I've always thought a utilitarianism as an effort to quantify "good" and a framework for making moral decisions rather than an imperative. EG, the term Utility Function is a subset of utilitarian theory but does not presuppose utilitarian base motivations. Someone's utility function consists of their desire to maximize welfare as well as their desires to hope and honor and whatnot.

It's become increasingly clear that very few people think about it this way.