Butler is used as a family name or surname in Ireland, Germany. It is 6 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Butler
No. of characters: 6
Origin: Ireland, Germany
Meaning:

As the name Butteler is of old standing in Ditmarsh, between the Elbe and the Eider, and is not likely to have been at all connected with the French bouteille, we may conclude that the surname may sometimes be derived from the Anglo-Saxon bótel or bótl, an abode or mansion (retained in the names of Wulfenbüttel, in Germany, Newbottle in England, Bouteilles in Normandy, etc.), and may signify, like the recognized Bótel-weard, a house steward.

See under Botiler - In ordinary life a wine merchant or butler. The king's botiler, or 'Pincerna regis,' was an officer of considerable importance, answering to the collectors of customs in modern ports. In virtue of his office he was empowered to seize for the king's use, from every ship laden with wine, one cask from the prow and one from the poop, paying for each twenty shillings. Jacob's Law Dict. Le Boteler, le Botiller, Hundred Rolls

The origin of the great Irish family of Butler is a vexed question. They have been variously deduced—from Herveius, a companion of William the Conqueror-from the illustrious De Clares—and from a brother of Thomas à Becket. Certain it is that they went over to Ireland, temp. Henry II., and that the name is derived from the office of King's Butler, which was conferred upon Theobald surnamed le Boteler by that monarch in 1177, and remained hereditary in his descendants for many generations. The head of the family claimed prisage and butlerage for all wines imported into Ireland, and it was not until 1810 that the claim was finally surrendered, for the valuable consideration of £216,000.

Is the form of Butland. This common Devonshire name is probably a corruption of one of the many places called Buckland in that county.

Is a variant of Orman. One who came from Ormond, in Ireland.

One who made, or had charge of, bottles; one in charge of the butts or casks of wine.

How popular is Butler?

Butler is common in United States, England, Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Wales, Bahamas, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Jamaica, France, Thailand, Spain, Liberia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Vanuatu, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Netherlands, Panama, Sweden, Philippines, Morocco, Israel, Russia, Japan, India, Denmark, Isle of Man.

Butler is ranked 1264 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Butler bearers increased by 3.78 per cent in 2010 US census to 218847 since 2000, the surname slipped by 10 spots and ranked at 108. The last name was found in around 7 per ten thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 62.36 64.75
Black 31.54 30.85
Others 2.45 1.75
Hispanic or Latino 2.35 1.5
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.84 0.81
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.45 0.35
Butler is quite popular family name mostly used in United States however Bahamas lie ahead in terms of density. Around 421804 people have been found who wears Butler as their family name. Butler is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with hundred thousands of Butler:
87 United States283,046
Countries with ten thousands of Butler:
95 England58,594
94 Australia26,467
246 Canada16,459
60 Ireland10,700
Countries with thousands of Butler:
1,291 South Africa5,207
147 New Zealand3,401
107 Wales2,662
34 Bahamas2,260
486 Scotland2,024
251 Northern Ireland1,519
324 Jamaica1,468
Countries with hundreds of Butler:
15,131 France646
19,221 Thailand556
8,084 Spain476
1,251 Liberia382
1,918 Dominican Republic308
28,930 Germany294
19,669 Poland281
14,774 Saudi Arabia278
14,195 Argentina253
281 Vanuatu236
994 Trinidad and Tobago207
40,593 Brazil183
132 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines183
16,397 Netherlands167
1,515 Panama161
5,211 Sweden143
73,138 Philippines138
42,794 Morocco136
8,216 Israel130
88,976 Russia118
21,145 Japan115
155,647 India109
5,600 Denmark103
122 Isle of Man101
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
2,231 Singapore98
5,992 Chile95
68,955 Nigeria91
5,585 Kuwait77
235 Antigua and Barbuda73
191 Jersey73
14,166 Slovakia73
1,563 Guyana72
13,485 Peru71
329 Seychelles65
954 Belize63
12,937 Switzerland63
347 United States Virgin Islands54
33,995 Greece51
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
21,064 Mexico49
7,400 Uruguay49
104,187 Ukraine43
16,038 Norway42
1,484 Puerto Rico42
492 Guam41
8,998 Haiti41
1,817 China40
34,564 Malaysia40
273 Bermuda39
263 Saint Kitts and Nevis39
35,770 Zimbabwe39
10,086 Portugal38
10,328 Ecuador36
837 Malta30
42,948 Belgium28
15,017 Iraq26
3,111 Hong Kong23
96,069 Italy23
873 Barbados22
15,343 Botswana22
50,829 Papua New Guinea21
220 British Virgin Islands20
13,197 Colombia20
23,275 United Arab Emirates19
46,251 Austria18
469 Cayman Islands18
753 American Samoa17
60,070 Czechia17
214 Turks and Caicos Islands17
3,970 Oman16
5,768 Cyprus15
11,540 Ghana13
750 Grenada13
23,172 Moldova13
3,937 Costa Rica11
33,360 Croatia11
410,938 Indonesia11
839 South Korea11
122,870 Turkey11
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
20,130 Afghanistan9
5,469 Bahrain9
160,212 Iran9
30,726 Qatar9
402 Dominica8
68 Falkland Islands8
14,756 Lebanon8
36,567 Venezuela8
17,277 Bangladesh7
83,128 Belarus7
62,289 Egypt7
710 Greenland7
991 Gibraltar6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

Patt Butler was 21 years old when he migrated to USA during Irish famine on May 15, 1846. He lived in Great Britain where he worked as farmer and took Monteauma from Liverpool. Watchmaker John Butler, Patt Butler (22) Workman, Samuel Butler (22) Workman, Michael Butler, aged 40, Catherine Butler, aged 20, Workman Tobias Butler, Anty Butler, aged 30, Thomas Butler, aged 2, and 844 other Butler around 54.51% of whom were workman while others worked as watchmaker and servant, whitesmith, tailoress, mechanic, spinster, matron, carpenter, seamstress, shoemaker, mason, clerk, dressmaker, surveyor, servant migrated to US from Dublin, Galway and Liverpool.

From Germany

Johann Butler worked as farmer and hailed from Germany. 40 years old embarked for New York from Antwerp on William Cooper and arrived on May 20, 1854. Christian Butler (31) Farmer, Christian Butler (31) Farmer, 31 years old Kunigunde Butler, Kunigunde Butler (31) Farmer, Margarethe Butler, aged 4, Margarethe Butler, Charles Butler (59) Merchant, 58 years old Henriette Butler, and 46 other Butler around 45.71% of whom were farmer while others worked as merchant and tailor, laborer migrated to US.

Butler Namesakes

  • Eleanor Butler, indentured white woman
  • William Archer Butler, Irish historian of philosophy
  • Ellis Parker Butler, American author
  • Milo Butler, Bahamian administrator
  • Charles Henry Butler, American lawyer and the tenth reporter of decisions of the United States Supreme Court
  • W. E. Butler, working occultist
  • Trevor Butler, contestant and winner of Big Brother Australia Series 4
  • Alban Butler, English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer
  • Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer
  • Francis Butler, American author, veterinarian, and dog trainer
  • Gerald Butler, English judge
  • Reg Butler, English sculptor
  • Arthur Gardiner Butler, English entomologist
  • Thomas S. Butler, U.S. Representative born in Pennsylvania, serving
  • Lady Mary Butler, second daughter of the 2nd Duke of Ormonde and maternally a granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Beaufort
  • John "Picayune" Butler, black French singer and banjo player
  • Elizabeth Beardsley Butler, pioneering social investigator of the Progressive Era
  • Bryon Butler, English writer and broadcaster
  • Daniel Allen Butler, American author and playwright,
  • Édith Butler, Canadian singer-songwriter and folklorist of Acadian descent
  • Edward Mann Butler, was one of Kentucky's most prominent early educators
  • Hubert Butler, Irish essayist who wrote on a wide range of topics
  • Ian "Rocky" Butler, is former quarterback
  • Eddy Butler, until being suspended and expelled
  • John Washington Butler, American farmer and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
  • Alfred Butler, genealogist and officer of arms at the College of Arms
  • Thomas Harrison Butler, British ophthalmologist and amateur boat designer
  • Marilyn Butler, British literary critic
  • Pagan the Butler, was lord of Oultrejordain
  • Leslie B. Butler, American politician from the State of Michigan
  • Cuthbert Butler, Benedictine monk of Downside Abbey in England
  • George Ide Butler, Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator
  • Herbert Butler, British Labour politician
  • Kim Butler, American author and historian
  • Alec Butler, Canadian playwright and filmmaker
  • Vida Jane Butler, American radio pioneer known on the air as "Janie Joplin
  • Walter Halben Butler, lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher
  • James Joseph Butler, U.S. Representative from Missouri
  • Colin Butler, co-founder of the non-governmental organization BODHI
  • Charles Thomas Butler, former American bobsledder
  • John Jay Butler, ordained minister and theologian in the early Free Will Baptist movement
  • Stuart Thomas Butler, Australian nuclear physicist
  • Ernie Butler, comedy impresario in Montreal
  • Shaun Butler, American BMX rider
  • Judith Butler, American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy
  • Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, apologist
  • Christopher Butler, convert
  • Robert Neil Butler, physician, gerontologist, psychiatrist, and author
  • Thomas C. Butler, American scientist specializing
  • Edwin John Butler, Irish mycologist and plant pathologist
  • Octavia E. Butler, African-American science-fiction writer
  • Bernard Butler, English musician, songwriter and record producer
  • Geezer Butler, English musician and songwriter
  • Rab Butler, prominent British Conservative politician
  • Smedley Butler, United States Marine Corps major general
  • Yancy Butler, American actress

Butler Namesakes

  • Eleanor Butler, indentured white woman
  • William Archer Butler, Irish historian of philosophy
  • Ellis Parker Butler, American author
  • Milo Butler, Bahamian administrator
  • Charles Henry Butler, American lawyer and the tenth reporter of decisions of the United States Supreme Court
  • W. E. Butler, working occultist
  • Trevor Butler, contestant and winner of Big Brother Australia Series 4
  • Alban Butler, English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer
  • Josephine Butler, English feminist and social reformer
  • Francis Butler, American author, veterinarian, and dog trainer
  • Gerald Butler, English judge
  • Reg Butler, English sculptor
  • Arthur Gardiner Butler, English entomologist
  • Thomas S. Butler, U.S. Representative born in Pennsylvania, serving
  • Lady Mary Butler, second daughter of the 2nd Duke of Ormonde and maternally a granddaughter of the 1st Duke of Beaufort
  • John "Picayune" Butler, black French singer and banjo player
  • Elizabeth Beardsley Butler, pioneering social investigator of the Progressive Era
  • Bryon Butler, English writer and broadcaster
  • Daniel Allen Butler, American author and playwright,
  • Édith Butler, Canadian singer-songwriter and folklorist of Acadian descent
  • Edward Mann Butler, was one of Kentucky's most prominent early educators
  • Hubert Butler, Irish essayist who wrote on a wide range of topics
  • Ian "Rocky" Butler, is former quarterback
  • Eddy Butler, until being suspended and expelled
  • John Washington Butler, American farmer and a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
  • Alfred Butler, genealogist and officer of arms at the College of Arms
  • Thomas Harrison Butler, British ophthalmologist and amateur boat designer
  • Marilyn Butler, British literary critic
  • Pagan the Butler, was lord of Oultrejordain
  • Leslie B. Butler, American politician from the State of Michigan
  • Cuthbert Butler, Benedictine monk of Downside Abbey in England
  • George Ide Butler, Seventh-day Adventist minister, administrator
  • Herbert Butler, British Labour politician
  • Kim Butler, American author and historian
  • Alec Butler, Canadian playwright and filmmaker
  • Vida Jane Butler, American radio pioneer known on the air as "Janie Joplin
  • Walter Halben Butler, lawyer, teacher, newspaper publisher
  • James Joseph Butler, U.S. Representative from Missouri
  • Colin Butler, co-founder of the non-governmental organization BODHI
  • Charles Thomas Butler, former American bobsledder
  • John Jay Butler, ordained minister and theologian in the early Free Will Baptist movement
  • Stuart Thomas Butler, Australian nuclear physicist
  • Ernie Butler, comedy impresario in Montreal
  • Shaun Butler, American BMX rider
  • Judith Butler, American philosopher and gender theorist whose work has influenced political philosophy
  • Joseph Butler, English bishop, theologian, apologist
  • Christopher Butler, convert
  • Robert Neil Butler, physician, gerontologist, psychiatrist, and author
  • Thomas C. Butler, American scientist specializing
  • Edwin John Butler, Irish mycologist and plant pathologist
  • Octavia E. Butler, African-American science-fiction writer
  • Bernard Butler, English musician, songwriter and record producer
  • Geezer Butler, English musician and songwriter
  • Rab Butler, prominent British Conservative politician
  • Smedley Butler, United States Marine Corps major general
  • Yancy Butler, American actress

Related Family Names: