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Button Family History

Button Surname Meaning

English:: metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of buttons from Old French bo(u)ton ‘knob lump’ specialized to mean ‘button’. Compare Butner.

Habitational name from Booton in Norfolk named with either the Old English personal name Bōta or the Old Norse personal name Bō + tūn ‘settlement’.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Button family from?

You can see how Button families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Button family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Button families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 700 Button families living in London. This was about 16% of all the recorded Button's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Button families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Button 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 Button 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 Button. 9% of Button men worked as a General Labourer and 69% of Button women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Button were Farm Labourer and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Button | 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
    9%
  • Carpenter
    4%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Farm Labourer
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    69%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    2%

What Button family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 150,000 census records available for the last name Button. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Button census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Button

Passenger Lists

There are 10,000 immigration records available for the last name Button. 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 Button immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 14,000 military records available for the last name Button. For the veterans among your Button ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Button military records

You've only scratched the surface of Button family history

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What is the average Button lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Button life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1951, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Button in 1951 was 35, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Button

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Button ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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