2000
#7,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,336
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.61
Rare Last name
Butterworth
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Butterworth in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,677 Americans carry the last name Butterworth. That puts it at #7,803 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,285 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Butterworth 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 Butterworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,285
Census rank
#7,803
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,079 bearers of the surname Butterworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7803rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Butterworth
The surname Butterworth originated in England during the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the town of Butterworth, near Rochdale in Lancashire. The name is believed to be a combination of the Old English words "butere" meaning butter, and "worth" meaning an enclosure or farm. This suggests the name may have originally referred to a dairy farm or an area known for producing butter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Lancashire Pipe Rolls of 1177, where it is spelled "Buterwurth". The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages. This early spelling variation highlights the evolving nature of surnames during that period.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are references to several places with similar names, such as "Butterwic" in Huntingdonshire and "Butterwrth" in Derbyshire. While not directly linked to the Butterworth surname, these entries provide insights into the linguistic origins of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Butterworth throughout history include:
1. John Butterworth (c. 1604-1670), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Christ's College, Cambridge.
2. Joseph Butterworth (1770-1826), a British textile manufacturer and philanthropist, known for his support of various religious and educational causes.
3. Benjamin Butterworth (1768-1828), an English architect and surveyor who designed numerous buildings in Manchester and its surrounding areas.
4. William Butterworth (1814-1900), a British merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Coventry.
5. Hezekiah Butterworth (1839-1905), an American author and educator, best known for his children's stories and biographies of notable figures.
The surname Butterworth has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Butterworth Hall in Lancashire, Butterworth Farm in Derbyshire, and Butterworth Bridge in Yorkshire. These locations likely derived their names from the original Butterworth place name or from individuals bearing the surname who settled in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Butterworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Butterworth 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 Butterworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,744
- Two or more races3.3% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 127
- Black or African American1.1% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Butterworth
Butterworth 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
#7,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,375
+39 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 493 places
2020
#7,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,079
-296 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,104 | 4,336 | 1.61 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,597 | 4,375 | 1.48 | +39 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 493 places |
| 2020 | #7,803 | 4,079 | 1.36 | -296 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 206 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 Butterworth 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 | #7,597 | #7,803 | -2.7% |
| Count | 4,375 | 4,079 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.36 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Butterworth bearers went from 4,375 to 4,079 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,597 to #7,803.
FAQ
Butterworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Butterworth?
Name Census estimates that about 4,677 living Americans carry the surname Butterworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,285 residents.
How common is Butterworth?
Butterworth ranks #7,803 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,079 people with the surname Butterworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,677), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Butterworth.
Has Butterworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Butterworth went from 4,375 recorded bearers to 4,079. That is a decrease of 296 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,597 to #7,803.
What does the Census say about the background of Butterworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Butterworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Butterworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,744 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Butterworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Butterworth (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 Butterworth mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Butterworth in England. 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 Butterworth (1.36 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 Butterworth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.