I agree that way too much is made of this Clan affiliation stuff. I grew up with a Scottish grandparents on my fathers side (Thomson) who emigrated to Canada in 1919, with five children, from a small village outside Inverness. My mothers family was in Canada much longer but from Cape Breton Nova Scotia and were Kerrs, MacLeods, MacNiels and Camerons, many of them native Gaelic speakers. In my rural Canadian home there was no doubt our family was Scottish (we would have said Scotch) however I recall no discussion of any affiliation with any Scottish Clan. We were just who we were, Scotch Canadians.

I wear Thomson tartan because it matches my surname however it is not very historic. I understand it was designed by Lord Thomson of Fleet, another Canadian of Scottish background in the 1950's. Certainly many of the families on my mothers side had a longer and more iconic Highland history but when I wear my kilt my tartan, matches my name, and it saves a hell of a lot of explaining.

I am new to the forum but perhaps a subject worth discussing is the whole subject of Scots, Scottish, Scotch?