Putter Family History

North German (mainly Pütter): topographic name for someone who lived by a pool or well from Middle Low German putte ‘pit puddle’ ‘well pool’ (see Puett) or a habitational name for someone from any of various places called with this word.

German: possibly also a variant of Butter. English: nickname possibly from Middle English putter an agent noun derived from putten ‘to put place appoint’ and ‘to shove thrust poke stab throw’.

It is recorded with the sense ‘head-butter’ but it may have had any number of unrecorded senses including perhaps ‘stone thrower’ for one who took part in games similar to the modern shot-put.

Alternatively, from Middle English putour (Old French puteor) ‘pimp procurer; fornicator’ with substitution of -er for -our.

English: variant of Pitter.