I think if you go back and read some of the past threads on this forum, you'll see this question pops up from time to time, and no doubt you'll get various opinions in answer to your question here.

The short answer is that there are no rules regarding who can wear what tartan.

The long answer is... well, longer. There are a few key points to remember. First is that who can wear what tartan has never been subject to any kind of legislation at all. You'll never get a ticket or a fine for wearing the "wrong" tartan.

Second, even for those of Scottish heritage, the connection to a clan is often assumed, and cannot be proven. For just one example, all we can really say about a person named "MacDonald" (which means "son of Donald") is that at some point in his ancestry there was a figure named Donald -- not that he necessarily descends from the Clan MacDonald. So a lot of these clan connections are simply assumed and one must take them with a grain of salt. In other words, very few people can prove beyond doubt that they decend from a particular clan. Centuries ago, when the clan system was operating as a political and social reality in the Highlands, what clan you belonged to had nothing to do with your surname in any case.

Third, the idea of associating a particular tartan design to a certain surname is (relatively) modern. Highland Scots have been wearing kilts since the late sixteenth century, and they have been wearing tartan for centuries before that. Yet the association of names with tartans is something that had its origin in the late eighteenth century, and really only gelled into a full fledged system of named tartans in the nineteenth century. Prior to this, people simply wore what tartan they liked, so one could argue that this is the most traditional way to choose a tartan. A lot of native Highlanders continued to choose a tartan to wear with no regard whatever to the name of the tartan through the twentieth century till today.

The fourth point I want to bring out, though, is that for the past 200 odd years, the idea of wearing tartan in a symbolic fashion, to represent one's ancestry, has become a solid part of Scottish tradition. It is now firmly accepted as the status quo, and most people -- even if they cannot prove with certainty that they descend from a particular clan -- choose to wear a tartan that has some symbolic meaning to them. This may be a tartan that directly affiliates with their surname. It may be a tartan that represents a name from further back in their ancestry. It may be a district tartan for the place in which they were born, or currently reside. It may be a district tartan for the place their ancestors were from. It may be an occupational tartan. But the point is that the tartan was chosen for a specific reason that is of importance to the wearer.

Fifth, I want to say that while I cannot guarantee that you won't run across some yahoo who will take offense if you wear his or her clan tartan without just cause, 99.9% of the time people will not care if you choose to wear their tartan -- some may even be flattered that you thought so highly of their clan! However, there are so very many tartans that are available today that are fashion tartan, unaffiliated with any surname, designed for general use. I'd begin my search there. You may find something you really like, and this will allow you to avoid even the chance of appearing as something you are not.

And finally, don't give up on finding a personal connection to a tartan. There are so many more tartans out there than simply Scottish clan tartans. There are state tartans for many US States now. All the Canadian provinces have tartans. Australia has tartans. Many European countries have district tartans now. There are occupational tartans for clergy, police, fire fighters, etc. There may be a tartan yet for you!

Aye,
Matt