The pilgrim Surname
pilgrim Name Meaning and History
English (East Anglia) and German: from Middle English pilegrim, pelgrim, Middle High German bilgerin, pilgerin ‘pilgrim’ (Latin peregrinus, pelegrinus ‘traveler’), a nickname for a person who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to some seat of devotion nearer home, such as Santiago de Compostella, Rome, or Canterbury. Such pilgrimages were often imposed as penances, graver sins requiring more arduous journeys. In both England and Germany Pilgrim was occasionally used as a personal name, from which the surname could also have arisen.
Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4
Learn the meaning and history of your first name
Share this page with friends and family
Search for pilgrim records
More resources for your pilgrim family history
Pilgrim message board
Threads: 132 - Messages: 440
Start your FREE family tree. Who will you discover?
A family tree is the easiest way to start discovering your family history. To begin, just enter whatever you know and we'll use that to try and find more information for you.
Begin your family tree with your name:
The pilgrim name in History
A unique volume of fascinating facts, statistics and commentary following the pilgrim family name as far back in history as possible.
Member Connections
- Anonymously contact one of the Ancestry members researching the pilgrim last name.
- Search for Ancestry members researching one of your specific ancestors.
- Create or update your own Ancestry member profile so that other members can anonymously contact you.
More Tools and Resources
- Search Ancestry.com for all of your pilgrim ancestors.
- Create and publish your own family history book using Ancestry Press.
- Learn more about your family history using DNA Ancestry.
- Learn more about family history in the Ancestry Learning Center.
- Visit the Ancestry.com homepage.