Quote Originally Posted by Taffy Jack View Post
How much borrowed affiliation might a guy hope for from his born surname being a "known sept?" Should there be a clear lineage back to clan association (I couldn't claim that)?
That varies. It not only varies with the clan, but also with the sept. For example, my wife is a McEathron (originally MacEachern), so the MacDonalds clearly recognize her as a sept of the clan by name alone. My mother's maiden name is Brown. She would only be recognized as a sept of the MacDonalds if she could prove that Brown was originally Brehan from Ireland who then relocated to the territory of the MacDonalds.

The Clan Broun association, on the other hand, will accept any Brown, Broun, Brownlee, etc. of Scottish ancestry.