Show ContentsPellegrin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of the islands of Sicily emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Pellegrin family. 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 were 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 given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Pellegrin is a name for a pilgrim having derived from the Latin name peregrinus, which means stranger or foreigner.

Early Origins of the Pellegrin family

The surname Pellegrin was first found in 1129 with Papiro Pellegrino, from a noble family in Palermo.

Early History of the Pellegrin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pellegrin research. The years 1420, 1540, 1570, 1765, 1774, 1839 and 1877 are included under the topic Early Pellegrin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pellegrin Spelling Variations

Surnames that originated in Italy are characterized by an enormous number of spelling variations. Some of these are derived from regional traditions and dialects. Northern names, for instance, often end in "o", while southern names tend to end in "i". Other variations come from the fact the medieval scribes tended to spell according to the sound of words, rather than any particular set of rules. The recorded variations of Pellegrin include Pellegrino, Pellegrini, Pellegrìn, Pellerini, Pellegrin, Pellerino, Pellegrinelli, Pellegrinetti, Pellegrinotti and many more.

Early Notables of the Pellegrin family

Prominent among bearers of this surname in early times was

  • Pellegrino Pellegrini, mayor of Recanati in 1420, and later, of Macerata. Pompeo Pellegrini was a famous doctor from Bologna around 1540
  • Matteo Pellegrini, from the same noble Bolognese family, was a philosopher, and founded the `Accademia della Notte', a philosophical group. Valerio Pellegrini of Carrara was mayor of Sassuolo in 1570
  • Vincenzo Pellegrini was a 17th century composer from Pesaro who served as choirmaster at the Milan Cathedral 20 years. Felice Pellegrini was a basso singer in Turin around 1774 and moved to France, wh...

Pellegrin Ranking

In the United States, the name Pellegrin is the 12,355th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Pellegrin is ranked the 2,250th most popular surname with an estimated 2,849 people with that name. 2


United States Pellegrin migration to the United States +

Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Pellegrin:

Pellegrin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Louis Pellegrin, aged 21, who landed in New York in 1849 3
Pellegrin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Felicien Pellegrin, aged 24, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Patria" from Marseilles, France 4
  • Alfredo Pellegrin, aged 37, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Aquitania" from Southampton, England 4
  • Michel Pellegrin, aged 43, arrived in New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Olympic" from Southampton, England 4
  • Mark M. Pellegrin, aged 43, arrived in New York City, New York in 1921 aboard the ship "Olympic" from Southampton, England 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Pellegrin (post 1700) +

  • Joseph Pellegrin de Millon, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  5. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 12) Joseph Pellegrin. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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