Pellegrino

Etymology

Pellegrino comes from Italian pellegrino, meaning “pilgrim” or “wanderer,” ultimately from Latin peregrinus, “foreign” or “from abroad.” The older Latin word originally referred to someone from outside a place, and in later Christian usage it came to mean a pilgrim. As a surname, it likely began as a nickname or devotional name for someone associated with pilgrimage or religious travel.

History

The name is well established in Italy and appears in historical records in various forms, including as a personal name and surname. It is also linked to the cult of St. Pellegrino/Peregrinus, which helped keep the word and name familiar in parts of northern Italy. Italian surnames of this type were often passed down from a descriptive byname or from a saint’s name.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

The same Latin root behind Pellegrino also gave English the word peregrine, as in peregrine falcon.

Related surnames