Moore Surname: Irish or Scot

[macwilkin]

I would like to know if my last name is Irish or Scot. My mother's maiden name is Kelley and she says this is Irish. My surname is Moore. My Dad has no idea whether this is Irish or Scottish. I put my name in the STA Tartan ferret and it said I should wear Campbell, Gordon, or Boyd tartans, but I do not know if I am Scottish. I was also told that the tartan is paternal, and you cannot wear your Mom's tartan (since my Mom is Irish she does not have a tartan, just the saffron kilt). What tartan should I wear? Also, can I wear saffron?


I want to buy a kilt in 2007, but I need to know which tartan or solid color would be best.

Without proper genealogical documentation, it is hard to say what nationality your ancestors were. You might want to visit with your parents and see if there are any genealogical records in the family -- if not, then your best bet would be to trace the lines back and see if any nationalities can be determined.

The whole tartan only being through the paternal line is hogwash. And remember, there are Irish tartans -- the Irish national and the various County tartans, althougth it should be pointed out that these are relatively recent innovations. A saffron or even a dark green solid kilt would also be appropriate.

Regards,

Todd

[Bill]

Hi!

It's good to see that you have an interest in your family history. My first suggestion is to pump any reletive still living for all the information on your family that you can as they are a resource that you will not always have. Seconsly there is no subsitution for documentation do the paperwork. Check family Bibles, birth and death certificate. etc.. .

Tha t being said I found some tidbits on the surname Moore at www.Ancestry.com in their surname origin section. The surname Moore is found in it's greatest numbers in Ireland (4236) then England (2873) and lastly Scotland(320) (these are the three top place of origin according to the site). As it has been said the Moore surname may be (is) a derivitive of Muir in Scotland and that may account for the low numbers in Scotland since the search only looks for Moore.

Good luck with your research!

Bill