How common is the surname Butler?

218,847 people in the United States had the surname Butler in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,411 Americans. It ranked 108th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Butler?

Judith Butler, American feminist gender studies philosopher (born 1956), followed by Austin Butler.

Where is the surname Butler most common?

Wikidata records people named Butler in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.

Is the surname Butler getting more or less common?

More common. 210,879 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 218,847 in 2010, up 3.8%.

Is Butler also a first name?

Yes. Butler is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Butler

An English occupational surname, carried by 218,847 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex B346 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Butler is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

* (English surname): From Middle English Butler. * (Anglicized surname): From French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier. * (placename): From the surname

Butler is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 218,847 people named Butler in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 1,411 Americans. That is up 3.8% since 2000, when the Census counted 210,879.

#108

rank among US surnames

218,847

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+3.8%

change since 2000 (was #98)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#99	Foster	227,764	1,356
#100	Jimenez	227,118	1,359
#101	Powell	224,874	1,373
#102	Jenkins	222,653	1,387
#103	Perry	221,741	1,392
#104	Russell	221,558	1,394
#105	Sullivan	220,990	1,397

Who is named Butler

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

62% of people named Butler identified as white (not Hispanic), 32% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 62%
Black (not Hispanic) 32%
Two or more races 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Butlers

79 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Judith Butler
American feminist gender studies philosopher (born 1956)
Austin Butler
American actor (born 1991)
Nicholas Murray Butler
American philosopher, diplomat, and educator (1862-1947)
Octavia E. Butler
American science fiction writer (1947-2006)
Jimmy Butler
American basketball player (born 1989)
Benjamin Franklin Butler
American general and politician (1818–1893)
Dan Butler
American actor, born 1954
Caron Butler
American basketball player (born 1980)
Laphonza Butler
American politician and labor union official (born 1979)
Yancy Butler
American television and film actress (born 1970)
David Butler
American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter and television director (1894-1
Brett Butler
American actress, born 1958

Notable Butlers come mostly from the United States (66), the United Kingdom (7) and Australia (2).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Butler

Butler has the Soundex code B346, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B346.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Butler come from?: * (English surname): From Middle English Butler. * (Anglicized surname): From French Boutilier, Boutillier, Bouthillier. * (placename): From the surname
How common is the surname Butler?: 218,847 people in the United States had the surname Butler in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 1,411 Americans. It ranked 108th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Butler?: In the 2010 Census, 62% of people named Butler identified as white (not Hispanic), and 32% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Butler?: Judith Butler, American feminist gender studies philosopher (born 1956), followed by Austin Butler.
Where is the surname Butler most common?: Wikidata records people named Butler in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 3 other countries.
What type of surname is Butler?: Butler is an occupational surname, named after the work an ancestor did.
Is the surname Butler getting more or less common?: More common. 210,879 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 218,847 in 2010, up 3.8%.
Is Butler also a first name?: Yes. Butler is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.