Contents [hide]

Gault History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Gault History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland
Scotland

The name Gault is part of the ancient legacy of the early Norman inhabitants that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Gault was a Norman name used for a person with a fancied resemblance to the wild boar. The name derives fom the Old Norse word goltr, which means boar. The boar, a hairy tusked animal similar to a pig, was once quite populous in England, but now remains only on continental Europe. Hunting boar was a favorite sport during the Middle Ages, and the sport contributed to its extinction in the British Isles.

Early Origins of the Gault family

The surname Gault was first found in Perthshire where they held a family seat from very early times. Gall was the name given to strangers, as in the Lowland Galt, but the name probably came from France. Conjecturally they moved north to Scotland with King David of Scotland.

Early History of the Gault family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gault research. Another 229 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1334, 1367, 1397, 1399, 1450, 1469, 1499, 1513, 1525, 1533, 1547, 1613, 1640, 1737, 1779, 1839 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gault History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gault Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Gall, Gauld, Gault, Galt, Gaw, Gawe, Gauwe and others.

Early Notables of the Gault family

More information is included under the topic Early Gault Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gault Ranking

In the United States, the name Gault is the 4,726^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Gault is ranked the 1,691^st most popular surname with an estimated 3,578 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Gault family to Ireland

Some of the Gault family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 91 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gault migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Gault name or one of its variants:

Gault Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mr. William Gault, (b. 1608), aged 29, British cordwainer from Great Yarmouth, England departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading to New England 3
John Gault, who landed in Virginia in 1658 4

Gault Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Samuel Gault, who arrived in New England in 1721 4
Anne and Mary Gault, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1763

Gault Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Samuel Gault, who settled in New York State in 1804
Samuel Gault, who arrived in New York in 1804
Robert Gault, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 4
G Gault, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 4
Thompson Gault, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gault migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gault Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Gault, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
John Gault, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
William Gault, aged 41, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Ann Gault, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
Thomas Gault, aged 33, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gault migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gault Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Allen Gault, aged 33, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 5

Gault migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gault Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Gault, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 6
Margaret Gault, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 6
Robert Gault, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 6
Jane Gault, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 6
Alexander Gault, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hudson" in 1879
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Gault (post 1700) +

Stanley C. Gault (1926-2016), American CEO and Chairman of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company from 1991-1996
Donald J. Gault (b. 1946), former American NFL football quarterback
William Campbell Gault (1910-1995), American writer
Willie James Gault (b. 1960), former American football wide receiver
William D. Gault (1867-1923), American Democratic Party politician, Lumber dealer; Candidate for Mayor of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1915; Real estate business 7
William Gault, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Georgia, 1924 7
Sue Nelle Gault, American Republican politician, Elected Missouri State House of Representatives from Ozark County 1964 7
Lillien Cox Gault, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Minnesota 3rd District, 1922; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1924 7
Jesse Gault, American politician, Member of New Hampshire State Senate 20th District, 1885-86 7
Harry G. Gault (b. 1892), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Michigan, 1944 7
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Gault family +

North Sea Flood

Thomas Gault, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

The Gault Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Patentia Vincit
Motto Translation: Patience conquers.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html