Pilgrim as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Pilgrim

What is the meaning of the name Pilgrim ?

The baby name Pilgrim is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced ˈpɪlgrɪm (PIL-grim).

Pilgrim is English in Origin.

Pilgrim is an English word‑name rooted in Middle English pylgrym/pilgrim, borrowed from Old French pèlerin and ultimately from Latin peregrinus, “foreigner, traveler to a shrine.” Cognates across Europe - French Pèlerin, Italian Pellegrino, Spanish Peregrino, and German Pilger - underscore its pan‑Christian heritage; the related given name is Peregrine. As a personal name, Pilgrim (also Piligrim) appears in medieval Germanic records, notably Bishop Pilgrim of Passau (d. 991), while in England it was more often a byname that later became a surname, with sporadic Puritan‑era use.

The meaning evokes a seeker on a sacred journey, making Pilgrim a rare, modern unisex choice with spiritual and virtue‑name overtones. Variants and forms include Peregrine/Peregrina, Pellegrino/Pellegrina, and Peregrino/Peregrina; historical spellings like Pylgrym and Pilgrym also occur. Nicknames can be Grim or Perry (via Peregrine), and literary fans may note Pippin from Peregrin(e).

⚙ Pilgrim is rarely chosen. We have only 24 recorded uses of it on record, from 13 countries.