Why were the people on the mayflower called pilgrims?

Answer 1

The pilgrims were English Separatists, they believed that the Church of England had become corrupt, too ritualistic and liturgical, and they had concluded that reform was no longer possible, so they needed to separate themselves from it. Their conflict with the established church had made life for them in England intolerable; they fled first to Holland and then to the New World.

The word "pilgrim" means "one who makes a journey for religious reasons". Although Governor Bradford used the word once in his writings, the settlers of the Plymouth Colony did not generally call themselves "pilgrims", nor did anyone else apply that term to them until 150 years later.