Butt (surname)

Butt is a German and an English surname whose origins lie in the South West peninsula region of England. The English name is derived from the Middle English word "but", a noun meaning a mark for archery, a target or goal, or someone's rear end. The name may derive from the butt, a strip of ploughland shorter than the average length of one furlong.

Anglo Norman names are characterised by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Butt, But, Butte and others.

The surname can also be found in England where it is again of patronymic origin, meaning "son of Butt". First found in Middlesex where they were anciently seated, and were granted lands by William the Conqueror, and recorded in the Domesday Book compiled in 1086. An early reference to this surname in 1200 England, William de Butte is listed in Oseney. From the archery related meaning, the surname Butt in England was originally used to describe somebody who either lived near archery butts, or someone who was actually an archer.