Butkovich last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Butkovich

A surname originating from the region of Croatia and Serbia.

Butkovich, 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 Butkovich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Butkovich in America

Butkovich is the 29528th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Butkovich surname appeared 799 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Butkovich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Butkovich 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank29528284893.58%
Count7997881.39%
Proportion per 100k0.270.29-7.14%

The history of the last name Butkovich

The surname Butkovich has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Slavic regions of modern-day Croatia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name Butkovich is derived from the Slavic word "butka," which means "barrel" or "cask." It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone whose occupation involved the making or trading of barrels or casks. Alternatively, it could have been a nickname referring to a person's physical resemblance to a barrel or cask.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name was spelled in various ways, such as Butković, Butkovič, or Butkovics, reflecting the different linguistic influences and spellings across the region. These variations were common before standardized spelling conventions were established.

One of the earliest known references to the name Butkovich can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the city of Dubrovnik, which was a major maritime trading center in the region. The document mentions a merchant named Ivan Butković who traded goods along the Adriatic coast.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Butkovich. For example, Juraj Butković (1539-1609) was a Croatian writer and poet who authored several works in the Renaissance period. Mihailo Butković (1825-1898) was a Serbian military officer and statesman who played a significant role in the Serbian uprisings against the Ottoman Empire.

In the 19th century, Andrej Butković (1827-1891) was a prominent Croatian engineer and architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Zagreb and other cities. Milica Butkovich (1876-1942) was a Serbian-American artist and educator who founded the Butkovich School of Art in Los Angeles, California.

Another notable figure was Sava Butković (1891-1965), a Serbian composer and conductor who was instrumental in promoting and preserving traditional Serbian folk music. His compositions and arrangements were widely performed and recorded throughout the 20th century.

While the surname Butkovich has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world through immigration and diaspora communities. However, many of the earliest and most significant historical references to this name can be traced back to the Slavic regions of the Balkans.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Butkovich

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

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 Butkovich was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only94.99%759
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only1.13%9
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin2.88%23

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 Butkovich has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White94.99%95.43%-0.46%
Black(S)%(S)%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander1.13%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races(S)%1.65%(S)%
Hispanic2.88%2.03%34.62%

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 Butkovich was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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