The Butts surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 23,227 people carried this name — #1,548 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,700 people counted. That is down 1% from 23,540 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Butts surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the butts’.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 836 · public domain.

In print

Butts in American newspapers,
1894–1914.

Newspaper page from The Mitchell Capital carrying the name Butts
The Mitchell Capital 1894-10-05
Newspaper page from Goldsboro Weekly Argus carrying the name Butts
Goldsboro Weekly Argus 1903-04-02
Newspaper page from The Daily Missoulian carrying the name Butts
The Daily Missoulian 1914-06-08

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,045 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Butts in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1980s.

7,358 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Butts. The most, 1,498, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 5,127
Queensland 917
Victoria 736
Tasmania 286
Western Australia 143
South Australia 119
ACT (Canberra) 24
Northern Territory 4

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Butts.

Who carried it

People named Butts,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Butts
    William Butts 1486–1547 · physician
  • William Butts
    William Butts 1486–1545 · physician
  • Margaret Butts
    Margaret Butts 1505– · lady-in-waiting
  • Anne Butts
    Anne Butts 1545–1616
  • Henry Butts
    Henry Butts 1575–1632 · Anglican priest
  • Queenie Butts d. 1978

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Butts,
in the records of 6 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,865 records

1,865 records of the Butts name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 845
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 379
  • Other U.S. records 641
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Roy John Butts

    Born 1950; from New York, New York. U.S. Marine Corps, assaultman; killed in action 1969 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Horace E. Butts

    Born 1903 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri; porter. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1964, buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Anton Butts

    Arrived at New York in 1907 aboard the Patricia from Hamburg, aged 19; farm laborer. From Lehad, Russia; bound for Brooklyn. Born in Szabya, Russia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,865 records for Butts in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada268 records

268 records of the Butts name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 257
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Richard Butts

    Killed in 1917 at the Dominion No. 12 mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Lillian Mabel Butts

    Buried in 1959 at Mount Hermon Cemetery, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 63.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Roderick Butts

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 268 records for Butts in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Australia96 records

96 records of the Butts name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 39
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 21
  • Other Australian records 36
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record John Butts

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1848. Married 1848 in Morven, Tasmania, aged 28.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record George Butts

    Arrived in Queensland in 1885 aboard the Chyebassa, aged 7.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Edwin Butts

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Portland, arriving 1832.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 96 records for Butts in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

New Zealand7 records

7 records of the Butts name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie George Butts

    Died 1984, aged 73; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George U. D. Butts

    Died 1912, aged 47; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Eric Thomas Butts

    Died 1987, aged 62; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 7 records for Butts in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Butts name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Willem Butts

    In the population register of Veere; day labourer, born 1782.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Edward Butts

    Died 1967 in Overleden op Zee, aged 74.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Trijntjen Butts

    Baptised in 1708 in Arnhem.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the Butts name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. W. Butts

    Gunner, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Butts.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Butts is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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