NameCensus.

UK surname

Buttle

A locational surname originating from a place called Buttel in Cornwall, England.

In the 1881 census there were 786 people recorded with the Buttle surname, ranking it #4,726 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,179, ranked #5,041, down from #4,726 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Great and Little Sampford, Church Stanton and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Taunton Deane and Bradford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Buttle is 1,305 in 1998. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 50.0%.

1881 census count

786

Ranked #4,726

Modern count

1,179

2016, ranked #5,041

Peak year

1998

1,305 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Buttle had 786 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,726 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,179 in 2016, ranked #5,041.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,186 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Buttle surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Buttle surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Buttle 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 551 #4,596
1861 historical 505 #5,180
1881 historical 786 #4,726
1891 historical 901 #4,577
1901 historical 1,002 #4,752
1911 historical 1,186 #3,954
1997 modern 1,262 #4,516
1998 modern 1,305 #4,553
1999 modern 1,282 #4,654
2000 modern 1,294 #4,599
2001 modern 1,269 #4,579
2002 modern 1,267 #4,689
2003 modern 1,225 #4,719
2004 modern 1,223 #4,733
2005 modern 1,190 #4,798
2006 modern 1,192 #4,802
2007 modern 1,183 #4,867
2008 modern 1,162 #4,958
2009 modern 1,219 #4,875
2010 modern 1,246 #4,890
2011 modern 1,209 #4,938
2012 modern 1,169 #5,019
2013 modern 1,188 #5,033
2014 modern 1,208 #4,988
2015 modern 1,181 #5,042
2016 modern 1,179 #5,041

Geography

Back to top

Where Buttles are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Great and Little Sampford, Church Stanton, London parishes, Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone and Howden. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Taunton Deane and Bradford. 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 Great and Little Sampford Essex
2 Church Stanton Somerset
3 London parishes London 3
4 Bures, Lamarsh, Alphamstone Suffolk
5 Howden Yorkshire, East Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 020 Rotherham
2 Taunton Deane 012 Taunton Deane
3 Taunton Deane 013 Taunton Deane
4 Rotherham 018 Rotherham
5 Bradford 019 Bradford

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Buttle

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Buttle

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Buttle, 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

Rural Amenity

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

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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, Buttle 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

Buttle is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

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

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Buttle 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 Buttle is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

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

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Buttle

The surname Buttle is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "bytle," which refers to a beetle or insect. This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname for someone with a resemblance to a beetle or possibly someone who worked with insects.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Buttle can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire from the year 1196, where a person named Warin Buttel is mentioned. The spelling variation "Buttel" was more common in medieval records before the modern spelling of "Buttle" became standardized.

In the 13th century, the name also appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex, a legal document that recorded land transfers and property transactions. This suggests that the Buttle family had established itself in various parts of England by this time.

The Domesday Book, the famous survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Buttle. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Butteley in Cheshire and Butley in Suffolk.

One notable individual with the surname Buttle was Sir John Buttle (c. 1540 - 1612), an English merchant and Member of Parliament who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1609. Another prominent figure was William Buttle (1778 - 1855), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the St. Pancras Church.

Other individuals with the Buttle surname include John Buttle (1853 - 1901), a British journalist and author who wrote extensively on the history of Essex, and Mary Buttle (1886 - 1968), a British artist known for her landscape paintings and portraits.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Buttle name is Thomas Buttle, who arrived in Virginia in 1635. This suggests that the Buttle family had established roots in the American colonies by the 17th century.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Buttle families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Buttle 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 203 Buttles recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.70x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 203 2.70x
Essex 124 8.28x
Somerset 85 6.96x
Devon 64 4.05x
Norfolk 60 5.14x
Gloucestershire 43 2.89x
Middlesex 37 0.49x
Surrey 32 0.87x
Lancashire 22 0.24x
Durham 20 0.89x
Lincolnshire 12 0.99x
Suffolk 12 1.30x
Staffordshire 9 0.35x
Brecknockshire 8 5.27x
Kent 8 0.31x
Warwickshire 8 0.42x
Angus 6 0.85x
Hampshire 6 0.39x
Glamorgan 4 0.30x
Sussex 4 0.31x
Shropshire 3 0.46x
Worcestershire 3 0.30x
Buckinghamshire 1 0.22x
Cumberland 1 0.15x
Dorset 1 0.20x
Inverness-shire 1 0.44x
Northumberland 1 0.09x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bridgewater in Somerset leads with 27 Buttles recorded in 1881 and an index of 81.42x.

Place Total Index
Bridgewater 27 81.42x
Hempstead 23 1402.44x
Alphamstone 22 3384.62x
Little Easton 22 2857.14x
Churchstanton 20 1030.93x
Lambeth 16 2.42x
Pocklington 16 225.35x
Hemyock 15 635.59x
Holme On Spalding Moor 15 304.26x
Lyng 14 1068.70x
Temple Guiting 13 942.03x
Saffron Walden 12 75.81x
Haverhill 11 133.98x
Howden 11 215.26x
Baltonsborough 10 546.45x
Bilton Cum Harrogate 10 38.88x
Clifton 10 13.29x
Ellerton Priory 10 1351.35x
Lynesack Softley 10 163.93x
Grays Thurrock 9 64.66x
Ilminster 9 105.51x
Islington London 9 1.22x
Leziate 9 1698.11x
Stoke Holy Cross 9 833.33x
Aston 8 1.52x
Little Bardfield 8 888.89x
Liverton 8 459.77x
Otterford 8 761.90x
Penderyn 8 192.77x
Thirkleby In Malton 8 8888.89x
Croydon 7 3.41x
Curry Rivell 7 171.15x
Great Sampford 7 434.78x
New Village 7 311.11x
Plymouth St Andrew 7 5.75x
Sevenhampton 7 534.35x
St Pancras London 7 1.15x
Blackley 6 38.00x
Dundee 6 2.29x
Greenwich 6 4.97x
Newton Kyme Cum 6 1463.41x
Norwich St Peter Southgate 6 408.16x
Oulton Cum Woodlesford 6 98.36x
Salford 6 2.27x
Stockton On Tees 6 5.51x
Wandsworth 6 8.21x
Whitchurch 6 215.83x
Bethnal Green London 5 1.52x
Binsted 5 84.32x
Brightside Bierlow 5 3.39x
Eccleshill 5 27.32x
Great Totham 5 256.41x
Hunslet 5 4.26x
Keighley 5 6.24x
Newington 5 24.14x
Pickering 5 52.80x
Shipton In Pocklington 5 450.45x
South Reston 5 806.45x
Taunton St Mary 5 22.30x
Wellington 5 30.19x
Beverley St Mary 4 36.43x
Bradford 4 2.20x
Charlton Abbotts 4 1333.33x
Collierley 4 39.76x
Exeter Heavitree 4 33.96x
Hellington 4 1538.46x
Kingswinford 4 4.30x
Leek Frith 4 187.79x
Mirfield 4 9.69x
Selby 4 25.45x
Wetwang 4 246.91x
Aberdare 3 3.31x
Bridlington 3 17.42x
Cleeve Prior 3 405.41x
Horton In Bradford 3 2.55x
Kensington London 3 0.71x
Norwich St George Colegate 3 70.75x
Wanstead 3 11.43x
West Wittering 3 175.44x
Withycombe Rawleigh 3 36.45x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Mary 58
Elizabeth 33
Sarah 31
Ann 19
Jane 16
Alice 15
Annie 15
Emma 15
Ellen 14
Emily 14
Eliza 12
Hannah 7
Fanny 6
Amelia 5
Charlotte 4
Edith 4
Martha 4
Susannah 4
Ada 3
Eva 3
Florence 3
Frances 3
Harriet 3
Lucy 3
Amy 2
Anne 2
Beatrice 2
Clara 2
Emmeline 2
Harriett 2
Kate 2
Louisa 2
Lydia 2
Mabel 2
Maria 2
Rose 2
Amethy 1
Amey 1
Barbara 1
Cecelia 1
Christiana 1
Dinah 1
Dorothy 1
Elisabeth 1
Elizth. 1
Flora 1
Florance 1
Gertrude 1
Grace 1
Zillah 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 65
William 59
George 34
Thomas 25
James 22
Henry 17
Alfred 15
Robert 11
Albert 10
Charles 10
Walter 10
Harry 7
Joseph 7
Arthur 6
Francis 6
Samuel 6
Ernest 5
Frank 5
Richard 5
Frederick 4
David 3
Elijah 3
Fred 3
Herbert 3
Jeremiah 3
Thos. 3
Tom 3
Benjamin 2
Edward 2
Edwin 2
Geo. 2
Isaac 2
Job 2
Sam 2
Bertie 1
Clifford 1
Enoch 1
Fredrick 1
H.U. 1
Horace 1
Jim 1
Jonas 1
Lionel 1
Loftus 1
Louis 1
Mark 1
Norris 1
Reuben 1
Robt. 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Buttle surname: questions and answers

How common was the Buttle surname in 1881?

In 1881, 786 people were recorded with the Buttle surname. That placed it at #4,726 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Buttle surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,179 in 2016. That gives Buttle a modern rank of #5,041.

What does the Buttle surname mean?

A locational surname originating from a place called Buttel in Cornwall, England.

What does the Buttle map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Buttle 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.