2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Butherus
A surname derived from a personal name of Germanic origin meaning "fighter".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Butherus. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Butherus surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Butherus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Butherus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Butherus
The surname BUTHERUS originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German words "but" meaning dwelling or house, and "heri" meaning army or warrior. This suggests the name may have been given to someone who lived in a house belonging to a soldier or warrior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the BUTHERUS name dates back to the 13th century in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria. A deed from 1247 mentions a "Johannes Butherus" who was a landowner in the area. This indicates the name was already well-established by that time.
In 1389, a "Heinrich Butherus" is listed in the records of the city of Nuremberg as a member of the town council. This provides evidence of the name's presence among the urban elite during the late medieval period.
The BUTHERUS name can also be found in several Renaissance-era documents from northern Germany. For example, a "Matthias Butherus" born in 1544 in Lübeck became a respected Lutheran theologian and author of various religious texts.
Moving into the early modern era, one notable bearer of the BUTHERUS surname was Johann Butherus (1590-1668), a German jurist and professor of law at the University of Helmstedt. His writings on legal philosophy were highly influential in his day.
Another distinguished figure was Wilhelm Butherus (1735-1811), a Prussian military officer who served with distinction in the Seven Years' War and later wrote memoirs recounting his experiences on the battlefield under Frederick the Great.
The variant spelling "Butharius" also appeared occasionally, such as in the case of Johann Butharius (1697-1756), a Lutheran minister and Hebrew scholar who served as rector of the Gymnasium in Thorn (present-day Toruń, Poland).
While the BUTHERUS name originated in Germany, it spread over time to other parts of Europe and the New World through migration. Overall, it represents a fascinating connection to the medieval Germanic heritage and military traditions of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Butherus
Among Census respondents with the surname Butherus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Butherus bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Butherus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Butherus
Butherus appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,913 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 21,913 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,327 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Butherus surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #151,532 | #150,205 | 0.9% |
| Count | 108 | 109 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Butherus bearers went from 108 to 109 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,205.
FAQ
Butherus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Butherus?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Butherus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Butherus?
Butherus ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Butherus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Butherus.
Has Butherus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Butherus went from 108 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Butherus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Butherus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Butherus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Butherus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Butherus (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Butherus mean?
A surname derived from a personal name of Germanic origin meaning "fighter". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Butherus (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Butherus?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.