The name "Pilgrims" as applied to the Plymouth Separatists originated from William Bradford, the leader and governor of the Plymouth Colony. Bradford used the term in his 1651 work Of Plymouth Plantation to describe his group’s departure from Leiden, Holland, to the New World. He drew on biblical imagery from Hebrews 11:13-16, referring to the settlers as "strangers and pilgrims" who left their former home looking forward to a better, heavenly country rather than earthly possessions. Bradford wrote, "they knew they were pilgrims, and looked not much on these things; but lift up their eyes to the heavens, their dearest country, and quieted their spirits"
. The term "Pilgrims" was not used contemporaneously by the settlers themselves; they often called themselves "Saints" and referred to others as "Strangers." The name "Pilgrims" only became popular in the 19th century, around the 1840s, when Bradford’s original phrase was revived and widely adopted to describe the Mayflower settlers and other early arrivals in Plymouth
. In summary, "Pilgrims" as a designation for the Plymouth Separatists comes from Bradford’s biblical metaphor emphasizing their spiritual journey and separation from the Church of England, and it was popularized much later as a historical term
