Family Name and Clan

[macneighill]

I know I'm a little late on this one but . .

Sorry for being out of the net for so long. My motorcycle and I were run down by another vehicle on January 31. It's taken me a while to recooperate.

First of all, glad to hear you are OK.

I for one, believe it is important (at least for myself) that I have some justifiable basis for wearing a particular tartan.

If I'm correct and if my ancestry possesses the family name that matches a sept or a clan, I submit I'm empowered to wear the tartan of that clan. I understand this to be true from the Clan Chief's web site and believe I can safetly say that several if not many others on this site agree.

Is there some flaw in my assumption?

Personally, I feel the same as yourself and many others. There are tartans out there that, I really like. And, I know there are no "real rules" limiting who can or who cannot wear tartans (with a few exceptions). But "ME" personally, I feel if I have no connections to that particular Clan and tartan, then I have no reason to really wear it. If others feel that they want to buy a specific tartan because they like the color . . more power to them. But, not me.

And at the same time, if your name is that of a Sept, then "historically", you have the option of wearing that particular tartan. If you want a more definitive answer as to linking yourself to a clan . . do some research and trace your line back to that Clan or, any others that your family may be associated with.

Some surnames are easier than others to research. Take mine for example: "Nelson" is the 39th most common surname in the USA (out of 88,000 surnames) and, the 387th most common in the UK (out of 270,000 surnames). Our surname was changed during the mid 1700's, from "Neilson" to "Nelson". So, whom ever were recording the names of immigrants as they stepped off of the boat, spelled the name however it sounded to them. For 20 some odd years, my family had hit a wall and were unable to find any info past my GGG Grandfather. Well, he carried the "Nelson" name. Come to find out, his father, carried the name "Neilson". Now, we are told that our family line goes back to Ancient Ireland (we're trying to find some kind of a link). In Scotland, they lived in and around Argyll and Bute.

However, "historically" (as Ryan stated), the "Nelson/Neilson/Nielson" name is associated with 3 clans . . MacNeil, MacKay and Gunn (a few more through the Proscription Act, marriages, etc.). My particular line, is with MacNeil. For so many years, we were unsure . . now we know .

Since then through research, I've discovered that the Gaelic form of Gray is MacGashan. MacGashan is a Sept of the Clan Stewart - Stewarts of Atholl. These Stewarts are a branch of the Royal Stewarts.

Well, my family lived in and around Argyll and Bute, from early times. During King James V's reign, they (my family) were the hereditary Lords of Bute. At some point (we are still unsure); they married into the Stuart/Stewart house (Stuart of Bute). So, does that mean, my family, or myself cannot wear the Stewart tartan, since I do not carry the Stuart/Stewart name??