilated in Hebrews in progress of time.

Gcl2003, wrote; "The Ashkenazi Jewish name is taken straight from the German 'Kaplan' which means (and is cognate with) 'chaplain', and therefore equivalent to the common Hebrew surname 'Cohen'."

I agree most whole heartedly!

But, is there any relation to the similar Irish name?

http://www.houseofnames.com/xq/asp.fc/qx/cohan-family-crest.htm

http://www.namesuppressed.com/syneryder/whoami-kohan.shtml

http://www.iranian.com/Diaspora/2005/April/Kohan/index.html

"I am not Jewish. But as an Iranian who has a keen interest in the etymology of the words we use, I've often asked myself : What's the relationship between the Jewish name "Cohen" and the Persian word "kohan" which means "ancient" or more precisely "From immemorial times"? And as a coincidence Ahron Cohen, the first of the line of Cohens, had lived in the time of the Exodus from Egypt, from which the Passeover feast originates.

Here are some thoughts to build upon:

"Cohen" in Hebrew means "the one who is in the service of the Lord" or simply put "Priest". There are even some Greek etymologists who dare to say that this words meaning comes from a Greek influence (see grecoreport.com).

Lately I've read about a Jewish scientist who tried to answer the following question: Could the Cohen line have been maintained since Sinai, and throughout the long exile of the Jewish people? To answer this question, this scientist has used DNA tests and ended up with a collection of markers which has come to be known as the Cohen Modal Haplotype (CMH)--the standard genetic signature of the Jewish priestly family (see cohen- levi.org).

Jewish tradition, based on the Torah, is that all Kohanim are direct descendants of Aharon, the original Kohen. The line of the Kohanim is patrilineal: it has been passed from father to son without interruption from Aharon, for 3,300 years, or more than 100 generations, the approximate time of the Exodus from Egypt, the lifetime of Aharon Kohen.

The word "Kohan" in Persian has a derivative such as "Kaahen" meaning "the one who can see into the future". Both words are also related to the word "Kaahenaat" which in modern Persian is pronounced "Kaa'enaat", a word which is plural in nature and could be translated into "the timeless universes of beingness".

According to modern Persian grammar "Kaahenaat" could be the plural of "Kohan", and may have found its pronunciation and meaning transformed (somewhat expanded) in time. In fact the word "Kaahenat" or "Kahenat" had been even transferred from Persian to some Christian Churches such as the Ethiopian Church where it also meant "Priest" (see here). Again a deformation of the original meaning of the word (from a Persian standpoint)." And there is more above!

And then there is "Cohen!"

http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Cohen.html

And "Coen!"

http://babynamesworld.parentsconnect.com/meaning_of_Coen.html

Any other views or comments?

Regards,