A person who makes or works with barrels, casks, or wooden containers; a cooper.
From Middle High German 'böttcher' or 'böttner,' derived from 'butte' meaning barrel or cask. A surname derived from this occupational term.
This is a beautiful example of how medieval occupations became permanent family names—someone's ancestor was so good at barrel-making that the entire family was known by that trade forever.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.