Bute Street was originally known as Salt Street but was renamed as Bute Street on 11th September 1889 at a meeting of Belfast Corporation. (Irish Historic Towns Atlas). It is part of a group of street-names off York Road derived from Scottish geographical names, also including Fife Street, Ayr Street and Glasgow Street.
The Isle of Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde and also a historical county. The county included the islands of Arran, Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae, as well the Isle of Bute itself. The surname Boyd, common in Scotland and Ulster is from the Gaelic form of the name, Bòid and originally indicated an inhabitant of Bute. The principal town of the island is Rothesay. Rothesay Castle was the hereditary seat of the Earl of Bute, later the Marquess of Bute, but is now in state care. The ancestral seat of this family is Mount Stuart, built in the late 1870s. It is very remarkable for its unique Gothic Revival architecture and customised interior design.
Until recently Bute Street ran down to Glasgow Street, but it is now a short cul-de-sac with no houses.
The earlier name came from the salt works located NE of Jennymount Mill, just behind Thompson’s Bank (the sea wall). It had a brine pond, dissolving pond and reservoirs. In 1878 it was run by John Gunning of 154, York Street. It was demolished in 1884.