I've always held the opinion that the whole notion of named "clan" tartans is a fairly recent (as in the last 200 years) innovation, something that stemmed from Highland regements wearing a particular distinctive tarta and being called after their founder - the Gordon Highlanders, for example; or the MacKenzie/Seaforth Highlanders, MacLeod's Highlanders, The Sutherland Highlanders, etc. - all of whom wore variations of the "Blackwatch" government tartan with the addition of distinctive overstripes to distinguish their particular regiments - yellow for Gordon, red for Atholl, red and white for MacKenzie (Seaforth), red and buff (yellow) for MacLeod, etc. - and that it was a short step to go from having a few named tartan patterns for various regiments in the 1700's to tartan manufacturers like Wilson's attaching names to various other tartans that they wove and sold.

However, in the back of a small book on how to properly wear the kilt, entitled "Tartans and Highland Dress" by Charles R. MacKinnon of Dunakin (which I highly recommend as required reading for anyone wishing to follow the traditional approach to wearing the kilt, if you can find a copy of it), there is in the back of the book a rather long poem entitled "Tartana, or The Plaid" written by Lanarkshire poet Allan Ramsay (1686-1758) and published by him in 1719 which hints at the notion of certain tartans being affiliated with certain Scottish surnames (and not all of them are Highland!). The poem begins:

"Ye Caledonian beauties, who have long
Been both the muse and subject of my song,
Assist your bard, who, in harmonious lays,
Designs the glory of your Plaid to raise:"

The poem then goes on to describe the ancientness of the plaid as a garment of great antiquity and to complement the loveliness of the likes of "Tartanas" such as "Pringella...whose whiter hand outshines its snowy leaves;" and "Campbella" who "shining red" her "cheeks adorn;" and then "Stewarta's Plaid we view, or thine Ramseia, edg'd around with blue; One shows the spring ehen nature is most kind, The other heav'n, whose spangles lift the mind."....."And when, Fergusia, mortals gaze on you; you raise our wonder, and our love engage, Which makes us curse, and yet admire the hedge; The silk and tartan hedge, which doth conspire With you to kindle love's soft spreading fire"....."How are we pleas'd, when with a handsome air We see Hepburna walk with easy care? One arm half circles round her slender waist. The other like an ivory pillar plac'd, To hold her Plaid around her modest face"........With what a pretty action Keitha holds Her Plaid, and varies oft its airy folds"....."Thus belles in Plaids veil and display their charms, The love-sick youth thus bright Humea warms"...."So through Hamilla's open'd Plaid, we may Behold her heav'nly face, and heaving milky way"...."So shine, Maxella, nor their censure fear, Who, slaves to vapours, dare not so appear"

So here, as early as 1719, we have a lowland poet extolling the beauty and virtues of the tartan plaid personified in the form of Caledonian nymphs with names representing old Scottish families (both Highland and Lowland) such as Pringle, Campbell, Stewart, Ramsay, Ferguson, Hepburn, Keith, Hume, Hamilton and Maxwell.

While this isn't a direct statment insisting that there were specific tartans known by those names in 1719, it appears to imply that there may have been certain tartans associated with certain surnames at that early period.