Tartan and Clan Finder

Traditionally, if you are Scottish or of Scottish descent you can show your heritage by wearing the tartan connected to your surname. However, you may not get a match due to its spelling changing over time. With some variations coming from Gaelic, the spellings of Scottish surnames have evolved over the centuries. For example, the name Murray started as Morrey.

If you have connections to a Scottish city, but not specifically a name, you can also search by district e.g. Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Gretna green.

For those with no Scottish blood or ancestry, there are many universal or generic tartans that can be worn. Some universal tartans commemorate a special event, charity or person, while others have been created to celebrate a district or geographic area. You can find our collection of generic tartans but visiting the 'generic' tab on our Clan Finder.

We also stock a number of Irish & Welsh tartans for those with connections connections to the Emerald Isle or of Welsh heritage.

Though there really are no definitive rules, and if you like a tartan you are free to wear it.

The main difference between plaid and tartan designs lies in their association. Tartans are predominantly representative of Scottish clans or families, whereas plaids are not. One of the other elements that differentiates tartan from plaid is repetition. The lines that decorate tartans are replicated multiple times across the vertical and horizontal axes, which is not always true for plaid. The word plaid is most commonly used worldwide to describe a crisscross pattern.

There is not a tartan for every Scottish name. There are tartans for the Scottish Clans and their septs (associated families).

There are 5 main variations of tartan, these are ancient, modern, hunting, dress and weathered. Within those groups, there can also be a mix of some variations e.g. Fraser Hunting Ancient, or Fraser Dress Modern.

Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans.

Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.

Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. Occasionally yellow is used in place of the extra white for example MacLeod Dress Modern.

The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours

Weathered tartans are quite self explanatory, imagine you have left your tartan out on the washing line for a year subjected to wind, rain and sunshine creating more subtle faded colours - olive greens and browns, very light blues with reds that are more pink than red

Explore your Scottish connections with our Clan search, using your own surname, an ancestral name or via connected Scottish locations on the clan map. Once you have identified your clan, you can view the different tartans linked to your clan with our Tartan Finder.

Tartan and Tweed are similar in weave and material, however there are significant differences in characteristics between these Scottish cloths. Tweed is usually a plain design, with a prominent main colour and occasionally the addition of a subtle secondary colour running across it. Whereas tartan is created by the alternating bands of colour which creates the busier block pattern.

Yes, anyone can design their own tartan. Whether its Personal, for Family, a Business or Society, School, Team or Commemorative, the ScotlandShop team can help you design your tartan and create your unique piece of Scottish history to be officially recorded within The Scottish Register of tartans.