Fun Facts About the Name Pastor
- 146 babies named Pastor: U.S. records list 146 babies given the name Pastor from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Pastor Mean?
Pastor means "shepherd" and comes from Latin pastor, a noun formed on the verb pascere, "to feed, graze, pasture." A pastor in Latin was literally a herdsman who tended a flock. Christian writers used the same word figuratively for a spiritual leader, from the image of Christ as the pastor bonus, the "good shepherd," and that religious sense passed into English, where "pastor" is a title for a minister. The personal name keeps the literal sense "shepherd"; it does not have a separate root of its own.
Pastor Name History & Origins
The Latin noun pastor was also used as a Roman byname, or cognomen, alongside its everyday meaning. Through the church the word became a title for clergy, and it entered English by way of Latin and Old French. It survives as an English and Dutch surname, in some cases occupational and in others an anglicization of Italian Pastore and similar forms.
As a given name, Pastor is used chiefly in Spanish. It is linked with San Pastor, one of the two boy martyrs of Alcalá de Henares known as Saints Justus and Pastor, traditionally said to have been put to death around 304 during the Diocletian persecution and commemorated in Spain on August 6; the poet Prudentius wrote a hymn in their honor. The name appears in Spain and Spanish-speaking countries and occasionally elsewhere, where it is generally understood through its Latin meaning rather than through Spanish devotion.
How Popular is the Name Pastor?
Pastor has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 1981. Its best rank was #3,420 in 1955.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | #14,084 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2007 | #11,985 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #10,972 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #8,977 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2000 | #11,688 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1999 | #11,153 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #10,858 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #7,101 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1996 | #8,723 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #9,915 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #9,863 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #8,411 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #7,074 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #7,846 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #7,018 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #7,531 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #6,028 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #4,838 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1973 | #5,671 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1970 | #5,248 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,288 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1955 | #3,420 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1950 | #4,066 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1930 | #4,414 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1929 | #3,854 | 6 | 0.0006% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with P
How the Name Pastor Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have a power of expression, either in speaking or writing. You are in favor for studying and research. You are clever, clear-sighted and intellectual. You don't like to let others know your true feelings. You might be atheistic or agnostic. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Pastor's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Pastor's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.