Daily AncestorButler
A butler was the head male servant of a large household, in charge of the dining room, wine cellar and pantry, and of the other menservants.
The name comes from an Old French word for the officer in charge of wine, and the butler kept the cellar, received guests and directed the serving of meals. As the senior male servant he held the highest servant rank, while a housekeeper usually supervised the women servants.
Only large, well-off households kept a butler, so the title usually points to service in a wealthy home.
As seen in a recordOccupation column of the 1850 to 1940 census
Thos. Webb, 46, Butler, England
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Butler." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/butler. Last checked 2026-10-10.