Bultitude Family History

from Anglo-Norman French bote torte ‘twisted boot’ (bote ‘boot’ + torte ‘twisted (fem.)’. It sometimes appears with de as if an aristocratic locative surname but this is a later addition. The intrusive l in the modern name seems to be a 17th-century alteration.

Botetourt County Virginia USA named from the English noble title is repeatedly mis-written as Boltetourt. This and the change of -tourt to -tout and -tude may have been influenced by mistaken association with Buletout in (2). The two names have become thoroughly confused in early-modern times.

There has also been occasional substitution of -toft or -taft for -tute and -tude. Perhaps from Middle English bule (Old English *bula) ‘bull’ + Middle English toute ‘buttocks rump’ though the -i- in some early forms is puzzling.

From the 17th century at least Buletout seems to have been confused in E Anglia and Essex with Botetorte so some of the following post-medieval bearers may belong under (1) and vice versa.