kohut

Kohut is a surname of Ashkenazi Jewish origin found among people of Central and Eastern European descent. The name appears in historical records across Poland, Ukraine, and neighboring regions, and among later generations in North America and Israel, reflecting migration patterns in the 19th and 20th centuries. The spelling Kohut is common in English-language references, while transliterations may vary in other languages.

Heinz Kohut (1913–1981) is the most widely known bearer of the name. He was an Austrian-born American psychoanalyst who founded self psychology, a school of psychoanalytic theory and therapy. Kohut’s work emphasized the development of the self through empathic understanding and the central role of narcissism in personality formation. His major works include The Analysis of the Self (1971) and The Restoration of the Self (1977). His theories influenced clinical practice, developmental psychology, and critiques of contemporary psychoanalysis, though they have also been challenged by later scholars.

The surname Kohut continues to appear in biographical records and genealogical sources, and it remains in use by descendants of Jewish families in multiple countries.