I too can understand the thought process you are thinking through. I had no idea that my last name (Cochran) was Scottish until about a decade or so. Up to that time I thought it was probably Irish or some such....The funny thing is even to this day I have gotten into discussion with historians and the like in the UK who have argued with me on the point, with the best evidence to back up their argument being "there are a bloody lot of Cochran s in the Irish telephone book" my response being..."because the only people that could deal with the Irish was their Celtic cousins the Scots, ergo the English sent the Scots to N. Eire in droves. Plus it had the added benefit of getting rid of the problem with Scotland...too many Scots!"

As for being an American I can also identify with the mutts that we are. I am, in all recollection and research, English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, German, Hungarian, and....French, but only a wee little bit of French. (The Hungarian I am still working on.)

However, I have been to all of the countries listed. In fact, I lived in Germany for a couple of years. What I can tell you is this of all the places I have traveled Scotland and Wales...don't laugh....called to my very soul. As I left Scotland I felt my heart sink a bit, the same with Wales. Now it could be the mountains...but there are hordes of mountains in the other places I mentioned. Hell it could have been psychosomatic, but I rather think it was something else. I can tell you from what I do know for certain my people left those places for a better life in the New World. Sometimes they achieved it, sometimes they didn't, and sometimes (read Depression) it was taken away from them.

So back to your original statement of figuring who is what. I currently own two tartans (with one on the way) The inbound one and one in the closet are Cochrane and the other is the US Army. I hope to own two more being Cochrane ancient and my Regimental tartan. What I have figured out is I am from an old people who felt that the old world was too small and constricting and being warriors at heart braved the unknown to conquer new lands. I am proud of that lineage. However, that being said I am sad that all of that history and tradition was lost to this new burger king, microwave, instant gratification non-traditional world. As for the children my wife and I adopt they will be raised with old world traditions I learned while aboard coupled with a little Appalachian traditions ensconced in the importance of family.