AULD
The surname Auld is documented in the British Isles from the early thirteenth century, with the earliest surviving spelling found in the 1060 Kent record of Wulfstan Ealda, a name listed in the Old English Bynames during the reign of King Edward the Confessor.
Its etymology is dual; in England it is derived from the Middle English word ald, itself a descendant of the Old English pre‑7th‑century word eald meaning old. In Scotland the name may originate from the Gaelic personal name Ald, a contraction of Mac Alpin, which was borne by early Scottish kings.
Both derivations converge on the idea of age and seniority. The name was originally a nickname applied to a person who was either older than a peer or who possessed a wise, mature disposition, and over time it became a hereditary surname.
In Scotland the surname remains most common in Aberdeenshire, Angus, Fife, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Kinross, Ayrshire and Renfrewshire. In England it is concentrated in Northumberland, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumberland and Durham. Across the Irish Sea, the name is found mainly in Northern Ireland, particularly Fermanagh, Derry and Belfast.
Beyond the British Isles, the migration of people bearing the name has established substantial communities in continental Europe – notably Germany, France and Belgium – and across the Atlantic in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States the surname is predominantly recorded in Kansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Historical records include the 1694 London marriage of James Auld and Margarett Brown at St. James’, Dukes Place, a testament to the name’s continued use in the capital city during the early modern period.
The family’s heraldic achievement comprises an ermine field over a red chief bearing two silver griffins respecting each other. The crest consists of a cherub’s head proper with wings in saltire, and the motto Virtute et constantia translates as “By valour and constancy.”
Documented variants of the surname are numerous. The list includes Old, Ould, Awld, Awlde, Olt, Ald, Awldous and, less commonly, Olld, Owld, Ollde, Owlde, Alder, Aldred and Oldham. These forms appear throughout the United Kingdom and have persisted into modern usage without significant alteration.
Despite its varied origins, the name Auld has maintained a consistent presence in the northern regions of the British Isles since the thirteenth century and continues to be borne by a small but widespread population in the contemporary world. The lack of a singular central meaning reflects its composite etymology, but the associations with age, wisdom and leadership endure in the historical record and in the identity of those who carry the name today.
Typical given names associated with the Auld surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Colin
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Robert
- Stuart
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jennifer
- Julie
- Karen
- Linda
- Margaret
- Mary
- Nicola
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Auld in...
Braille
⠁⠥⠇⠙
Morse
.-..-.-..-..
Semaphore
There are approximately 2,538 people named Auld in the UK. That makes it roughly the 3,471st most common surname in Britain. Around 39 in a million people in Britain are named Auld.
Origin: Celtic
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: Scotland
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: Gaelic
Famous people named Auld
- Bertie Auld - Football player, football manager
- William Auld - Scottish poet, author, translator (1924 to 2006)
- Robin Auld - Lord Justice of Appeal in the English Court of Appeal
- Andy Auld - American soccer player (1900 to 1977)
- John Auld - Scottish football player (1862 to 1932)
- Andrew Auld - Carpenter (1799 to 1873)
- Susan Mary Auld - Naval architect (1915 to 2002)
- A. Graeme Auld -
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.