NameCensus.

UK surname

Buttery

A surname derived from the Old English word "butere," referring to someone involved in butter production or trade.

In the 1881 census there were 1,153 people recorded with the Buttery surname, ranking it #3,475 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,688, ranked #3,707, down from #3,475 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Lincoln St Botolph, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors and Sheffield. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Telford and Wrekin, Selby and Dudley.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Buttery is 1,867 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 46.4%.

1881 census count

1,153

Ranked #3,475

Modern count

1,688

2016, ranked #3,707

Peak year

2000

1,867 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Buttery had 1,153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,475 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,688 in 2016, ranked #3,707.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,711 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Ageing Communities.

Buttery surname distribution map

The map shows where the Buttery surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Buttery surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Buttery over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 681 #3,816
1861 historical 592 #4,473
1881 historical 1,153 #3,475
1891 historical 1,336 #3,261
1901 historical 1,519 #3,385
1911 historical 1,711 #2,862
1997 modern 1,713 #3,478
1998 modern 1,825 #3,413
1999 modern 1,850 #3,396
2000 modern 1,867 #3,349
2001 modern 1,812 #3,373
2002 modern 1,826 #3,415
2003 modern 1,820 #3,367
2004 modern 1,786 #3,421
2005 modern 1,752 #3,449
2006 modern 1,717 #3,515
2007 modern 1,723 #3,534
2008 modern 1,716 #3,569
2009 modern 1,765 #3,558
2010 modern 1,774 #3,606
2011 modern 1,772 #3,576
2012 modern 1,696 #3,655
2013 modern 1,704 #3,698
2014 modern 1,723 #3,678
2015 modern 1,703 #3,677
2016 modern 1,688 #3,707

Geography

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Where Butterys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Lincoln St Botolph, Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors, Sheffield, Mansfield and London parishes. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Telford and Wrekin, Selby, Dudley and Mansfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Lincoln St Botolph Lincolnshire
2 Wellington, Wrockwardine, Eyton-on-the-Moors, Preston-on-the-Moors Shropshire
3 Sheffield Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Mansfield Nottinghamshire
5 London parishes London 2

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Telford and Wrekin 017 Telford and Wrekin
2 Telford and Wrekin 019 Telford and Wrekin
3 Selby 005 Selby
4 Dudley 039 Dudley
5 Mansfield 010 Mansfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Buttery

These lists show first names that appear often with the Buttery surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Buttery

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Buttery, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Ageing Communities

Nationally, the Buttery surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Ageing Communities, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Buttery household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents are of normal retirement age or above and live in communal establishments, and there are few dependent children. The dominant property type is a mix of retirement flats and detached houses. Those in work are likely to be employed in managerial and professional occupations, and many residents are educated to degree level. Levels of owner occupation are high, but the private rental sector is also present. Rural locations predominate.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Buttery is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Buttery is most concentrated in decile 6 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

6
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Buttery falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Buttery is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Buttery, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Buttery

The surname Buttery is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "butere," which means butter or a place where butter was stored or produced. This connection to butter-related occupations or locations is the most likely source of the name.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Buttery can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1176, where a person named Roger Buttery is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a certain William Buttery.

In some cases, the name Buttery may have originated from place names such as Buttery Farm or Buttery Hill, which were locations associated with butter production or storage. These place names could have been adopted as surnames by individuals living or working in those areas.

During the medieval period, the surname Buttery was often spelled in various ways, including Butrye, Buttrie, and Butterie. These spelling variations were common before standardized spelling became more widespread.

Notable individuals with the surname Buttery throughout history include:

1. John Buttery (c. 1450-1515), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Meath in Ireland. 2. Thomas Buttery (1776-1845), a British artist known for his landscape paintings and etchings. 3. Elizabeth Buttery (1799-1873), a British author and poet who wrote under the pen name "Eliza Acton." 4. William Buttery (1858-1925), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in the West Midlands region of England. 5. Harold Buttery (1915-1997), a Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the riding of Winnipeg South Centre from 1957 to 1962.

While the surname Buttery is not exceptionally rare, it has maintained a presence throughout the centuries, particularly in regions of England and parts of North America where English settlers migrated.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Buttery families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Buttery surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 302 Butterys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.71x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 302 2.71x
Shropshire 192 19.79x
Nottinghamshire 143 9.45x
Lincolnshire 130 7.24x
Staffordshire 86 2.27x
Middlesex 71 0.63x
Durham 30 0.90x
Surrey 28 0.51x
Lanarkshire 25 0.69x
Warwickshire 22 0.78x
Derbyshire 19 1.08x
Lancashire 16 0.12x
Kent 14 0.37x
Leicestershire 12 0.96x
Norfolk 12 0.70x
Worcestershire 12 0.82x
Essex 7 0.32x
Herefordshire 6 1.30x
Carmarthenshire 5 1.06x
Monmouthshire 5 0.62x
Channel Islands 3 0.90x
Devon 2 0.09x
Berkshire 1 0.12x
Cheshire 1 0.04x
Cumberland 1 0.10x
Gloucestershire 1 0.05x
Hampshire 1 0.04x
Midlothian 1 0.07x
Morayshire 1 0.57x
Renfrewshire 1 0.11x
Sussex 1 0.05x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Ercall Magna in Shropshire leads with 64 Butterys recorded in 1881 and an index of 922.19x.

Place Total Index
Ercall Magna 64 922.19x
Mansfield 27 51.56x
Wellington 24 44.02x
Nottingham St Mary 22 5.62x
Morley 20 34.57x
Ruddington 20 197.04x
Sheffield 19 5.36x
Stoke Upon Tern 19 530.73x
Skegby 16 172.60x
Holy Trinity 14 5.23x
Leeds 14 2.23x
St Nicholas Lincoln 14 81.59x
Birmingham 13 1.38x
Normanton 13 38.89x
Hunslet 12 6.92x
Shotts 12 27.62x
Stockton On Tees 12 7.45x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 11 10.61x
Brightside Bierlow 11 5.04x
Dawley 11 31.16x
Farnley In Bramley 11 79.19x
Rowley Regis 11 10.41x
Lichfield St Chad 10 117.37x
St Martin Lincoln 10 60.02x
Stafford St Mary 10 18.64x
Stoke Upon Trent 10 2.49x
Thornton Dale 10 338.98x
Edgmond 9 84.27x
Fulham London 9 5.53x
Normanby In 9 30.26x
North Scarle 9 454.55x
Old Monkland 9 6.25x
Shoreditch London 9 1.85x
South Normanton 9 72.87x
St George In East London 9 8.52x
Bingley 8 11.29x
Bromley London 8 3.24x
Greasbrough 8 54.46x
Horncastle 8 43.17x
Lenton 8 22.44x
Nether Hallam 8 5.31x
Rothwell 8 35.60x
Wortley In Bramley 8 9.08x
Badger 7 1250.00x
Bridgnorth St Mary 7 74.00x
Colwich 7 77.69x
Drayton In Hales 7 35.00x
Gomersal 7 13.48x
Guisbrough 7 28.79x
Hartlepool 7 14.75x
Hathersage 7 141.99x
Islington London 7 0.64x
Plumstead 7 5.48x
Rothley 7 172.84x
Rushall 7 31.39x
Saxelby With Ingleby 7 152.84x
Sherburn 7 76.59x
St Maryle Wigford 7 50.18x
St Paul Lincoln 7 222.93x
Sutton In Ashfield 7 21.32x
Sutton On Trent 7 188.68x
West Ham 7 1.43x
Altofts 6 48.86x
Atterby 6 1428.57x
Barnsley 6 5.23x
Benniworth 6 410.96x
Bradford 6 2.23x
Ecclesall Bierlow 6 2.65x
Hadnall 6 294.12x
Hemingbrough 6 272.73x
Kidderminster Foreign 6 28.94x
Mile End Old Town London 6 2.51x
Rotherham 6 9.57x
Snaith Cowick 6 90.23x
Southwell 6 54.50x
Stowe With Normanby 6 540.54x
Stranton 6 5.34x
Westminster St James 6 5.20x
Godalming 5 14.52x
Lambeth 5 0.51x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Buttery surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 80
Sarah 49
Elizabeth 36
Ann 33
Eliza 25
Emma 23
Annie 18
Alice 15
Hannah 15
Jane 15
Martha 12
Charlotte 11
Edith 11
Fanny 11
Harriet 10
Louisa 8
Lucy 8
Margaret 7
Florence 6
Ada 5
Amelia 5
Anne 5
Clara 5
Ellen 5
Emily 5
Harriett 5
Maria 5
Rose 5
Ruth 5
Susan 5
Betsy 4
Eleanor 4
Frances 4
Minnie 4
Rebecca 4
Sophia 4
Amy 3
Catherine 3
Isabella 3
Julia 3
Kate 3
Laura 3
Leah 3
Rachel 3
Rosa 3
Allice 2
Beatrice 2
Eliz. 2
Elizebeth 2
Matilda 2

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Buttery surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 90
William 86
George 50
Thomas 35
Joseph 24
Richard 23
Charles 20
Henry 17
James 16
Samuel 15
Albert 11
Arthur 11
Edwin 11
Herbert 11
Robert 11
Frederick 9
Walter 8
Alfred 5
Frank 5
Benjamin 4
Edmund 4
Edward 4
Francis 4
Harry 4
Ernest 3
Fredrick 3
Isaac 3
Tom 3
Baby 2
Ben 2
David 2
Edgar 2
Geo. 2
Horace 2
Michael 2
Wm. 2
Alexander 1
Charls 1
Chas. 1
Chas.Per 1
Eliza 1
Enoch 1
Enock 1
Eugene 1
Felix 1
Frances 1
Jos.Thos. 1
Josep 1
Luther 1
Zephaniah 1

FAQ

Buttery surname: questions and answers

How common was the Buttery surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,153 people were recorded with the Buttery surname. That placed it at #3,475 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Buttery surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,688 in 2016. That gives Buttery a modern rank of #3,707.

What does the Buttery surname mean?

A surname derived from the Old English word "butere," referring to someone involved in butter production or trade.

What does the Buttery map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Buttery bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.