The origin of the distinguished surname Pellegrini can be located in Sicily.
Although people were originally known only by their first names, it became necessary to adopt a second name to identify due to population growth.

The most common type of family name found in the region was the surname that derives from the name of the father.
During the Middle Ages the Italians adopted the patronymic system for surnames.
Then in Italy during the Christian age, people often gave as a second name to their children the names of saints or biblical figures.
The nicknames as surnames usually reflected the physical characteristics of the first member of the lineage.
Italian surnames have a large number of forms in comparison with other European surnames because they reflect regional variations and the many dialects of Italian.
Examples are the surnames of northern Italy where it is very common family names have the suffix "I", while the south is the most common suffix with the "O".
The variety of surnames are due to variations in the subscription type that caused the medieval church officers.
The local names describe a region or place where they lived the first members of the lineage. Other local Italian last name had the prefix "Di" denoting the migration from one place to another.
The name Pellegrini  derives from the name Pelligrim which in turn derives from the Latin peregrinus, which means foreigner.