Butler Family History

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Butler Name Meaning

English and Irish: from a word that originally denoted a wine steward, usually the chief servant of a medieval household, from Norman French butuiller (Old French bouteillier, Latin buticularius, from buticula ‘bottle’). In the large households of royalty and the most powerful nobility, the title came to denote an officer of high rank and responsibility, only nominally concerned with the supply of wine, if at all. Anglicized form of French Boutilier. Jewish (from Poland and Ukraine): occupational name for a bottle maker, from Yiddish butl ‘bottle’ + the agent suffix -er.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Cutler, Butter, Buller, Butner, Beutler, Buttler, Kugler, Bitler

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Butler Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Butler name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Butler. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    47%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    21%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

  • Cameroon, Congo, & Southern Bantu Peoples

    5%

  • Benin/Togo

    4%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Butler Family Origin

Where is the Butler family from?

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You can see how Butler families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Butler family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Butler families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 788 Butler families living in Ontario. This was about 48% of all the recorded Butler's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Butler families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Butler surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Butler

Butler Family Occupations

What did your Butler ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Butler occupation in Canada was Farmer. 29% of Butler's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Butler family was Going To School. Farmer, Servant and Labourer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Butler.

View Census data for Butler | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    29%

  • Servant

    5%

  • Labourer

    5%

  • Going To School

    4%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Butler ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Butler Historical Records

What Butler family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Butler. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Butler census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Butler

Passenger List

There are 132,000 immigration records available for the last name Butler. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Card

There are 239,000 military records available for the last name Butler. For the veterans among your Butler ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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You've only scratched the surface of Butler family history.

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Butler Life Expectancy

What is the average Butler lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Butler life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2001. The average life expectancy for Butler in 1940 was 38, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Butler

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Butler ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Butler Family Ancestors

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