Hey Rob, here's something I posted awhile back about how the Boston butt got its name. Kind of useless information, but I thought I'd share! Who knows? You might be on Jeopardy! some day!
"There are actually two cuts that come from the front shoulder of a pig; the picnic shoulder, and the Boston butt pork shoulder. The Boston butt has absolutely nothing to do with the "butt" as we know it - it's actually the opposite end of Porky! The Boston butt is the top cut of the shoulder, whereas the picnic cut is the lower part of the leg.
The Boston butt got it's name in Colonial times when butchers would pack the "less desirable" cuts from the pig in barrels referred to as "butts." They would then sell them cheap to travelers or ships. "Less desirable" meaning anything other than the ham from the back legs, or loin from "high on the hog" (another obscure saying from days of old). Funny thing is, the name stuck everywhere except Boston!
In bbq, I find the Boston butt to be more desirable meat than the picnic, simply for taste. But, there you have it - how the "Boston butt" became the Boston butt"