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

Butters, 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 Butters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Butters in America

Butters is the 10593rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Butters surname appeared 3,025 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Butters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Butters 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 Butters

The surname Butters has its origins in the Old English word "butere," which means "one who makes or sells butter." The name first appeared in records in England during the 13th century, primarily in the counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex.

The earliest known record of the surname Butters is found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, dated 1273, which mentions a Roger le Buttere. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records that documented the names of landholders and their holdings across various counties in England.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Butter, Buttere, and Butteres, reflecting the evolution of spelling during that period. One notable example is John le Buttere, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Borough of Colchester in 1373.

The Butters surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Butters Green in Essex and Butters Hill in Norfolk. These place names likely derived from individuals or families with the surname Butters who lived or owned land in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir William Butters, a prominent merchant and alderman of London in the 15th century. He was born around 1420 and served as the Sheriff of London in 1460.

In the 16th century, the surname Butters gained prominence with the birth of Henry Butters (1491-1564), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Southampton during the reign of Queen Mary I.

During the 17th century, the name was associated with notable figures such as John Butters (1607-1677), an English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Ipswich.

In the 18th century, Captain William Butters (1728-1805) was a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

The 19th century saw the birth of Charles Butters (1822-1891), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the headquarters of the Prudential Assurance Company.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Butters

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

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

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

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