Find out how popular the last name Butcher is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Butcher.

Butcher, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Butcher surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Butcher in America

Butcher is the 1567th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Butcher surname appeared 22,978 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 8 people would have the surname Butcher.

We can also compare 2010 data for Butcher to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Butcher

The surname BUTCHER originates from an occupational name for a butcher, derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "boucher". It is believed to have arisen in England in the 12th century.

The name is thought to have first appeared in areas of England with significant Norman influence, such as the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire. Early variations of the spelling include Bocher, Bucher, and Buchere.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname BUTCHER can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which list a Robert le Boucher in Oxfordshire. The name also appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327, where a Thomas le Boucher is mentioned.

In the 14th century, the surname BUTCHER is found in various records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which lists a Johannes Bocher. The Friary Rolls of York in 1388 also mention a William Boucher.

Notable individuals with the surname BUTCHER include John Butcher (c.1553-1625), an English Catholic priest and martyr, and Humphrey Butcher (c.1594-1660), an English clergyman and religious writer. Samuel Butcher (1811-1876) was an English classical scholar and translator, while Henry Charles Butcher (1832-1909) was an English classical scholar and educator.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Butcher (1625-1685), an English physician and author who wrote works on ancient Greek medicine. Richard Butcher (1817-1891) was a notable English lawyer and judge who served as a Baron of the Exchequer.

The BUTCHER surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Butcher's Green in Essex and Butcher's Lane in Gloucestershire, reflecting the occupational origins of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Butcher

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Butcher.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Butcher was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Butcher has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Butcher was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Butcher, please contact us.

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