2000
#11,171
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,604
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Butters
An occupational surname referring to one who makes or sells butter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,941 Americans carry the last name Butters. That puts it at #11,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Butters 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Butters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 116,543
Census rank
#11,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,565 bearers of the surname Butters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Butters, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Butters
Among Census respondents with the surname Butters, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Butters 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 Butters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 2,231
- Black or African American4.7% · 120
- Two or more races4.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Butters
Butters 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
#10,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,025
+421 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 578 places
2020
#11,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,565
-460 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 1,096 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,171 | 2,604 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,593 | 3,025 | 1.03 | +421 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 578 places |
| 2020 | #11,689 | 2,565 | 0.86 | -460 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 1,096 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 Butters 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 | #10,593 | #11,689 | -10.3% |
| Count | 3,025 | 2,565 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.86 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Butters bearers went from 3,025 to 2,565 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 1,096 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,593 to #11,689.
FAQ
Butters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Butters?
Name Census estimates that about 2,941 living Americans carry the surname Butters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,543 residents.
How common is Butters?
Butters ranks #11,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,565 people with the surname Butters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,941), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Butters.
Has Butters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Butters went from 3,025 recorded bearers to 2,565. That is a decrease of 460 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,593 to #11,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Butters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Butters, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Butters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (2,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Butters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Butters (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 Butters mean?
An occupational surname referring to one who makes or sells butter. 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 Butters (0.86 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 common is the surname Butters?
See how many Americans have the surname Butters on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.