BUTTERS
The surname Butters is of English origin. It is first documented in the early thirteenth century and can be found throughout the British Isles, particularly in England.
The name derives from the Middle English word butere, meaning “butter”. It is a metonymic occupational name for a dairyman, a seller of butter, or a keeper of a buttery. William le Buter is recorded in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1243, and Geoffrey Butter appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. The occupational sense also encompasses any individual whose work involved butter, and the name has occasionally been used as a nickname for a person with a pale or creamy complexion.
In addition, the surname has a second, more distinctive origin. It may stem from the Middle English botor and Old French butor, meaning bittern, and would have been a nickname for a person with a vocal quality resembling the bird’s booming call. An example of this form is Hennry Butor, listed in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1169. The early record of William Butere in the 1130 Pipe Rolls of Dorsetshire, during the reign of King Henry I, is the earliest known spelling of the family name.
Historical entries also show the spread of the surname in London during the seventeenth century. Thomas Butters married Jane Cooper at St Dunstan’s, Stepney, on 17 November 1642, and Dorothy Butters married John Hall at St Benet, Paul's Wharf, on 19 May 1647. Variations of the modern spelling include Buttere, Buter, and the patronymic form Butters, which signifies “son of Butter”.
Typical given names associated with the Butters surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Simon
- Stephen
- William
Female
- Ann
- Barbara
- Carol
- Claire
- Elizabeth
- Hazel
- Jacqueline
- Jill
- Joanne
- Linda
- Margaret
- Patricia
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Batters
- Betters
- Bitters
- Booter
- Bootier
- Botters
- Boughter
- Bouter
- Bouterse
- Boutier
- Boutter
- Bouttier
- Bowter
- Butare
- Buter
- Butera
- Buters
- Butery
- Buthers
- Butier
- Butor
- Butres
- Buttar
- Buttars
- Buttary
- Butter
- Butterby
- Butteree
- Butterer
- Butteress
- Butterey
- Butterick
- Butteris
- Butteriss
- Butterly
- Buttersby
- Buttersly
- Butterson
- Butterway
- Buttery
- Buttess
- Buttlers
- Buttor
- Buttree
- Buttres
- Buttress
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Butters in...
Braille
⠃⠥⠞⠞⠑⠗⠎
Morse
-.....---..-....
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,734 people named Butters in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,272nd most common surname in Britain. Around 42 in a million people in Britain are named Butters.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Butters
- Wes Butters - Broadcaster
- Guy Butters - Football player
- Fred Butters - Rugby league player (1904 to 1988)
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.