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Scottish Clans

Can you fill in the map by naming these 66 clans based on their traditional territorial holdings in the Scottish mainland and the Hebrides?
Where possible, various septs (families that followed another, larger family's chief, or part of the extended family and that hold a different surname) are valid type-ins. Scottish Gaelic versions of these clan names are also valid.
Quiz by elijahwade
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Last updated: August 5, 2020
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First submittedJune 3, 2020
Times taken16,521
Average score19.7%
Rating4.67
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B
Boyd
Brodie
Bruce
C
Cameron
Campbell
Carnegie
Chisholm
Cockburn
Colquhoun
Cumming
D
Donnachaidh
Douglas
Drummond
Dunbar
E
Elliot
F
Farquharson
Forbes
Fraser
G
Gordon
Graham
Grant
Gunn
H
Hamilton
Hay
Home
I
Innes
J
Johnstone
K
Keith
Kennedy
Kerr
L
Lamont
Leslie
Lindsay
Livingstone
M
MacDonald
MacDonell
Macfarlane
Mackay
Mackenzie
Mackinnon
Mackintosh
Maclachlan
MacLaren
Maclean
MacLellan
Macleod
MacMillan
Macnab
MacNeil
Macpherson
MacThomas
Maxwell
Menzies
Munro
Murray
N
Nesbitt
O
Ogilvy
Oliphant
P
Pringle
R
Ross
Ruthven
S
Scott
Sinclair
Stewart
Sutherland
W
Wallace
+2
Level 75
Jun 18, 2020
'Mac' is the Gaelic (Irish and Scottish) word for 'son'. Some names have, legitimately, more than one spelling and this isn't taken into account.
+13
Level 95
Jun 18, 2020
Thanks for the comment.

Being a Scottish Gaelic speaker, I am well aware that 'Mac' or 'Mhic' means 'sons' (plural) and this has been accounted for as, for instance, 'Thomas' is a valid type-in for MacThomas. Additionally, I have enabled type-ins of 'legitimate' different spellings, (such as, 'MacIntosh' and 'Mackintosh', as well as 'Donald', 'Donal, 'Donel' and 'Donnel' for both MacDonald and MacDonnell) including all Gaelic variations of the Anglicised names. I have also enabled type-ins for major septs of each clan, where applicable.

If you have any particular type-ins that you believe should be included, please let me know.

+2
Level 75
Aug 5, 2020
Mac/McLaughlin, Mac/McLoughlin, MacLochlainn
+6
Level 71
Jul 21, 2020
Congrats on getting two features! Now you have the same number of (English) features as me :)
+4
Level 95
Jul 21, 2020
Thank you!
+6
Level 87
Jul 21, 2020
This isn't really an "English" feature, is it?
+1
Level 76
Jul 21, 2020
+1
Level 76
Jul 21, 2020
So far 66 of 233 quizzers who've taken this quiz, 17% of them, have got every single one correct. Are they cheats or geniuses?
+8
Level 95
Jul 22, 2020
Perhaps they were familiar enough with the clans above and corresponding septs (which are valid type-ins) to deduce all 66 in the allotted time? One need not be either a genius or a cheater.
+3
Level 95
Jul 22, 2020
I absolutely didn't expect Sutherland to be located where they were; really interesting to see the where behind the names. Great quiz!
+1
Level 93
Jul 22, 2020
i guessed johnson and got gunn not johnstone which was surprising
+2
Level 95
Jul 23, 2020
Oddly enough, 'Johnson' is a sept of 'Gunn' and not 'Johnstone'!
+1
Level 66
Jul 28, 2020
I was very surprised not to find Armstrong on the list.? My husband's ancestors were among those very well-known

Marcher lords.

I was able to name some of these through a visit to Scotland, a lot of reading about the history, and knowing my Swan family were related to the Gunn clan. Plus, I'm a Johnson. Also have a student named Boyd. Her father, a generally taciturn individual, becomes quite animated when on the subject of Scotland!

I'm suggesting that I did well, but I didn't! Only got 15. I agree with Pants...having the map showing locations is great! Super quiz, congratulations!

+1
Level 80
Aug 4, 2020
Livingstone doesn't work
+2
Level 95
Aug 4, 2020
'Livingstone' has been a valid type-in since this quiz was published.
+1
Level 62
Aug 5, 2020
The typeins on this are generous. Having no knowledge about the subject I ended up getting 19. Interestingly typing "wade" from elijahwade gave me an answer
+6
Level 95
Aug 5, 2020
The generosity of the type-ins can be put down to the sheer number of septs within each clan.
+1
Level 80
Apr 7, 2022
I appreciate there's a very precise and authentic logic behind it, but in effect, for those of us without real knowledge, it's like a weird random generator bot - type in one vaguely Scottish name and another, seemingly completely unrelated, will pop out.
+4
Level 84
Aug 5, 2020
I have no idea what I just did, or how, but I only got 16/66 (24%) and still managed to be awarded 3 points. Think I'll take the money and run! Very interesting quiz & comments to boot.
+1
Level 65
Aug 5, 2020
congrats on the feature, great quiz and the map's a nice touch.
+1
Level 56
Aug 5, 2020
McGown ? My Scottish McGown pal is from Wick.
+2
Level 95
Aug 5, 2020
Unfortunately, not all Scottish surnames have very clear origins and not all are represented by the map above, mostly because of the limitations of historical data concerning major landholdings (as Scottish clans did not have as distinct territories as we in the modern era would prefer). There are many more than 66 Scottish clans, but—for practical purposes, among other things—not all can be depicted geographically.
+1
Level 58
Aug 5, 2020
McKinley
+2
Level 95
Aug 5, 2020
Please see the post above.
+1
Level 64
Aug 5, 2020
Why doesn't Irvine count?
+2
Level 95
Aug 5, 2020
Please see the post two above.
+1
Level 78
Aug 5, 2020
Why does 'Young' give you 'Douglas'?
+3
Level 95
Aug 5, 2020
Because Young is a notable sept of Clan Douglas.
+2
Level 76
Aug 6, 2020
love the quiz, thanks
+3
Level 70
Aug 6, 2020
Surprised not to find MacGregor. Are they ommitted because their lands were stripped for a time?
+1
Level 95
Aug 6, 2020
Clan MacGregor or just Clan Gregor is not among these above as its lands were subsumed by Clan Colquhoun, who were given royal commission to suppress the encroaching MacGregors in the 17th century.
+4
Level 75
Aug 6, 2020
I learned from watching Midsomer Murders that Colquhoun is pronounced "Kuh-hoon' " and the character was very irritated when Jones kept calling him Mr. Col-kew-hown. Apparently the name Calhoun is a derivative of the name.
+2
Level 95
Aug 6, 2020
You are correct, and, as you may find, Calhoun, among others renderings, is a valid type-in for Colquhoun.
+4
Level 53
Aug 9, 2020
Who else tried McLovin
+1
Level 42
Sep 1, 2020
I got all with 1 min and a half left. First try. Not joking. YES. LOL
+2
Level 52
Jun 2, 2022
really?
+3
Level 60
Sep 9, 2020
I'm sorry...PRINGLE?!
+1
Level 52
Jan 2, 2021
I must be the only one who tried McDuck.
+1
Level 89
Apr 6, 2022
I tried McFly.
+1
Level 88
Apr 7, 2022
I also tried McDuck in desperation as the clock was running down, haha.
+1
Level 46
Feb 17, 2021
where is Easdale?
+1
Level 95
Feb 17, 2021
Are you meaning the family name or the Slate Island?
+1
Level 83
Apr 5, 2021
I have ancestors in Clan Farquharson and I am ashamed to say I had so much trouble spelling it
+1
Level 45
Oct 7, 2021
There's no Clan McQueen or Clan Hannay.
+3
Level 95
Oct 8, 2021
This is true. Neither possessed traditional land holdings on the scale of those included on this list, and, for example, many of the Hannays emigrated to Ulster in the seventeenth century.
+2
Level 64
Jan 20, 2022
Who here got MacDonald as a joke?
+2
Level 67
Apr 6, 2022
I wouldn't say most got it as a joke, but as the most heard and recognised one.
+2
Level 80
Apr 7, 2022
If it's a joke, it's an old one.
+1
Level 72
Mar 14, 2023
I guessed MacDonald and then gave up.
+1
Level 67
Apr 6, 2022
Great quiz. There was a few where I typed in names, but it gave me a different answer. Have you got a list of all the alternative type ins/ alternate clan names?
+1
Level 58
Apr 7, 2022
Clan MacDougall? Their traditional lands in Argyll are inferred as being part of Clan Campbell here.
+1
Level 67
Apr 7, 2022
Where is Clan Ramsay? That is Gordon's clan!
+1
Level 49
Oct 23, 2022
I’m a proud Stuart related to bonnie Prince Charlie
+1
Level 58
Jan 23, 2023
Where is MacRib