Is clan affiliation primarily along paternal lines?

[David Thorpe]

...Mr Zoot marries Miss McTavish. He is, by marriage a McTavish, as are all of the children of the Zoot-McTavish union, and their grand children, etc...

And we would be happy to welcome them all!

Ken, I think a distinction needs to be made between clan affiliation and district identification. A district is definitely not a clan. I know of no district associations nor am I aware of a Standing Council of District Chiefs. It would therefore seem to me that there is much less restriction, taste and respect wise, about wearing a district tartan than there is associated with a clan tartan.

Another point... It is my understanding that the assignment of surnames as sept names of the clans were at times fairly arbitrary and not always based on actual oaths of fealty or the like. Further, the classic clan was historically a highland phenomenon, while lowland "clans" are a much more recent development.

Also, as someone else pointed out, a surname can have more than one origin, even within Scotland and even within the highlands. MacTavishes are primarily from Dunardry in West Argyle, but there were and are MacTavishes who affiliate(d) with Clan Fraser in Inverness-shire. To further complicate matters, Thom(p)son is the direct English translation of the Gaelic MacTavish. Many modern Thom(p)sons identify with Clan MacTavish, but there is another entirely different group who identify with Thom(p)sons from the border region. They are currently involved in the process of having their group recognized by the Lyon Court as a separate clan, but wear the MacTavish/Thom(p)son tartans of Dunardry origin.

Genealogical research to determine the origin of one's specific family can be very helpful in determining clan origins, but does not always provide definite answers.

BTW, I wear MacTavish (direct male line), Dunlop (paternal grandmother), Lindsay (maternal grandmother) and MacNaughten (wife's clan). My brother wears MacTavish and Watkins of Wales (maternal grandfather). I also cast an occasional lustful eye at County Monaghan (maternal grandfather's mother was a McQuaid from there), but have not yet pulled that trigger.