House of Gaunt

Gaunt is the surname of a family supposedly descended from the Originals and, as such, are a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. They are also descended from Cadmus Peverell and Salazar Slytherin, making them a prominent family with elevated blood status. Their pride in maintaining their blood status caused a tendency of the family to marry their own cousins to ensure their purity and retain the traits of their ancestor, most notably the ability to speak to snakes.

A family of Gaunts lived just outside of Little Hangleton, a small village in northern England. They were very wealthy and prominent once, having descended from many powerful witches and wizards. However, their liking for grandeur in tandem with little sensibility meant the family gold was squandered long before the last of the lineage was born.

Corvinus' Branch

 * 1) Corvinus Gaunt + Unknown
 * 2) Unknown + Unknown
 * 3) Unknown + Unknown
 * 4) Marvolo Gaunt + Unknown
 * 5) Morfin Gaunt
 * 6) Merope Gaunt + Tom Riddle, Sr.
 * 7) Tom Riddle, Jr.

Gormlaith's Branch

 * 1) Unknown + Unknown
 * 2) Gormlaith Gaunt
 * 3) Rionach Gaunt + William Sayre
 * 4) Isolt Sayre + James Steward
 * 5) Chadwick Boot (adoptive)
 * 6) Webster Boot (adoptive)
 * 7) Martha Steward II
 * 8) Rionach Steward

Etymology
The word gaunt is defined as "haggard, drawn, and emaciated" and "bleak, desolate". The surname may also derive from an ancient Celtic goddess, Gontia, whose name was adopted for the city of Ghent according to some historians. Gontia is also thought to relate to the Welsh word canda, "shining white", from depictions of her riding a white horse, and the Celtic condate, "confluence".