Butler is one of the very few names that have very old roots. It is derived from the French term “bouteillier” which literally meant “the dispenser of bottles”. The term was shortened to Butler but its meaning changed from that of a simple servant to a person with a lot of standing. In fact, King Henry II appointed one Theodore Fitzwalter as “The Chief Butler of Ireland” meaning that the name meant much more than a simple “caretaker of a household”. It is a very aristocratic name and is used as a surname as well.