From the historical and enchanting Italian region of the islands of
Sicily emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Pellegrino 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 Pellegrino is a name for a pilgrim having derived from the Latin name peregrinus, which means stranger or foreigner.
Early Origins of the Pellegrino family
The surname Pellegrino was first found in 1129 with Papiro Pellegrino, from a noble family in Palermo.
Early History of the Pellegrino family
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Pellegrino 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 Pellegrino include Pellegrino, Pellegrini, Pellegrìn, Pellerini, Pellegrin, Pellerino, Pellegrinelli, Pellegrinetti, Pellegrinotti and many more.
Early Notables of the Pellegrino family (pre 1700)
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...
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Migration of the Pellegrino family to the New World and Oceana
Investigation of immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Pellegrino:
Pellegrino Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Affineto Pellegrino, aged 17, who emigrated to the United States from Naples, in 1897
Pellegrino Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Agnese Pellegrino, aged 15, who landed in America from Salerno, Italy, in 1906
- Agata Pellegrino, aged 36, who landed in America from Misalmeri, Palermo, in 1910
- Alberto Pellegrino, aged 19, who emigrated to the United States from Marsala, Sicily, in 1910
- Addolorata Pellegrino, aged 39, who landed in America from Trani, Italy, in 1911
- Alessandro Pellegrino, aged 32, who landed in America from Castel S. Giorgio, Italy, in 1911
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Pellegrino (post 1700)
- Frank Pellegrino (1944-2017), American actor and restaurateur, known for his roles on Goodfellas, Law & Order and The Sopranos
- Frank P. Pellegrino (1901-1975), American businessman and philanthropist, longest-serving Chairman and CEO of the International Hat Company
- Frank Pellegrino, American actor and restaurateur, known for his roles in Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)
- Mark Ross Pellegrino (b. 1965), American Screen Actors Guild Award nominated actor of film and television, known for The Big Lebowski (1998), National Treasure (2004) and The Number 23 (2007)
- Edmund Daniel Pellegrino (1920-2013), American 11th President of The Catholic University of America, Chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics, founder of the Edmund D. Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics
- Kurt Joseph Pellegrino (b. 1979), American mixed martial artist
- Charles R. Pellegrino, the controversial American author of several books relating to science and archaeology
- Giovanni Pellegrino (b. 1939), Italian politician, Senator of the Republic from 1990 with the Italian Communist Party
- Michele Pellegrino (1903-1986), Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
- Alberto Pellegrino (1930-1996), Italian fencer
- ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)