Richert History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Germany
Ireland

The Richert surname came to Ireland with the Anglo-Norman invasion of the 12th century, led by the forces of Strongbow. The surname came from a common occupational name for a wine steward or the chief servant of a medieval household. In royal households, the title denoted a high-ranking officer whose duties as a wine steward were merely nominal. Occupational surnames, such as Richert were much quite common to the Anglo-Norman culture, and virtually unknown in Gaelic Irish. The prefix le, meaning the, in French was often used by the early Strongbownians to link a person's first and name and surname. Eventually these prefixes were dropped or became fused onto the beginning of the surname. The surname Richert is derived from Anglo-French "butuiller," which comes from the Old French word "bouteillier." These words are ultimately derived from the Latin words "buticularius," and "buticula," which mean "bottle." The Gaelic form of the surname Richert is de Buitléir.

Early Origins of the Richert family

The surname Richert was first found in the ancient territory of Ormond (now parts of County Kilkenny, Wexford and north Tipperary). The first on record was Theobald FitzWalter, a distinguished Norman noble who accompanied Strongbow and was created the Chief Butler of Ireland in 1177. "He also possessed the barony of Amounderness, Lancashire, which he held in 1165 by service of one knight." 1

"Layton, [Lancashire] is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and in former times was of some importance as containing a mansion belonging to the ancient family of Botiller or Butler, barons of Warrington." 2 His descendents began to use the surname Butler around the year 1220. His direct descendant became Earl of Ormond in 1328 and their stronghold was Kilkenny castle. The family were rivals of the powerful Fitzgeralds and their kin, and the effective government of Ireland was held by one or the other of these two great Norman houses until the death of the Great Duke of Ormond in 1688.

Many members of the family were ardent Jacobites, including the Abbé James Butler of Nantes, who was chaplain to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" during the last Jacobite uprising of 1745. Despite the strong Irish side of the family, the English side remained strong too. Laughton-En-Le-Morthen in the West Riding of Yorkshire was the site of one such family. "Laughton Hall, the ancient seat of the Butler family, is a spacious mansion, commanding extensive views." 2

Early History of the Richert family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Richert research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1250, 1359, 1382, 1384, 1386, 1388, 1389, 1390, 1391, 1392, 1397, 1401, 1405, 1467, 1496, 1531, 1539, 1546, 1601, 1614, 1627, 1650, 1652, 1653, 1667, 1704, 1740, 1745, 1762 and 1823 are included under the topic Early Richert History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richert Spelling Variations

A single person's name was often spelt simply as it sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. An investigation into the specific origins the name Richert has revealed that such a practice has resulted in many spelling variations over the years. A few of its variants include: Butler, Buttler, McRichard and others.

Early Notables of the Richert family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormond (1359-1405), noble in the Peerage of Ireland, title was Governer of Ireland, acceded to the title in 1382 and built Gowran Castle three years later making it his usual residence, purchased Kilkenny Castle (1391) by deed from Sir Hugh le Despencer, Earl of Gloucester and Isabel his wife, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, built the castle of Dunfert (also called Danefort) and in 1386 founded a Friary of minorities at Ailesbury in Buckinghamshire, deputy to Sir Philip deCourtenay the then Lieutenant of Ireland (1384), appointed Lord...
Another 177 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Richert Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Richert Ranking

In the United States, the name Richert is the 9,914^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3 However, in France, the name Richert is ranked the 2,571^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,500 - 3,000 people with that name. 4

Richert migration to the United States +

Ireland went through one of the most devastating periods in its history with the arrival of the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. Many also lost their lives from typhus, fever and dysentery. And poverty was the general rule as tenant farmers were often evicted because they could not pay the high rents. Emigration to North America gave hundreds of families a chance at a life where work, freedom, and land ownership were all possible. For those who made the long journey, it meant hope and survival. The Irish emigration to British North America and the United States opened up the gates of industry, commerce, education and the arts. Early immigration and passenger lists have shown many Irish people bearing the name Richert:

Richert Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Theobold Richert, who arrived in New York in 1844 5
Francois Richert, who arrived in Mississippi in 1850 5
Abraham Richert, aged 50, who landed in New York, NY in 1874 5
Agneta Richert, aged 51, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1874 5
Heinrich Richert, aged 62, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1874 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Richert Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gustave Richert, who landed in Arkansas in 1902 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Richert (post 1700) +

William Richert (1942-2022), American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor, known for Winter Kills, The American Success Company, and A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon
Clark Richert (1941-2021), American contemporary artist largely known for his colorful geometric paintings which included animation, video, intervention, happenings, and publishing
William Richert (d. 1912), American politician, 40th Mayor of Detroit, Michigan in 1897
Peter Gerard Richert (b. 1939), American retired Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher who played from 1962 to 1974
William Richert, American politician, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, 1897 6
Johann-Georg Richert (1890-1946), German Generalleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Hans-Egon Richert (1924-1993), German mathematician who worked primarily in analytic number theory, co-developer of the Jurkat-Richert theorem
Teddy Richert (b. 1974), former French football goalkeeper

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html