2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Butterwick
A habitational name for someone from a place called Butterwick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Butterwick. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Butterwick 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 Butterwick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Butterwick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Butterwick
The surname Butterwick is of English origin, derived from a place name in the county of Yorkshire. It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century, with the earliest known spelling being "de Boterwyk" in the 13th century Feet of Fines records.
The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "butere" meaning butter, and "wic" meaning a dwelling or farm. This suggests that the name likely referred to a settlement or farm where butter was produced or traded. The placename Butterwick can still be found in various parts of Yorkshire today.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Butterwick is in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a John de Butterwyk is listed. This indicates that the name had already been in use for some time by the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in various spellings such as "Butterwycke", "Butterwyke", and "Butterwicke". This demonstrates the evolution of the name's spelling over time.
Notable individuals with the surname Butterwick include William Butterwick (1619-1689), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Aldborough in Yorkshire during the reign of King Charles II. Another notable figure is Robert Butterwick (1779-1856), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, the name appears in several historical records, such as the 1841 Census of England and Wales, where families with the surname are recorded living in various parts of Yorkshire and neighboring counties.
Other examples of individuals with the surname Butterwick throughout history include:
- John Butterwick (c. 1500-1570), an English landowner and farmer from North Yorkshire.
- Elizabeth Butterwick (1745-1821), a philanthropist and benefactor from Lincolnshire.
- Thomas Butterwick (1823-1893), an English businessman and industrialist from Yorkshire.
- Margaret Butterwick (1867-1949), a women's rights activist and suffragist from Lancashire.
Overall, the surname Butterwick has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with its origins rooted in the Yorkshire region and its meaning linked to the production or trade of butter in rural settlements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Butterwick
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Butterwick 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 Butterwick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Butterwick
Butterwick 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,049 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,049 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Butterwick 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Butterwick bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Butterwick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Butterwick?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Butterwick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Butterwick?
Butterwick ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Butterwick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Butterwick.
Has Butterwick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Butterwick went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Butterwick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterwick, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Butterwick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Butterwick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Butterwick (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 Butterwick mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Butterwick. 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 Butterwick (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 people have the surname Butterwick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.