What Does Clan Mean?

The word Clan has its origin in Latin, and was taken from the word planta which means plant or sprout. It was then used in old Irish as cland and meant offspring. Later the Scottish gaelic adapted it as clann meaning family. This word clan generally means 'large family'. Such a family is the one in which all the members live together at once example, 'George, Murphy and the rest of the O'Scott Clan will be arriving'.

Actually it is a group of related families especially in the Scottish highlands. Or one can say it means a tribe having common ancestors. Such a tribe is considered important in their regions. Today Clan could mean a large group of relatives, friends or even associates. Some words synonymous to clan could be family or house or tribe or kin or race or clique. Group, faction, kinfolk, elite, circle, folk, relations and gang are other words commonly used for clan.

It is a family group. The term comes from Scotland and Ireland. It is not just a last name. In Scotland, for example, the clan tartan (plaid), can apply to different last names that are considered to be branches of the same family clan. Same thing of a family crest. Many Scottish and Irish immigrants to other countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, or wherever, have kept very strong family ties. In the old days of the US, some of them were drawn to the south eastern part of the country, and there were family feuds, or "clan" feuds that became very famous. One such was the ill-famed "Hatfields and McCoys". Family members died from the fights, and many movies were made about them.

When someone uses the term "clannish", it implies that a group is closed to outsiders. That those in the group have a family feeling.

You can find a number of sites online that deal with the various Scottish clans, and their tartans and crests that distinguish them.