Its name is in honor of Captain William Butler, who was born in Virginia and fought in the Creek War, and who was killed in May 1818.

The precise date of the first settlement made by whites in Butler County is unclear.

Some have it as early as 1814, but the earliest settler of no dispute is James K. Benson, who settled in the Flat in 1815, where he built a log house near the current location of Pine Flat Methodist Church.

He was soon followed by William Ogly and John Dickerson and their families, who settled on the Federal Road, some 3 miles (4.8 km) south of where later Fort Dale was built.

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 19,051 people, 6,506 households, and 4,331 families residing in the county.

27.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

[13] School districts include:[14] The last Democrat to win the county in a presidential election is Bill Clinton, who won it by a plurality in 1996.