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Pilgrim Family History

Pilgrim Name Meaning

English (southeastern) and German: from Middle English pil(e)grim Middle High German bilgerīn pilgerīm ‘pilgrim’ (from Latin peregrinus pelegrinus ‘traveler’) a nickname for a person who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land or to some seat of devotion nearer home such as Santiago de Compostella Rome or Canterbury. Such pilgrimages were often imposed as penances graver sins requiring more arduous journeys. In both England and Germany Pilgrim was occasionally used as a personal name from which the surname could also have arisen.

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


Similar surnames: Pilgram, Prim, Grim, Ahlgrim, Pilger, Milgram, Pilat, Millis, Ingram

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Where is the Pilgrim family from?

You can see how Pilgrim families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Pilgrim family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Pilgrim families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 48 Pilgrim families living in Ontario. This was about 62% of all the recorded Pilgrim's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Pilgrim families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Pilgrim 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 Pilgrim ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Pilgrim. 37% of Pilgrim men worked as a Farmer and 67% of Pilgrim women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Pilgrim were Machinist and Housewife. .

View Census Data for Pilgrim | 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
    37%
  • Labourer
    19%
  • Laborer
    16%
  • Machinist
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    67%
  • Housewife
    34%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Pilgrim family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 61,000 census records available for the last name Pilgrim. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Pilgrim census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Pilgrim

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Pilgrim. 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 Pilgrim immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Pilgrim. For the veterans among your Pilgrim ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Pilgrim military records

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What is the average Pilgrim lifespan?

Between 1949 and 2004, in the United States, Pilgrim life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1953, and highest in 1985. The average life expectancy for Pilgrim in 1949 was 37, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Pilgrim

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