Although I am only a few years into all of this (and a few solid scotch ales in as I write this..), I'll share my own experience as far as, "What clan?", with you:

My father's last name is Mellon. Yes, THOSE Mellons and their neighboring Carnegies (however due to the misgivings of a fatherless son, my grandfather, we were excluded from all that; however beside the point). Tracing Mellon back, it has roots in both County Tyrone in Northern Ireland (Oglaigh, anyone?) AND in Scotland as it relates to Melville. Melville is considered a clan in its own right despite the origin of Melville being a Norman (French Normandy) family inter-marrying and settling in Scotland. It is not a common clan by any means, and you're hard pressed to find anywhere that would produce a kilt in its tartan. It's only connection to a well-known clan is the sharing of land with Clan Oliphant. So, all in all, not exactly a viable choice.

So let's try my mother's side. We have Irish MacAnns, Fitzgeralds (yes, tied in loosely with the Kennedies, although due to another instance of misgivings.. my family is full of black sheep, it seems..). However, those are names by marriage. My grandmother's maiden name from her father was Alexander, the origin of which I have traced back to MacAlister of Glenbarr, Kintyre. Through that, I found myself in the company of the Clan MacAlister Society, the president of which resides in Greensboro, NC. Their tent banner is literally the Modern Tartan as a background with a bordered white box listing several main Septs of the clan, one of which is Alexander. With that in mind, Clan MacAlister has become my home in regards to my Scottish ancestry. As a result of the necessity of tracing both lines, I am bound to the matrilineal line. And to be perfectly honest, I could not have found a better clan to identify with. I love Stewart and Cindy's passion, and their generosity towards their friends and family knows no bounds.

It just depends on what you can trace back. Don't be afraid to explore both your father's and mother's sides of the family. If it falls in line to follow your mother's family tree, just let her know that's one more thing she can add to the list of what she gave you by bringing you into this world. I never let my mother forget that she bore me into this world as the offspring of the Sons of Alexander (literally the English translation of MacAlasdair.. "MacAlister").

Incidentally, Farquharson is a rather notable clan and I see their tents at the Loch Norman AND Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in NC. You might want to venture out to Stone Mountain this weekend for the games. I am confident you'll see them there.

Good luck, and welcome to X Marks the Scot!
-Mark Alexander