Butcher
An occupational surname for a butcher or meat seller.
The #1,567 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 13,437 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Butcher comes from an occupation word for a person who slaughtered and sold meat. The surname is recorded in medieval forms such as Le Bocher, reflecting Old French influence on English after the Norman period. The word is ultimately connected with Old French terms for a meat dealer or butcher, and some older spellings were later confused with similar-looking French surnames.
History
This is a straightforward English occupational surname, and it appears early in record forms with the French article le. It became established as a hereditary surname in England and later spread widely in Britain and overseas. Some historical writers also noted confusion with Bourchier and related French names, but Butcher itself is normally treated as a trade name.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval record forms sometimes preserve the job title directly, as in Le Bocher, making the surname’s original meaning especially transparent.
From the historical record
“BUSWELL, See Boswell. BUTCHER. The occupation, Le Bocher, H.R. Some of the older forms are easilj' confounded with Bourchier. In ancient times this was a title of honour bestowed by the French on great warriors ! See Eng. Surn. i. 121. BUTE. A great island of Scotland. BUTLAND. This common Devonshire name is…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom