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Butner Family History

Butner Surname Meaning

English (Durham): occupational name of Norman origin from Old French botonier ‘button maker’ from bo(u)ton ‘knob lump’ specialized to mean ‘button’.

In some cases also German (mainly Bütner): very rare variant of Büttner (see Buettner) and in North America probably also an altered form of this.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Butner family from?

You can see how Butner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Butner family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Butner families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 19 Butner families living in North Carolina. This was about 63% of all the recorded Butner's in USA. North Carolina had the highest population of Butner families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Butner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Butner ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Seamstress were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Butner. 31% of Butner men worked as a Farmer and 11% of Butner women worked as a Seamstress. Some less common occupations for Americans named Butner were Farm Laborer and Teacher.

View Census Data for Butner | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    31%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Manager
    6%
  • Farm Laborer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Seamstress
    11%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Bookkeeper
    11%
  • Teacher
    10%

What Butner family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 8,000 census records available for the last name Butner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Butner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Butner

Passenger Lists

There are 630 immigration records available for the last name Butner. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Butner immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 2,000 military records available for the last name Butner. For the veterans among your Butner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Butner military records

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