Pastore Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Pastore last name means, where the surname began and where it was first recorded.
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Meaning and origin of the Pastore last name
Meaning of the Pastore last name: shepherd. Pastore means "shepherd", from Latin pastor. It began as an occupational name for a man who tended sheep or goats, a vital trade in the hills and mountains of Italy, where flocks moved seasonally between summer and winter pastures. It could also be a nickname. The surname is most common in the south, especially Campania and Apulia, and it is also found in Piedmont. The same Latin root gives the word pastore its religious sense of "pastor, shepherd of souls", and in some families the name may have arisen from this meaning, or from a role in religious plays. Transhumance, the seasonal moving of flocks along wide drove roads called tratturi between the Abruzzo mountains and the Apulian plains, made shepherds a large and well-known group in southern Italy. Related surnames include Pastori in the north, Pastorino in Liguria and Piedmont, and Pastorelli in central Italy. Many emigrated to the Americas.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Pastore name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Pastore name in Italy. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Argentina and Brazil; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
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Your full Pastore pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Pastore coat of arms for you.
Pastore name FAQ
What does the Pastore name mean?
Shepherd. Common variants include Pastori, Pastorino, Pastorelli.
Where does the Pastore surname come from?
It originates in Italy, and is also found in the United States, Argentina and Brazil.
Is there a Pastore coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Pastore crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Pastore coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: De Felice, Dizionario dei cognomi italiani; Caffarelli & Marcato, I cognomi d'Italia; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).