Pastor History, Family Crest & Coats of ArmsSicily, one of the oldest and most beautiful island regions of Italy, is the esteemed birthplace of numerous prominent families, including the family that bears the surname Pastor. Although people were originally known only by a single name, it became necessary for people to adopt a second name to identify themselves as populations grew and travel became more frequent. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they are characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Sicily is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's givenname, names derived from occupations are also found. Occupational surnames, which are less common than other types of surnames in Italy, date back to the feudal era. However, under the Feudal System, occupational names did not become hereditary until the offices themselves became hereditary. It was only after an occupation was inherited by several generations in lineal descent that occupational names came to be applied to entire families, and so became a hereditary surname. The surname Pastor is a common occupational name for a shepherd. The surname Pastor is derived from the Italian word pastore, which literally means shepherd. It originally comes from the Latin words pastorius or pastorino, which means pastor. This surname appeared in several places at the same time and spread rapidly because a shepherd is one of the most popular and oldest occupations of the world. Early Origins of the Pastor familyThe surname Pastor was first found in Syracuse in 1332, when Corrado Pasturella, who was elected to the Sicilian government. Early History of the Pastor familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pastor research. The years 1429, 1651, 1664 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Pastor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Pastor Spelling VariationsThere are many variations of most of those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. Some of these come from regional differences, like the tradition of ending northern names in "o" and southern names in "i". Others come from inaccuracies in the recording process, which were extremely common in the eras before dictionaries standardized spelling. Some of the spelling variations of Pastor are Pastore, Pastori, Pastor, Pastoressa, Pasturella, Pastorio, Pastoris, Pastorius, Pastorello, Pastrello, Pastorelli, Pastorella, Pastorino and many more. Early Notables of the Pastor familyProminent among bearers of this surname in early times was
Pastor RankingIn the United States, the name Pastor is the 6,845th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Pastor is ranked the 816th most popular surname with an estimated 6,213 people with that name. 2
An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Pastor: Pastor Settlers in United States in the 16th Century
Pastor Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4 Pastor Settlers in West Indies in the 16th Century
Pastor Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century
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