Pilger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

The surname Pilger is an occupational name for someone who was a "pilch maker or dealer," from the Middle English word "pilche, pylche, a fur garment." 1 As such the name was chiefly found first in England and later in Scotland.

Two other sources note the name was derived from "a pylch, a medieval garment, made of fur (pellis)." 2 3

The famous English poet Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) noted "After gret heat cometh cold; No man cast his pylch away." 4 5

Early Origins of the Pilger family

The surname Pilger was first found in Sussex, England where Mabilia Pullchare was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1214. In the same rolls, but later in 1271, Henry Pilchere was listed in Cambridgeshire. Henry le Pilchere was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275 and Nicholas le Pilchere was found in the Assize Rolls for Kent in 1317. 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had the following entries, all found in Cambridgeshire: Hugh le Pilecher; Nicholas Pilchere; and Ralph Pilkere. 5

Another researcher notes: "Swingfield church, a century ago, contained several memorials to members of the family of Pilcher, who were tenants of St. John's. Last century there flourished a New Romney family of this name, a member of which, Stephen Pilcher, gent., who died in 1768, was four times bailiff of the Marsh (H.). The names of Pilcher and Pilchere occurred in Cambridgeshire in the reign of Edward I." 7

In Scotland, the predominate spelling used was Pilche. "A family of this name were prominent in Inverness in the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth century. Patrick Pylche, juror on an inquest in Lanarkshire, 1263, is however, the first of the name recorded in Scotland. Alexander Pilche, burgess of Inverness, was one of the leading adherents in the North of Wallace and Bruce, and joined the insurrection of Andrew of Moray, 1297 (Barron, Scottish War of Independence, passim). Alexander Pylche was prepositus of the burgh of Inuernys in 1327 (ER., I, p. 59), William Pylche held land there in 1361." 8

Early History of the Pilger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pilger research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1263 and 1376 are included under the topic Early Pilger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pilger Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Pilger include Pilcher, Pilchert, Pilche, Pylche, Piltch and others.

Early Notables of the Pilger family

More information is included under the topic Early Pilger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pilger Ranking

In the United States, the name Pilger is the 18,510^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 9

Pilger migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Pilger:

Pilger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joh Henrich Pilger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 10

Pilger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johannes Pilger, who landed in North America in 1836 10
Martin Pilger, who arrived in Texas in 1847 aboard the ship "Louise Friedke." 10
Elisab Pilger, aged 30, who landed in America in 1855 10
Adam Pilger, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Pilger (post 1700) +

John Richard Pilger (1939-2023), Australian journalist, writer, scholar and documentary filmmaker, visiting professor at Cornell University in New York.[5]

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Baring-Gould S., Family Names and their Story. London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited, 1913. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)