BUTTERFIELD
Butterfield is an English surname of toponymic origin. It is originally found within the British Isles, particularly in England, and is associated with the English language and Christian religion. The name is classified as a geographical feature, deriving from the name of a lost hamlet on the border of the West Riding of Yorkshire and Lancashire, near Todmorden.
The etymology of the surname is straightforward. It is formed from the Old English words butere meaning "butter" and feld meaning "field" – an open country or plain. The name is therefore a literal translation of "the open country of butter." It would have originally referred to a field where buttercups grew, or to a place where butter was produced or sold, and may have been applied to a person who worked in a butter market or who cultivated butter‑producing crops.
Early documentary evidence appears in the late 12th and 13th centuries. The first recorded spelling is Hugh de Buteresfeld in the pipe rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1199, during the reign of King John. In 1301 the name is found in the Yorkshire Subsidy Rolls as John de Bodefeld, and in 1379 the Yorkshire Poll Tax lists include Willelmus de Bottesfeld and Isabella Botterfeld. A further 1423 record from the Wills List deposited at Chester names William de Butterfield (also spelt Boterfeld), suggesting an expansion into Lancashire and Cheshire.
Spelling variations have occurred over the centuries, reflecting regional dialects and phonetic transcription. Alternative forms include Buterfield, Butterfeild, Butterfild, Butterfeld, Butterfint, Butterfill, and Butterworth. Such variation was commonplace in earlier centuries when surnames were rarely standardised.
The family name has a heraldic tradition. The blazon of the granted coat of arms is a red field charged with a gold griffin segreant. This design is associated with the Butterfield family and is often used in extant heraldic records.
Notable individuals bearing the name include Swithun Butterfield of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, who, according to contemporary accounts, influenced Oliver Cromwell toward Puritanism, and Robert Butterfield of Cambridge, contemporary with Swithun. In the 19th century, William Butterfield was the architect of Keble College, Oxford, and his work solidified the name’s association with higher education.
During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, substantial migration from England to the United States, Canada and Australia carried the surname abroad. Despite this spread, the name remains relatively uncommon in these countries, with the largest concentrations still found in England, especially Yorkshire.
In contemporary genealogical research, variations of the name may be linked through phonetic spelling or family mergers, but Butterfield remains a distinct surname with a clear toponymic and occupational heritage rooted in medieval England.
Typical given names associated with the Butterfield surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Ann
- Carol
- Christine
- Emma
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Butterfield in...
Braille
⠃⠥⠞⠞⠑⠗⠋⠊⠑⠇⠙
Morse
-.....---..-...-.....-..-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 5,843 people named Butterfield in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,618th most common surname in Britain. Around 90 in a million people in Britain are named Butterfield.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Butterfield
- Asa Butterfield - Actor
- Jacob Butterfield - Football player
- Herbert Butterfield - Historian (1900 to 1979)
- Danny Butterfield - Football player
- Jeff Butterfield - Rugby union player (1929 to 2004)
- Milan Butterfield - Bermudian football player
- James Butterfield - Bermudian rower
- Andrew Butterfield - Golfer
- Rosita Beatrice Missick-Butterfield - Turks and Caicos politician (1936 to 2015)
- Tyler Butterfield - Bermudian racing cyclist and triathlete
- John Butterfield, Baron Butterfield - University administrator (1920 to 2000)
- Walter Butterfield - Cricketer (1870 to 1954)
- Taahira Butterfield - Bermudan sprinter
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.