I have recently gotten very interested in my family genealogy... specifically tracing my Patrilineal line through Scotland. My question relates to clan affiliation. Now, I will preface this by saying I fully understand that Clan affiliation is not as meaningful as it once was (there are so many branches of families, spts claimed by multiple clans etc.) and has largely become a social exercise at this point, particularly in the US.

My family name KINGHORN is habitational, with no direct connection to any recognized clan through the male line when traced back to the mid 1600's. However, on multiple occasions the my multi-great grandfathers married women who likely did belong to a recognized clan. The question (at last) is this...

Knowing that the Matrilineal line is less commonly used, would it be more accurate to associate myself with whatever Clan we intermarried with most recently... or should I go back as far as possible under the assumption that Clan affiliation would be hereditary and passed down from my earliest known ancestor? I am really enticed by the community aspect and am eager to further my knowledge of history and customs of my forebears...

Any and all advice or guidance is welcome...