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Butter Family History

Butter Surname Meaning

Dutch and German: occupational name for a dairyman or seller of butter from Middle Dutch butter and Middle High German buter. English: occupational name for a dairyman, a shortened form of Middle English buterer ‘maker or seller of butter’. Alternatively, it may be a nickname from Middle English buter(e) ‘butter’.

English and Scottish: occupational name for someone who was in charge of provisions, the keeper of a buttery or wine store (from Old French boter). English (of Norman origin): possibly a shortened variant of Bultitude from Anglo-Norman French bote torte ‘twisted boot’ (bote ‘boot’ + torte ‘twisted’), from which arose the name Botetourt County, Virginia.

English: occasionally perhaps a nickname from Middle English botor, Old French butor ‘bittern’, a bird that is noted for its boom in the breeding season; it was sometimes known as ‘the bull of the bog’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Butter family from?

You can see how Butter families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Butter family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Butter families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 852 Butter families living in London. This was about 17% of all the recorded Butter's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Butter families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Butter surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Butter ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Butter. 11% of Butter men worked as a General Labourer and 67% of Butter women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Butter were Railway Clerk and Housewife.

View Census Data for Butter | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    11%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Retired
    4%
  • Railway Clerk
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    67%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Private Means
    3%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Butter family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 147,000 census records available for the last name Butter. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Butter census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Butter

Passenger Lists

There are 12,000 immigration records available for the last name Butter. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Butter immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Butter. For the veterans among your Butter ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Butter military records

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