Butler
A surname that usually began as an occupational name for a steward or wine-cellar officer, especially in noble households.
The #108 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 1,411 Americans shares it.
Etymology
In English and Anglo-Norman usage, Butler comes from the medieval office of butler: the household officer in charge of wine, provisions, and the buttery. The word ultimately goes back through Old French to a term for a bottle or flask, so the original sense was tied to the care of beverages and stores. In some cases the surname may also reflect a steward or house-manager role more generally.
History
The name became especially prominent in Ireland through the great Butler family, whose surname was fixed from a hereditary office held by Theobald fitzWalter, surnamed le Boteler, in the 12th century. In England and elsewhere, Butler also arose independently as an occupational surname for people serving in great houses. The surname is now widespread in the English-speaking world, with strong historical associations in Ireland and Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The Irish Butlers took their surname from an office, not from a family nickname: it became hereditary after Theobald le Boteler received the post of King's Butler in 1177.
From the historical record
“county. BUTLER. See under Botiler. The origin of the great Irish f\imily of Butler is a vexed question. They have been va- riously deduced — from Hen^eius, a com- panion of William the Conqueror — from the illustrious De Clares — and from a brother of Thomas a Becket. Certain it is that they went over to Ireland…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom