Do You Have Scottish Clan Ancestry 3 Key Signs Explained

How do you know if you've got Scottish clan ancestry running through your veins? And are certain DNA markers linked to specific clans? Well, in this video we'll look at three key signs of Scottish clan ancestry, and we'll also look at some tips on how to trace this part of your heritage. Now, the word clan comes from a Scottish Gaelic word that means children or offspring. In Scotland, however, clans were not merely families in the narrow sense. They were extended social units that often included people connected by territory, allegiance, or for protection, as much as by blood. At certain times down through history, for example, people often adopted different clan names, either for protection, survival, or social advantage. Yet there was often a core genetic component in many clans, and this has survived for centuries in some people today, something we'll discuss shortly. Now, the first key sign of Scottish clan ancestry is having ancestors who have roots in certain parts of Scotland. This is because Scottish clans were communities that were deeply tied to land and region. And if your ancestors came from one of those areas, it can reveal a strong geographical link to a particular clan. Now, look at this map. This shows the parts of Scotland different clans controlled for large periods. As you can see, Clamachai, Sutherland, Gunn and Sinclair held lands in the very far north of the Highlands. Different branches of Clamachloud, on the other hand, are connected more to the islands of Harris, Lewis, and Skye a little to the south. And if we move down to Argyll, we can see that Clamachlain, Macdonald and Campbell are some of the powerful clans in this area. But what about the lowlands in the Borders area? Well, famous Border clans include Armstrong, Johnston, Kerr and Elliot. And you can see that Douglas, Boyd and Wallace held lands a little further north, but still in the lowlands. A little further up again, you can see a branch of Stuart just north of Stirling, with Robert Stuart rebuilding Doon Castle in the 14th century. And if we move up the east coast, you can see clans like Lindsay, Forbes, Leslie and then Keith to the north of Aberdeen. The very powerful Clan Charter Confederation is more central, with Mackintosh a key family within this group. And Clan Fraser of Lovatt is close by as well. So this is all to say that clans control different parts of Scotland through large periods of our history. And if one of your ancestors came from Skye, for instance, there is a reasonable chance that they could be connected to a branch of Clamachlout, although this needs to be balanced against other factors as well. Old records can help you trace where ancestors lived or moved to, from parish registers to even old tax records. Now the second key sign is having a Scottish clan surname, of course, either in your name or one of your ancestors' names. Now if you look at this table, you can see the 12 most common Scottish clan surnames in people around the world. Names like MacDonald, Fraser, Macleod, MacGregor and Hamilton are very common ones, but there are obviously way more, including Macmillan, which is my surname. There are also various seps of major clans as well. Now I know this may sound like an obvious one to a large degree, but sometimes you can be unaware of family names even in your own family tree. I know this happened to me quite recently. But before we look at that, if you're enjoying this video, please consider subscribing. And if you like access to member-only videos, I just made an exclusive member video on Frisian DNA quite recently, one of the forgotten ancestors of the English. Please check out the top link of the video description below to find out more information. Thank you for your support, and now on with the video. Now I always knew that my grand's maiden name was Campbell, and therefore I knew I had this link with Clan Campbell. And I did actually make a previous video on Scottish clan DNA from Castle Campbell, where I go into Clan Campbell in much more detail. Anyway though, it wasn't until a few years ago when my dad started researching our ancestry more, looking at different connections and delving into the details, and I started asking him more about connections we had, any clan connections or anything like that, that he told me that my gran actually had two middle names that I never really knew she had. Ferguson and Stoddart. Now Ferguson is obviously quite a notable Scottish clan, with many people having this surname, including many people abroad. But until recently, I never knew I had this connection at all. And my dad has traced down where this name came from. But he just goes to show you what you can find out, from asking different members of your family about clan connections, with middle names often as rich as surnames. This can give you clues to then further track down the first ancestors that bore this name, using marriage records or even old immigration documents if you're abroad. Now I should note that Stoddart is a little more unusual, and not a clan name as such in its own right, but Ferguson is obviously. But the point is that surnames and middle names can give you clues that you can then further trace down the line. But what about other factors? Well the third key sign of Scottish clan ancestry is found in many people's DNA. This is especially the case on the Y-DNA side, or the male side, the male marker, because obviously surnames mainly pass down through the male line. Y-DNA haplogroups followed this same path from father to son as well, down through the generations. There is therefore often a link between Y-DNA haplogroups and surnames. Especially when it comes to very detailed Y-DNA test results. Now the most detailed Y-DNA test you can do is generally considered to be the big Y 700 DNA test from family tree DNA. This goes beyond giving you very broad results, as most men in Scotland belong to branches of R1B L21 for example, but that's the same for Ireland as well. If you're looking for DNA information within a country, and connected to a particular family or clan, you often need very specific DNA results, linked to SNPs or single nucleotide polymorphisms. Now I should note that this video isn't sponsored by family tree at all, it's just that they are generally considered to have the most detailed Y-DNA test available. But obviously do your own research into this subject, and I know everyone isn't comfortable doing a DNA test, which I totally understand. Anyway though, the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow has done some work on the DNA markers of certain Scottish clans, with people largely doing the big Y 700 DNA test to find these links. Now I have made a three part series around this topic before where I go into more detail, but I will go through some of the results shortly. I should also note however that this is still an emerging field in many ways, and not all clans have been fully mapped genetically. Many clans do have DNA pages where people do share their results, but there is a chance that you can do a big Y 700 DNA test and not necessarily find any concrete links to any clan, from my understanding at least. So just be aware of this if you're thinking of doing it, and please let me know your thoughts below and any tips you have found as well yourself. Yet there are very refined DNA SNPs that do link to particular clan surnames. Many are branches of the broader R1B L21 helpful group, but some aren't even R1B lineages, which is quite interesting. Given that this is the most common Y DNA haplogroup in Scotland. Clan Lindsay for instance is connected to the haplogroup I2A for example. This is a very old haplogroup in Europe in general, that was a common marker amongst western hunter gatherers. As far as a more detailed DNA marker for Clan Lindsay, the University of Strathclyde found that it is highly likely that the SNP IFT11343 indicates a probable descent from the early Lindsay family's resident in Scotland. So this is a key genetic marker of Clan Lindsay on the Y DNA side. What about Clan Bruce though, and do we know the DNA marker of Robert the Bruce? Well the SNP RFTB15831 appears to be a distinct marker for the Bruce family, having been formed by the early 14th century. And it was very likely to have been carried by King Robert the Bruce himself, which is pretty cool. And what is even more interesting, is that this SNP of R1B is actually downstream from the older broader subclad RDF27. Now RDF27 is a major subclad of R1B, most strongly associated with the Iberian Peninsula today, and it likely spread across western Europe during the Bronze Age thousands of years ago. Although RDF27 is highest today in Spanish people and people like the Basque people, it also appears in France and to a lesser extent in Britain. Now the Bruce lineage is known to have Norman origins, tracing back to Bree in Normandy. It is possible therefore that this genetic branch reflects his Norman-French ancestry, but it could be due to another reason as well. Now like I said earlier, I have made a three part series where I go through the DNA of Scottish clans in much more detail that you should check out if you haven't seen before. Now I should note maternal markers can provide some clues as well in the broader story of your Scottish origins. Mitochondrial haplogroups can reveal some ancient maternal connections, with haplogroups like H1 or H3 common in Scotland. Yet these markers are also common in many parts of western Europe as well. So other links such as surnames or stories about Scottish origins will help you contextualise this information. Autosomal DNA tests can provide some clues also, such as regional Scottish ancestry and perhaps matches with people who have clan surnames or family connections to historical clan regions. Yet these results often need to be combined with family tree or Y-DNA evidence to give you a more detailed picture. So these are three key signs of Scottish clan ancestry. Ancestral regions, clan surnames, and then DNA markers. And many people obviously have a mixture of two or three of these signs. But there are many more, and please let me know your thoughts in the comments below. And let me know if you've tried to trace your clan ancestry, and any useful information you've came across, any useful databases or anything like that, and any tips or tricks for people in general. But to find out about the DNA markers of 35 Scottish clans, please click here. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell, and let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Like I say, if you're a like member on the videos, and I did just make a video on Phrygian DNA, please check out the top link in the video description below. But yeah, thanks again for watching, and I'll see you next time.