Contents [hide]

Ault History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Sources

Ault History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Ault

What does the name Ault mean?

The age-old Scottish surname Ault was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people. The Ault family lived at Auld in Ayrshire.

Early Origins of the Ault family

The surname Ault was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire, where the surname was recorded as Ealda in an Old English charter of 765. The family continued to prosper in this area for centuries and by 1284, John Alde was listed as servitor of the Earl of Carrick. By 1302 they had also acquired estates in Perthshire. 1

Early History of the Ault family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ault research. Another 162 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1477, 1488, 1494, 1501, 1532, 1542, 1635 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Ault History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ault Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Ault has been spelled Auld, Alda, Alde, Ald, Aulde, MacAuld and others.

Early Notables of the Ault family

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

Ault Ranking

the United States, the name Ault is the 4,505^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Ault family to Ireland

Some of the Ault family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ault migration to the United States +

Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:

Ault Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Ault, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1630 4

Ault Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Ault, who landed in America in 1795 4

Ault migration to Canada +

Ault Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Corn's Ault, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 353 on board the "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River New York 5
Mr. Everhart Ault, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Eastern District, Upper Canada c. 1783 5
Mr. Johannes Ault, U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 5
Mr. Johannes Ault, U.E., aka "John", United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Matilda [South Dundas], Ontario c. 1783 5
Mr. John Ault, Sr., U.E., United Empire Loyalist, who settled in Canada c. 1783 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Ault migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Third Fleet

Miss Sarah Ault, English settler convicted in London on 21st February 1787, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Prince of Wales" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788 3

Following the Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Ault Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Josiah Ault, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Stebonheath" in 1849 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Ault (post 1700) +

George Copeland Ault (1891-1948), American painter
Doug Ault (1950-2004), American Major League Baseball player
Chris Ault (b. 1946), head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack football team
William Bowen Ault (1898-1942), commander in the United States Navy during World War II and a posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross 7
William A. Ault, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Medina County, 1897; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1904 8
Otto T. Ault, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, 1948-53 9
Henry W. Ault, American politician, Mayor of Elyria, Ohio, 1951-53 9
Donald L. Ault, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1972 9
Becky Ault, American politician, Mayor of Centralia, Illinois, 2007 9
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Ault family +

USS Indianapolis

William Frazier Ault Sr. (1919-2005), American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he survived the sinking 9

The Ault 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: Virtute et constantia
Motto Translation: By courage and perseverance.

Sources +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STEBONHEATH 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Stebonheath.htm
William Ault. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) William Ault. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._Ault
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew