Family name origins & meanings
- Italian : from the Roman family name, Latin Pilatus. Pontius Pilatus was the Roman governor of Judea who interrogated Christ, then ‘washed his hands’ of responsibility for his crucifixion. This was used as a nickname for someone who would take no responsibility.
- Italian : perhaps also an altered form of Pelato, a nickname for a bald person, from pelato, past participle of depilare ‘to remove hair’.