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Pastor Family History

Pastor Surname Meaning

English, French, Portuguese, Galician, Spanish, and Catalan: occupational name for a shepherd. Anglo-Norman French pastre (oblique case pastour), Old French, Portuguese, Galician, Spanish, and Catalan pastor ‘shepherd’ from Latin pastor, an agent derivative of pascere ‘to graze’. The religious sense of a spiritual leader was rare in the Middle Ages; it is unlikely therefore that this sense lies behind any examples of the surname.

German and Dutch: humanistic surname, a translation into Latin of German Schäfer (see Schafer) or any other surname meaning ‘shepherd’. Compare Pastorius.

Americanized form of Hungarian Pásztor: occupational name from pásztor ‘shepherd’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Pastor family from?

You can see how Pastor families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pastor family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pastor families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 5 Pastor families living in Manitoba. This was about 45% of all the recorded Pastor's in Canada. Manitoba had the highest population of Pastor families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pastor surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Pastor ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Pastor. 58% of Pastor men worked as a Farmer.

View Census Data for Pastor | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    58%
  • Labourer
    43%

What Pastor family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 13,000 census records available for the last name Pastor. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pastor census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Pastor

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Pastor. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Pastor immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 5,000 military records available for the last name Pastor. For the veterans among your Pastor ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pastor military records

You've only scratched the surface of Pastor family history

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What is the average Pastor lifespan?

Between 1942 and 2004, in the United States, Pastor life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1942, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Pastor in 1942 was 30, and 77 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pastor

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Pastor ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Pastor family tree

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