Show ContentsPigrim History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Pigrim Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Pigrim

What does the name Pigrim mean?

The Ancestry of the Pigrim name lies with the Norman Conquest of England. This Norman name was used for a person who had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or some devotional area in Europe such as the tomb of St. Thomas a Beckett at Canterbury. 1 The modern French form, Pèlerin was a frequent entry in the Hundredorum Rolls. 2

Occasionally used as a personal name: Pelerin appears in the Pipe Rolls for Sussex in 1206 and was sometimes given to or adopted by a pilgrim. 1

Early Origins of the Pigrim family

The surname Pigrim was first found in Norfolk, where the family held lands after the Norman Conquest. 3 According to the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae, Robert, John, and Thomas Pelerin were all registered in Normandy between 1180 and 1195. 4

Hugo Plegrim was listed as a Knights Templar in Warwickshire in 1185. William Pegerim, Pegrum was registered in the Curia Regis Rolls for Dorset in 1200 and Eustace Pelrim was registered at Ely, Cambridgeshire in 1221. Robert Peregrine was recorded in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243. 1

Continuing our quest, we found William Pylegrim in Huntingdonshire in 1251; Robert Pelrin, Pelgrim in the Assize Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1260; William Pegrin in the Hundredorum Rolls for Cambridgeshire in 1275; and Symon Pegrym in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. 1

Early History of the Pigrim family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pigrim research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1189, 1200 and 1273 are included under the topic Early Pigrim History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pigrim Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Pilgrim, Pilgrime, Pilgram, Pegram, Pegrem, Pelerin, Peregrine and many more.

Early Notables of the Pigrim family

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

Migration of the Pigrim family to Ireland

Some of the Pigrim family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Pigrim family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Pigrim or a variant listed above: William Pilgrim, who sailed to Virginia in 1665; Walter Pilgram sailed to Maryland in 1677; Thomas Pilgrim sailed to Barbados in 1680; Richard Pilgrim sailed to Maryland in 1742..
  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)

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