Surname Pastoors - Meaning and Origin

Pastoors: What does the surname Pastoors mean?

Pastoors is a Dutch surname, originating from the Low Countries. Its literal translation is "pastor" or "shepherd," a reference to an occupation held by many of the original ancestors who bore the name. They likely belonged to either the Catholic or Protestant clergy, or perhaps even the Jewish faith.

Today, Pastoors is a common surname in the Low Countries, the Netherlands, and other parts of Europe. It likely serves as a reminder of the dedicated Religious leaders of times past. In Germanic languages like Dutch, the spelling is often phonetically pronounced "Pastors," which is similar to the English verb of "to pastor."

The surname Pastoors carries a great deal of history. It likely has been passed down within families over the generations, as a significant reminder of their religious heritage. Those who carry the surname likely also look to the history of the name as an inspiration to look after and protect their own communities in a similar manner to the forefathers who first bore the name.

Pastoors: Where does the name Pastoors come from?

The surname Pastoors is most commonly associated with the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. Today, individuals bearing the surname can be found primarily in the Dutch Low Countries, particularly the provinces of Overijssel, Utrecht, North Holland, South Holland, and Gelderland. There are also notable concentrations of people bearing the surname in Gehlenberg, Germany, and parts of the American Midwest, primarily in Wisconsin and Minnesota, where it is believed that many immigrants bearing the name arrived in the 19th century. However, the vast majority of those with the surname Pastoors can be found in the Netherlands.

Individuals bearing the surname can be found in various records across the globe. These include vital records such as birth and death certificates, as well as census records. In the Netherlands, for example, the Genlias website provides valuable records for those researching ancestors with the surname. There are also some notable public records and websites with records specific to the surname, such as the FamilySearch Wiki, which offers an extensive list of global resources for the surname and its variations.

The surname Pastoors can also be found in various online family trees, although these are often limited in the amount of detail provided. The most comprehensive resource is oftentimes the websites used by individual families, which includes detailed family information and a wealth of historical data. This data can be particularly helpful for those researching their family tree, as it can provide crucial information about their ancestors and their life.

Overall, the surname Pastoors is most commonly associated with the Netherlands and northwestern Germany, and people with this surname can be found primarily in these two areas. However, there are also scattered concentrations of people bearing the surname in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, and the name can be found in numerous records and databases across the globe.

Variations of the surname Pastoors

Pastoors is an originally Dutch and Belgian surname. The -oors ending of the name is a Dutch variant of the German suffix -er, meaning “son of” or “descendent of”. Variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin for Pastoors include Posters, Postore, Postorius, Pastorius, Postorius, Pasterus, Paster, Pastorius and Pastor.

The surname Postore originates from the Dutch Middle Ages occupational surname Maréchal-Post which even at the time represented the lower-class. This name was later abbreviated to just Postore.

The Dutch surname Postorius is derived from Latin 'pastorius', meaning 'shepherd'. This was an occupational name referring to a shepherd or a person linked to religious service. Later variants included Pastor and Pastorius, which eventually had prefixes included, such as De-Pastor, Van-Pastor and Vander-Pastor.

The Dutch and Belgian variant Pastoors has also been recorded in Belgium. The surname primarily derives from Middle Dutch paster, meaning pastor, which is an occupational name for someone who was a pastor or priest. This name was also later used by those working in a pastoral role or a religious vocation, such as a monk or abbot. Variants include Postoors, Postores, Pastorius and Pastor.

In short, the surname Pastoors and its variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin refer to a person of Dutch, Belgian or German descent with a family background in a pastoral or religious role.

Famous people with the name Pastoors

• Dirk Pastoors: Dutch football player who spent his entire career at Twente.
• Bas Pastoors: Dutch track cyclist who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
• Christophe Pastoors: Belgian footballer who has played for teams in the Belgian Pro League.
• Jeanne Pastoors: Dutch field hockey player who represented the Netherlands at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
• Tom Pastoors: Dutch professional football manager and former player.
• Gulli Pastoors: German author and illustrator.
• Chris Pastoors: Dutch professional cyclist.
• Ben Pastoors: Belgian professional basketball player.
• Yves Pastoors: Belgian football player and manager.
• Karin Pastoors: Belgian television presenter.
• Jörg Pastoors: German author, journalist and editor.
• Bram Pastoors: Dutch professional footballer who most recently played for Dutch side VVV-Venlo.

Other surnames

Pastoor