Butt (surname)

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Butt (Urdu: بٹ, Hindi: भट), (also spelled Bhat, Butts, Butte, Butz and Buz) is a Muslim, Hindu and Christian family name.

1 Origin
- 1.1 History
2 Geographical Representation
3 Prominent Figures
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Origin

The surname Butt and its variants are of different origins:

[edit] History

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The Butt family was originally from the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India, specifically in the Kashmir Valley and from cities such as Srinagar and Baramula^{[citation needed]}. The name, Butt, is derived from the Sanskrit (भट), meaning "scholar". Kashmiri Pundits have been followers of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism at various points of time and were always of the Pandit caste. They were probably the highest of the highest caste within India, and their scholarship in Mathematics, Science and Linguistics were probably renowned worldwide. They were probably related culturally to the great Gandhar and were once considered to be an integral part of this great kingdom. As a result, Kashmiri Pundit culture show various influences from ancient Vedic to Greek to Kushan. They have contributed greatly to the culture of India through excellence in Sanskrit, mathematics and science. Great pundits like Panini, Chanakya were probably from these people. Most of the scholarly work of Butts has, however been destroyed during Islamic invasion. With the advent of Islam in Jammu & Kashmir, many were converted dto Islam forcibly during the late 13th century during the reign of Emperor Alamgir. Many Saivite temples of Kashmiri Pundits were ransacked or converted to mosques, their holy books and scholarly works were burnt (through burning of various cities and library of Taxila and were left with no choice but to convert. Today, the majority of Butts are Muslim, although some still practice Hinduism.^[1]

[edit] Geographical Representation

Butts from either origin are scattered all around the world. Those from the Kashmir region, are mainly found in Azad Kashmir, Punjab and parts of NWFP in Pakistan. There is a small population present in India as well, mainly in the states of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir. In the past 30 years, many Butts from Pakistan have migrated to other parts of the world including Britain, Canada, Germany and the United States.

Those from the European origin, and primarily those from England, have scattered to many parts of the world including to many parts of Canada such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Ontario. They have also found their way into the United States, specically found in the Northwest and in areas of the Great Plains.