More on Septs

[McElmurry]

It all belongs to the same clan anyways, right? Well, I won't say for every clan or sept, but speaking for my own experience my family is a Gillmore, which is a "sept" of Morrison. I'll happily wear Morrison tartans and not be bothered with it. Don't need to invent a Gilmore tartan.

I think septs were created to help distinguish what names go with whatever clan. That's what I can figure any how. Also a marketing ploy, but I'm not going to get into that. Maybe it's to put a connection to whatever clan they are branched off of? I'm not saying people look for legitimacy but a grasp on clan connection...maybe?

An example in the case of Morrison would be my middle name, Murray. If I went in search of a Scottish clan associated with Murray I could end up with Murray of Atholl or Morrison, to name two. It is only because I know my middle name was shortened from McElmurry that Morrison becomes the more obvious choice. This is particularly true of Morrison because the Lord Lyon named a chief over the entire name regardless of origin.

Note that I started by saying “if I went in search of a Scottish clan association”. Variations on the name Servant of Mary or Son of Servant of Mary have been used in the Gaelic speaking world for 1000 years, from Waterford to the Butt of Lewis and points in between. There is very likely more than one originator of the name and the originator on my line could have begun his life on the Island of Ireland, in Ulster, in the Six Counties, in Scotland, on the Isle of Mann, or somewhere else. There is never complete certainty and each person has to decide for themselves when they have enough information to make a decision. So, for me, Morrison it is.