Whats in a name vs. Blood?

[Mac-Attack]

@Joel Mimbs I'm currently a student at USF working on my PhD

[madmacs]

If you wear the name...

and welcome from another mclean

[Meadcrafter]

Hi Cousin,

My understanding is, if you pledged allegiance to the clan and it's Chief, and you were under their protection, you were part of the clan.

There are quite a few septs within the MacLean Clan.

[Lyle1]

Adoption always makes you a full member of the family. With that come rights and responsibilities so you are a MacLean whether you like it or not

Wear the tartan with pride

Short and sweet, but you pretty much say it all!

[Jock Scot]

Adoption always makes you a full member of the family. With that come rights and responsibilities so you are a MacLean whether you like it or not

Wear the tartan with pride

Well yes, but there are a few things to remember.

Firstly whilst the laws on adoption are as clear cut as any law can be, but there are family sensibilities, from many directions and often tricky ones to consider that no law can cater for.

Secondly,I think many of you are attaching far too much importance and significance to this clan thing. Now some Clans may have strict rules about who can, or can't these days be a Clan member, but generally Clan membership is very lax. Hasn't it always been that way? Modern day Clans are in reality a club and like any club they are a meeting of common interests ------such as culture, history and having a good time. Now I can understand full well, that we all want to belong to a group------a Clan even-----it seems that humans have this need and the modern day Clan fills that need easily---- and how! In truth clan history is only really important to the Clan Chief, if he cares at all and to be fair most do, as he has the wellbeing of the Clan in the loosest sense, is in trust for his lifetime and one must not forget the most important thing of all, the Chief's primary concern, is the future of his his heirs. Every one else is really tagging along for the ride. That is fine if you are happy to do so.

Thirdly, just because your name is "MacCarrott" ,it in reality, may actually have nothing whatsoever to do with the Clan MacCarrott of Wester Ross at all. Further more when you delve into the lists of Sept names, well, it would be unwise to put too much credence to the accuracy of much of it.

Now, in spite of what I have said above, Clan tartans, kilts and Highland attire mean a lot to the Scots and to others outwith Scotland but, on the whole, we in Scotland wear our one Clan tartan whatever it maybe, we don't don't go in for all this justification stuff , we don't ask any one else why they are wearing a particular Clan tartan and we get on with life. Choose your Clan tartan and yes indeed, "wear it with pride"!

Good luck to you.

[BuchananBiker]

You're a McLean in heart, that's all the "right" you need. Wear it proudly. You were adopted. That means you werent Born into the name, you were CHOSEN for the name.

What else needs be said?

[James Hood]

If memory serves, after only 20 generations (400 years), one is oft related to about 1.4 million people...northern Europe and the colonies were not too populous, back then.

[Peter Crowe]

Well yes, but there are a few things to remember.

Firstly whilst the laws on adoption are as clear cut as any law can be, but there are family sensibilities, from many directions and often tricky ones to consider that no law can cater for.

Secondly,I think many of you are attaching far too much importance and significance to this clan thing. Now some Clans may have strict rules about who can, or can't these days be a Clan member, but generally Clan membership is very lax. Hasn't it always been that way? Modern day Clans are in reality a club and like any club they are a meeting of common interests ------such as culture, history and having a good time. Now I can understand full well, that we all want to belong to a group------a Clan even-----it seems that humans have this need and the modern day Clan fills that need easily---- and how! In truth clan history is only really important to the Clan Chief, if he cares at all and to be fair most do, as he has the wellbeing of the Clan in the loosest sense, is in trust for his lifetime and one must not forget the most important thing of all, the Chief's primary concern, is the future of his his heirs. Every one else is really tagging along for the ride. That is fine if you are happy to do so.

Thirdly, just because your name is "MacCarrott" ,it in reality, may actually have nothing whatsoever to do with the Clan MacCarrott of Wester Ross at all. Further more when you delve into the lists of Sept names, well, it would be unwise to put too much credence to the accuracy of much of it.

Now, in spite of what I have said above, Clan tartans, kilts and Highland attire mean a lot to the Scots and to others outwith Scotland but, on the whole, we in Scotland wear our one Clan tartan whatever it maybe, we don't don't go in for all this justification stuff , we don't ask any one else why they are wearing a particular Clan tartan and we get on with life. Choose your Clan tartan and yes indeed, "wear it with pride"!

Good luck to you.

I agree with what you state here about Clan identity and 'member-ship' Jock, and would also add that there is (perhaps paradoxically) a strong strain in the culture of the Scots (Highland and Lowland alike) that we are ultimately 'all Jock Tamson's bairns' (we are all G-d's children), and moreover that 'a man's a man for a' that' (Burns).

[flyrod6057]

Let me add my concurrence to all the above, and welcome another MacLean.

Welcome, cousin!

[Baldybrown]

You have two parents, four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, etc. Your ancestors double with every added generation. It only takes going back twenty-one generations before you have over a million great, greats in that generation line. With all those grandparents, odds are a few of them just had to be Scottish. Enjoy the bloodlines along with the wonderful adopted name. (Go ahead, get out your calculator. You know you want to.)