Septs were families that a clan could regard as loyal, either families related to the clan by blood, or families that obtained protection from the clan.
In the times of the Scottish Clans the spelling of the name and the inclusion or exclusion of the Mac or Mc was the preference of the individual. Sometimes a serious family dispute would lead to an individual changing the spelling to show this, or a change might be made to show allegiance to another branch of the clan, or to avoid a persecution. This created the blood related septs.
The introduction of the English language drastically changed the spellings of names. The gaelic sounds were transformed into English words by the registrars of births, deaths and marriages, leading to the spellings and variations we have today.
There are no definitive lists of septs, but we have carefully compiled this list of nearly 500 names from several highly regarded books on the subject. We hope you find your Scottish connection.
Click the letter that is the first letter of your last name, ignoring Mac or Mc.
For example:
Click "G" for Gillespie and MacGilvray and McGruder
             
          
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