Quote Originally Posted by figheadair View Post
The name Brown is of course not confirned to Scotland and whilst there may be a recognised head of the name Broun/Brown that does not make them a clan. The Brouns of Coulston were a Lowland family and there was never a Highland clan Brown.
This is, of course, quite correct. Generally a family becomes a "clan" only when there are at least nine other "great houses" descended from the founding ancestor (the gaelic derbhfine). Think in terms of the various "Campbells of ..." and "MacDonalds of..." and you'll get the general idea. Simply because one family rose to local prominence in a particular area does not mean that they constituted a clan, either in the Highlands or Lowlands.