There is a Butler Society,
for anything to do with Butlers or variants of the name.
English and Irish: occupational name for a wine steward, usually the chief servant of a medieval household, from Anglo-Norman French butuiller (Old French bouteillier, Latin buticularius, from buticula bottle, diminutive of but(t)is cask). In the large households of royalty and the most powerful nobility, the title frequently denoted an officer of high rank and responsibility, only nominally concerned with the supply of wine. The name has also been adopted as a Jewish surname, for reasons that are not clear.
Variants: Botler (though this may also be derived from Middle English boteler maker of (leather) bottles, from Middle English botel, Old French bouteille); Bottle, Bottell, Buttle.
Cognates: French: Bouteiller, Bouteillier, Boutillier. Spanish: (in the sense bottle maker) Botella; Botlero.
Many Irish bearers of this name may trace their ancestry to Theobald FitzWalter, who accompanied Henry II to Ireland in 1170 and who in 1177 was created Chief Butler (i.e. overlord) of Ireland by the king. His direct descendants include the earls and dukes of Ormonde. The dukedom was acquired after James Butler (1610 — 1688), the 12th Earl, a staunch supporter of Charles I during the Civil War, had negotiated the restoration of Charles II in 1660. He was succeeded by his grandson, also called James (1665 — 1745), who was a staunch Protestant and supporter of William of Orange in 1685. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and became Commander-in-Chief of the British army. However, after the death of Queen Anne he opposed the accession of George I and took part in a Jacobite rising (1715), after which he spent the rest of his life in exile.
There is a Butler Society,
for anything to do with Butlers or variants of the name.
Butler or variants was the 102nd most common name in England and Wales according to a survey taken by H.M.Treasury in 1944, with a relative frequency of 0.11%.
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