Contents [hide]

Butterfield History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Butterfield History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Butterfield surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in Butterfield, a place in the West Riding of Yorkshire now lost to the modern map. 1 The surname was also familiar in Lancashire, where it is still quite common today. The place-name undoubtedly referred to a meadow particularly suited to dairy cows resulting in exceptional production of milk, cream, and butter. 2

Early Origins of the Butterfield family

The surname Butterfield was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire where the earliest record of the family was found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. Willelmus de Botterfeld and Isabella Botterfeld, both held lands there at that time. 3

While there is no doubt that Yorkshire is the homeland of the Butterfield family, we would be remiss is we did not mention that Hugh de Buteresfeld was recorded in the Pipe Rolls for Berkshire in 1199. Later in Berkshire, Phillip de Butterfeld was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1231. 1

Early History of the Butterfield family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Butterfield research. Another 122 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1199, 1231, 1300, 1379, 1611 and 1629 are included under the topic Early Butterfield History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Butterfield Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Butterfield include Butterfield, Buttersfield, Botterfield, Boutterfield and many more.

Early Notables of the Butterfield family

Notables of the family at this time include

Robert Butterfield (fl. 1629), an English controversialist who received his academical education at St. John's College, Cambridge. 4
Swithun Butterfield (d. 1611), was a miscellaneous writer and is presumed to have been a member of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge as in his will, he granted 10l. to buy books, also his manuscripts. 4

Butterfield Ranking

In the United States, the name Butterfield is the 2,614^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5

Butterfield migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Butterfield Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Benjamin Butterfield, who landed in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1638 6
Robert Butterfield, who landed in Virginia in 1650 6
John Butterfield, who landed in Maryland in 1669 6
Eleanor Butterfield, who landed in Maryland in 1669 6
Samuel Butterfield, who arrived in Maryland in 1670-1671 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Butterfield Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Butterfield, who settled in Maryland in 1729

Butterfield Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jonas Butterfield, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1835 6
S Butterfield, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 6
A Butterfield, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6
F Butterfield, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 6

Butterfield migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Butterfield Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Butterfield, English convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Miss Ann Butterfield, (b. 1796), aged 40, English needle woman who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1841 8
Mr. James Butterfield, English convict who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Sarah Jane Butterfield, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 10
Mr. William Butterfield, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Butterfield migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Butterfield Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Butterfield, aged 28, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Elizabeth Butterfield, aged 26, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Hannah Butterfield, aged 4, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Asa Butterfield, aged 8 mths., who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Martha Ridgway" in 1842
Mr. Joseph Butterfield (Batterfield), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Randolph" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand in September 1850 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Butterfield migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Butterfield Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Elizabeth Butterfield, who arrived in Jamaica in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Butterfield (post 1700) +

Paul Butterfield (1942-1987), American harmonica player
John Butterfield (1801-1869), American financier, politician, and businessman, best known for role in developing American transportation
Daniel Adams Butterfield, New York businessman, a Union general in the American Civil War, and Assistant U.S. Treasurer in New York
Martin Butterfield (1790-1866), American Politician, U.S. Representative from New York
Dyer Butterfield, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Georgia, 1956 14
Don O. Butterfield (b. 1875), American Republican politician, Member of Vermont State House of Representatives from Wilmington, 1910 14
Daniel Butterfield, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 12th District, 1892 14
Charles H. Butterfield (b. 1834), American Republican politician, Mayor of Evansville, Indiana, 1872-74 14
B. H. Butterfield, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1952 14
Alton Butterfield, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Wyoming State House of Representatives from Carbon County, 1965 14
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html