2000
#4,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Rare Last name
Ault
A toponymic surname derived from the Old English "aewielm," meaning a spring or source of a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,246 Americans carry the last name Ault. That puts it at #4,771 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,566 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ault surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ault with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.2K
1 in 41,566
Census rank
#4,771
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,191 bearers of the surname Ault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4771st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ault
The surname Ault is of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from the Old French word "aval" which means "downstream" or "below". This name likely originated in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many French settlers arrived and established themselves in various parts of the country.
The earliest known record of the name Ault can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings such as "Auualt", "Aulte", and "Aulte".
In the 12th century, the name Ault was associated with several place names in England, such as Ault Hucknall in Derbyshire and Ault Cliffe in Lancashire. These place names likely referred to locations situated downstream or below a particular landmark, reflecting the topographical meaning of the name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Ault was Richard de Ault, who lived in Lincolnshire in the 13th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Ault, a merchant from York who was mentioned in records from the late 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ault family established itself in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Lincolnshire. Notable members of the family during this period included William Ault (1557-1629), a landowner in Derbyshire, and Thomas Ault (1618-1692), a clergyman who served as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire.
In the 18th century, the Ault family continued to thrive, with several members achieving prominence in various fields. One such individual was John Ault (1738-1812), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Guildhall and the Royal Exchange.
Throughout the 19th century, the Ault name spread beyond England to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, as members of the family sought new opportunities and adventures. Notable individuals from this period include Henry Ault (1813-1891), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and James Ault (1844-1918), an Australian businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of Melbourne.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ault
Among Census respondents with the surname Ault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ault bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 6,593
- Two or more races3.5% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 177
- Black or African American1.4% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ault
Ault appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,509
-164 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 449 places
2020
#4,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,191
-318 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,274 | 7,673 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,723 | 7,509 | 2.55 | -164 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 449 places |
| 2020 | #4,771 | 7,191 | 2.41 | -318 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 48 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ault surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,723 | #4,771 | -1.0% |
| Count | 7,509 | 7,191 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.41 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ault bearers went from 7,509 to 7,191 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,723 to #4,771.
FAQ
Ault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ault?
Name Census estimates that about 8,246 living Americans carry the surname Ault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,566 residents.
How common is Ault?
Ault ranks #4,771 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,191 people with the surname Ault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,246), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ault.
Has Ault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ault went from 7,509 recorded bearers to 7,191. That is a decrease of 318 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,723 to #4,771.
What does the Census say about the background of Ault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (6,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ault (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ault mean?
A toponymic surname derived from the Old English "aewielm," meaning a spring or source of a river. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ault (2.41 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Ault?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.