Clan for "Alvis"?

[blackbear]

Hey all!
I have some ancestors from Scotland with the last name Alvis/Alves. Does anyone know what clan they're part of? they're not their own clan are they?
~Aaron

[Steve Ashton]

It really does depend on where in Scotland your people are from. The vast majority of Scots are from the Lowlands. Basically the East coast and anywhere south of Stirling. Most of the population are not Highlanders and would not have had a Highland Clan affiliation.

This idea that if you are from Scotland, you somehow must or automatically belong to a Clan is one of the enduring myths.

[neloon]

Agree with Steve.
Nevertheless, there is a village called Alves not far from Inverness.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alves,_Moray
Alan

[figheadair]

Not that it would be appropriate to use it without permission but there is a private Alvis (of Lee) tartan.

[ThistleDown]

As neloon suggests the surname Alves is from Alves (pronounced as one syllable with the 'a' long as in 'alms') in Moray. I doubt there was a Highland clan connection but in its original days the family would have been dependant on the Earls of Moray.

[ctbuchanan]

This is from the Surnames Database

" This interesting surname is predominantly of Scottish origin, and is a locational name from Alves in Morayshire. It is usually pronounced as one syllable, the "a" sounded long as in "alms". The placename is believed to have been a derivative of the Gaelic "all", white. During the Middle Ages when migration for the purpose of job-seeking was becoming more common, people often took their former village name as a means of identification, thus resulting in a wide dispersal of the name. The surname is first recorded in the latter half of the 13th Century (see below). Alexander Alves was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1406, and Bessie Alves was a witness in Elgin (1661). Alexander Alves and David Alves were church elders in the parish of Alves in 1685. In some instances the surname may be of Portuguese origin, and is a patronymic form of the personal name "Alvaro", composed of the Germanic elements "all", all, with "wer", true. One Robert Alves (1745 - 1794), was head-master at Banff grammar school. He taught classics and modern languages in Edinburgh, and also published poems, and literary history. A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a silver shield, on a blue chevron between three green trefoils slipped, three silver mullets, a black bordure, the Crest being a gold garb. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Walter de Alveys, which was dated 1263, in the "Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland", during the reign of King Alexander 111 of Scotland, 1249 - 1286. "

I agree with the others, it doesn't appear to have any clan affiliation.

I found one reference that suggested wearing the Inverness District Tartan.

[The Wizard of BC]

This comment in the above post caught my eye -
"A Coat of Arms granted to the family is a silver shield,"

Can some of our more knowledgeable members shed some light on this for me? The Court of The Lord Lyon states quite plainly -

"There is a widespread misconception that a family or a clan can have a family or clan Coat of Arms. Many heraldic and clan web sites and other media suggest that a person has the right to use the family or clan Arms. This is completely incorrect.
A Coat of Arms belongs only to one individual person and can only be used by that person and no one else. In order for a person to be able to use a Coat of Arms it is necessary for that individual person to apply for a personal Coat of Arms to be granted to him or her."

Am I misreading something?

[ctbuchanan]

I'm guessing that what they mean is that a heraldic achievement was granted to one member of the family. You are quite correct that in Scotland, arms are granted to one person, not a family.

Aye

[javankrona]

Regarding clan affiliations and the tartan; I had avoided ... put off, rather, the purchase of a kilt until I could link my family to the highlands. My wife insisted I wear I kilt when we attended Blairsville, GA event, but I limited myself to a simple black canvas kilt. Shortly afterward, I tore into my roots as I knew I had multiple lines in Scotland. My MacArthur side I've hit a bit of a roadblock on, so I focused on McVicar side, which I have been able to track to the late 18th century in Argyllshire. So I let myself be absorbed into Clan Campbell. It is also quite likely that my MacArthur roots will be tied closely with Clan Campbell if I'm ever able to successfully trace that line out of Canada.

[ctbuchanan]

Regarding clan affiliations and the tartan; I had avoided ... put off, rather, the purchase of a kilt until I could link my family to the highlands. My wife insisted I wear I kilt when we attended Blairsville, GA event, but I limited myself to a simple black canvas kilt. Shortly afterward, I tore into my roots as I knew I had multiple lines in Scotland. My MacArthur side I've hit a bit of a roadblock on, so I focused on McVicar side, which I have been able to track to the late 18th century in Argyllshire. So I let myself be absorbed into Clan Campbell. It is also quite likely that my MacArthur roots will be tied closely with Clan Campbell if I'm ever able to successfully trace that line out of Canada.

Just out of curiosity why didn't you go with Clan Arthur (MacArthur)? They have a chief and a tartan. And Loch Awe is beautiful.