Botton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The history of the name Botton dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from a member of the family who worked as a maker of buttons. The surname Botton is a metonymic name derived from the Old French word boton, which means button.

Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old English "bi" + "dun," collectively meaning "dweller by the down." 1

Early Origins of the Botton family

The surname Botton was first found in Hampshire and later in Gloucestershire and Somerset. Lower says the family can be traced to the 13th century in Hampshire where Sir Walter de Button was progenitor of the family about 1216 A.D. 2 The family had flourished for several centuries in that county, intermarrying with many distinguished families, supplementing their estates with marriages of the heiresses of the Furneaux, Bryan, Turbevilles, Bassets and others.

According to the Pipe Rolls of 1177, Trihon Bidon held lands there at that time and over one hundred years later, William Bidun was listed in Hundredorum Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279. 1

William of Bitton I (d. 1264,) also listed as William Button was a medieval Bishop of Bath and Wells. His nephews included another William of Bitton (d. 1274,) was also Bishop of Bath and Wells; and William's brother, a Thomas of Bitton (d. 1307,) an Archdeacon and Dean of Wells, and later Bishop of Exeter (1291-1307). 3

Further to the north in Scotland, "Walter de Bydun witnessed King David's gift of Rindelgros (i.e. Rhind in Perthshire) to the Abbey of Reading c. 1143-47. He or a succeeding Walter appears several times as chancellor of Scotland between c. 1165 and 1178, and as a witness to royal charters. A twelfth century pedigree of the family is given in Pipe Roll Society Publications, vol. xxxv, p. xliii." 4

Early History of the Botton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Botton research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1355, 1566, 1584, 1612, 1613, 1614, 1620, 1624, 1625, 1629, 1634, 1646, 1648, 1655, 1659, 1665, 1679, 1680 and 1713 are included under the topic Early Botton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Botton Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Botton has undergone many spelling variations, including Button, Bitton, Buttoner, Buton, Biton, Buttons, Boutin, Bouttin, Bouton, Boutton, Budden, Buddan, Boudin, Bouddin, Buttan, Buddon, Buddin, Butten, Buttin, Butting, Budding, Buttane and many more.

Early Notables of the Botton family

Distinguished members of the family include John Budden (1566-1620), Professor of civil law at Oxford, son of John Budden of Canford, Dorsetshire; Sir William Button, 1st Baronet (1584-1655), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1629, supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War; John Button (died 1665), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1625 and 1648, he fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War; Ralph Button (died 1680), an English academic and clergyman, Gresham Professor of Geometry, canon of Christ Church, Oxford...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Botton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Botton Ranking

In France, the name Botton is the 4,190^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Botton family to Ireland

Some of the Botton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Botton migration to Australia +

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

Botton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Botton, (Burton), (b. 1792), aged 24, English labourer who was convicted in Surrey, England for life for stealing sheep, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1816 6
Edward Botton, who arrived in Holdfast Bay, Australia aboard the ship "Canton" in 1838 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Botton (post 1700) +

Frédéric Botton (1937-2008), French lyricist and composer
Alain de Botton FRSL (b. 1969), Swiss-born, British-based philosopher, writer, and television presenter
Dame Janet Frances de Botton DBE (b. 1952), née Wolfson, a British art collector and philanthropist

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANTON 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Canton.htm