Quote Originally Posted by MacTavishOfJapan
Edit to add that I only found out the roots of my name when tartan hunting and was VERY surprised. I was told (or my Mum was) when I was a kid the the Thomsons were a sept of Clan Campbell (I think) so to find out that we have our very own clan was a surprise.

I chose the tartan in my avatar but modern - the green is darker and is closer to the colour of my favourite football team , also my Grandad has a Hay modern kilt and the red and green colours should be pretty close to each other. I thought it was a nice tribute to my Hay roots and my Grandad as well.
here is some info on Thom(p)son sept of the MacTavish clan...

http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/m/mactavi.html

and an excerpt referring to the name Thompson, showing it's origins in clan MacTavish.

"The name MacTavish stems from Taus Coir, (Tammis) a son born to Gillespic and a daughter of Sween the Red, Lord and Toisech (meaning leader, Chief) of Castle Sween and of Knapdale, in the last half of the 11th century. Gillespic later repudiated his wife and two sons to make a more powerful alliance by marrying his cousin Eva O'Duin, daughter of Paul 'an sparain', the treasurer to the King of Scots. Eva was the heretrix of Lochawe and from her marriage with Gillespic came the founding of what later became known as Clan Cambel. Their grandson, Dugald, was the first to carry the name Cam Buel (wry-mouth).

Taus (Thomas) became the progenitor of the Clan Tamhais (his brother Ivar (Evir), became the progenitor of Clan Iver). With the changing of the Gaelic to English in the mid 1600's, MacTamhais became (phonetically) MacTavish or Thom(p)son. In old charters the two names had many variant spellings. (refer to section Septs and Connected Names) Other spellings found within the Charters of the Commons of Knapdale and Argyll appear as MacAvis, MacCamis, McCawis, McKavis, McKnavis, MacAnish, and MavTavifh, to name a few. It seems that from the end of the 1600's, the spelling, MacTavish and Thom(p)son were the most common. They were recorded as a Clan of great Antiquity with Charter lands from the 12th century in both North and South Knapdale. The Clan was seated in their Charter lands of Dunardarie where they were one of the clans known as "the Children of Colla or "the children of the mist". The Dalradic Kingdom of Dunadd is on Dunardarie Lands.

"