BUTCHER
Butcher is an occupational surname of English and French origin. It originally denoted a person who practised the craft of butchery – a person who slaughtered animals and sold meat.
The earliest known spelling of the name is Ailwardus le Bochere, recorded in the Pipe Rolls of London in 1184 during the reign of King Henry XI, who reigned from 1148 to 1189. The name is derived from the Middle English bocher, a form that in turn comes from the Old French word bouchier.
In medieval English documents the name appears in a variety of spellings that reflect its French roots: for example, Richard le Bucher (1240, Feet of Fines of Essex), William Bochier (1327, Subsidy Rolls of Sussex), Alan le Boucher (ibid), and Thomas le Bouker (1332, Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire). These early instances illustrate the evolution of the name from a descriptive designation to a hereditary surname.
Later British spellings that survived into the modern era include Bucher, Boucher, Bootcher, and Bowker. By the sixteenth century the spelling had largely stabilised as Butcher in England.
Occupational surnames such as Butcher were initially applied directly to individuals who performed the associated trade. Over time the surname detached from the occupation itself and became hereditary, passed down through successive generations regardless of the bearer’s subsequent profession.
A notable early bearer of the modern spelling was Richard Butcher (1583 – 1665), who served as town clerk of Stanford in 1646. The name also appears in colonial records, for example on the Baptismal Register of December 1678 in St. Michael’s parish, Barbados, where the infant son of John and Mary Butchep was baptised.
In addition to its English and French linguistic roots, the surname Butcher is associated with the Christian religion, reflecting the dominant faith in Britain during the period of its early formation.
Typical given names associated with the Butcher surname
Male
- Andrew
- Anthony
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Robert
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Bachar
- Bachara
- Bacher
- Bachir
- Bachor
- Bachour
- Bachra
- Baecher
- Baicher
- Bashar
- Bashara
- Bashari
- Basheer
- Basher
- Bashier
- Bashir
- Bashiri
- Bashiru
- Bashor
- Bashore
- Batcher
- Baucher
- Bausher
- Beacher
- Beatcher
- Bechar
- Bechara
- Becher
- Becheru
- Bechor
- Beecher
- Beicher
- Beshara
- Besher
- Beshier
- Beshir
- Beshiri
- Beshoori
- Beshr
- Betcher
- Beucher
- Beusher
- Bewshear
- Bewsher
- Bewshire
- Bichara
- Bicher
- Bichri
- Bishara
- Bisher
- Boacher
- Bocher
- Bochra
- Boecher
- Boetcher
- Boettcher
- Boshar
- Bosher
- Boshier
- Boshir
- Boshor
- Botcher
- Bottcher
- Bouchaara
- Bouchair
- Bouchar
- Bouchara
- Boucher
- Boucherat
- Bouchere
- Bouchereau
- Boucherie
- Boucheron
- Bouchers
- Bouchez
- Bouchier
- Boushear
- Boushehri
- Bousher
- Boushier
- Boutchard
- Boutcher
- Boutchier
- Bowcher
- Bowchier
- Bowsher
- Buchar
- Buchard
- Buchart
- Buche
- Bucher
- Bucherer
- Buchert
- Buchler
- Buchner
- Buchta
- Buchter
- Bucther
- Buecher
- Bushara
- Bushehri
- Busher
- Bushiri
- Bushore
- Bushra
- Butch
- Butchar
- Butchard
- Butchart
- Butche
- Butcherd
- Butchere
- Butchers
- Butchert
- Butscher
- Buttcher
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Butcher in...
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There are approximately 21,123 people named Butcher in the UK. That makes it the 409th most common surname in Britain. Around 324 in a million people in Britain are named Butcher.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Butcher
- Terry Butcher - Football player and manager
- Mark Butcher - Cricketer
- Richard Butcher - Football player (1981 to 2011)
- Calum Butcher - Football player
- Tom Butcher - Actor
- Alan Butcher - Cricket player of England.
- Matt Butcher - Football player
- Tim Butcher - Journalist
- Liam Butcher - Actor
- Gary Butcher - Cricketer
- Martin Butcher - Cricketer
- Herbert Butcher - Politician (1901 to 1966)
- Stan Butcher - Composer and bandleader (1920 to 1987)
- John Butcher - Politician (1946 to 2006)
- George Butcher - Football player (1890 to 1970)
- Lee Butcher - Football goalkeeper
- Stephen Butcher - Football player
- Cecil Butcher - Cricketer (1872 to 1929)
- John Butcher - Football player
- Harry Butcher - Canadian politician (1873 to 1956)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.