Austin Robert Butler was born in Anaheim, California, on August 17, 1991, to aesthetician Lori Anne (née Howell) and David Butler. When he was seven, his parents split. His older sister, Ashley (born 1986), acted as a background actor alongside him on Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.

A representative approached Butler from a background in acting management business at the Orange County Fair when he was thirteen who assisted him in breaking into the entertainment world.