Find out how popular the last name Gault is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gault.

Gault, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gault surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gault in America

Gault is the 5468th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gault surname appeared 6,360 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gault.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gault to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gault

The surname Gault has its origins in France, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "galt," which means "wasteland" or "uncultivated land." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive name for someone who lived near or worked on such land.

One of the earliest documented references to the Gault name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and landholders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Galt" in this historical record.

During the Middle Ages, the Gault name was particularly prevalent in the Normandy region of northern France. As the Norman conquest of England unfolded in the 11th century, many individuals with the surname Gault likely migrated to England, where the name took root and evolved over time.

In the 13th century, the name was occasionally spelled as "Gaulte" or "Gaulter," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that era. Place names like "Gaultier" and "Gaulthier" in Normandy may have contributed to the development of these spelling variations.

One notable historical figure with the Gault surname was Sir Robert Gault (1554-1638), an English judge and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King James I.

Another prominent individual was François Gault (1658-1733), a French sculptor and architect who worked on several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Roch and the Palais-Royal.

In the 19th century, John Gault (1819-1888) was a Scottish-Canadian entrepreneur and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry and later founded the Gault Brothers Company.

Andrew Hamilton Gault (1882-1958), a Canadian businessman and military officer, played a significant role in World War I as the founder and commander of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment.

Finally, Jean-Baptiste Gault (1834-1894), a French writer and journalist, gained recognition for his literary works, including novels and plays, during the latter half of the 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gault

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gault.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gault was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gault has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gault was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gault, please contact us.

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