First things first. Not all Scots belong to one of the big clans. My Tait family were border reivers of Middle March. Although they had close ties with the Kerr family, many of whom were wardens of the area, the Taits were not of a clan.
Secondly, some families were Septs of a clan. Septs are families that follow another family's chief. My Mavor ancestors were Septs of the Gordon clan of Aberdeenshire. The Septs could be tied by marriage, by land, or just proximity. Either way, there was safety in numbers.
I see that some clans had more than one tartan - sort of like hockey jerseys, one for home and one for away, there were tartans for war and dress tartans.
The Scottish Tartan Register was established by an act of parliament in 2008. On their website you can search or register a tartan. I have found that two people have registered tartans for the Tait name.
There are many filters to search by, including tartan name (which I used "Tait"), designer and colours, and more.
Relevant Links
I am an illegimately born Tait from South Africa. I really want to know more about where I come from . My father was Christopher tait, his brothers: Rory and Donovan. My half brother is Rorden,
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