TOP 10 Scottish Clan Mottos 

MACGREGOR CRAC GALLOCH HIDE YOUR DAUGHTERS

Dayum

A war cry IS on2 kind of motto.

Yes, and the variant of Touch not the catt bot a targe. Both were part of the Clan Chattan confederation. They evoke the same sense as the House of Stuart motto which was Nemo me impune lacessit - no one provokes me with impunity. The Gaelic version is Cha togar m'fhearg gun dìoladh - literally 'you wont raise my anger without payment'.

I should add that the Cat, Catt, Chatt name while referencing wild cats likely comes from the Pictish kingdom of Cait where the name survives in Cataibh, the Gaelic name for Sutherland, Caithness and the Shetland Isles where the Shet part is from Chat/Cat and the Gaelic name for the Shetlands is Inse Catt.

Reminds me of the Joe Walsh album The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get....lol

I'm a MacPherson. it's a very accurate motto for my branch at least. We are unforgiving, vicious, fierce, vengeful people...and very, very patient.

It makes me think of a condom comercial. No glove no pussy.

Robertson....a main arm of ancient Family Duncan.... Same bloodline as House of Dunkeld...Clan Irvine...others

@@JACK_TheAllSeeingEye Aye. Tracing lineage back to Kenneth MacAlpin.

That’s just a rough translation. There are many, though I personally prefer my version: “Not by knavery, but through bravery!”

Another for hector

Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool too.

Long live the Clan MacLean... long live Scotland

NUMQUAM NON PARATUS 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 A more accurate translation is NEVER UNPREPARED

@@robertianjohnston7483 I am not translating Latin into English. I am using the earlier form of the motto which was translated into Latin. The literal translation from Latin to English is Never not prepared.

"We were just following orders" -Campbells to any MacDonalds they meet

There was one event where the Argyll had kidnapped the daughter of a rival Chief. Lost 5 sons to battle whilst being pursued back through the glens. The daughter was brought up as a Campbell and married high ranking. Think possibly 16th century.

All Campbell's originate from Clan Iver...The MacIvers...Grandsons of Ivarr Ragnarrson through his daughter Laliva and a Galgael Prince Sidroc. Campbell was a French knight given a position in this noble clan, and eventually rose to prominence through economic means. Even in the late 1800s the Cambell Chief insisted that his name was MacIver-Campbell, so as not to forget their origins.

Campbell's suffered a lot of shyte because they dished out a lot of shyte....violating ancient customs to murder guests in their sleep....forcing unreasonable payment on loans to lesser clans that lead to land forfitures. Forcing these clans to take the Campbell name to avoid prosecution and thereby swelling Campbell numbers as soldiers for the crown. Policing there own Highlander peoples for the English.....Black Watch. Fought on the English side at Culloden....the main branch anyway.

"Remember Glencoe" which i guess could be our version of the American's "Remember the Alamo"

I've always liked, Invictus Maneo; I remain unconquered. NOT my family motto, but a personal one.😁

Aye!

@@DMB80 I’m not sure who used it first but both MacPherson and MacIntosh use variants of it, and both are in Chattan. Gow uses it and being a sept of MacPhearson maybe that is not surprising.( they too are in Chattan ). MacBean/MacBain has:”Touch not the cat bot a targe.” ( they are also in Chattan ). MacGillivray has:”Touch not this cat.” ( also in Chattan ). Regardless , i have learnt the hard way that the motto is true…..even if i offer food.

@@DMB80 The ”Catti ” theory is only one theory. The one most holds to ( or so i’ve heard ) is that they come from Gillichattan Mor who served Saint Cathan. That is still very early. But who knows?

@@DMB80 When i said that Gillichattan was a great servant of St: Cathan i did not propose that he Carried the saints bag. He was a servant in the religious sense, that is , devoted to the church that came out of Ireland. He was the Bailie of Ardcattan abby. It is literally right there in his ”name” . ”Gille-Chattan-mor.” ( Great servant of Chattan . The Word order is different in Gaelic ). Also, ”Cathan” [ ca-han ] can also mean ”battle”. At this time there was no united Ireland , or Scotland for that matter. St:Cathan actually was in Scotland, in Bute. He became a popular saint and there are still placenames, churches etc named after him like above Ardchattan ( hights of Chattan ), several places called Kilchattan ( church of Chattan ) and a hill called Suidhe Chattan ( i think that means ”seat of Chattan” , anyone more fluent feel free to correct me ). Cathan was in the kingdom of Dalriada encompassing parts of northern Ireland and a bit of Scotland. It had a Gaelic culture, not Pictish. I find the idea that Normans would retain not only the memory but even a motto or warcry of a germanic tribe, long since gone through all of their formation from gauls, franks and norse into what became the normans. It sounds a bit like those who claimed freemasonry where the remnants of templars who fled to Scotland. Or the idea that there was a surviving pagan cult in Europe persecuted during the witch trials ( an idea of Margret Murray’s in the 1920’s ). Also, that things or symbols look the same or names sound similar does not nessecarily mean a connection ( though sometimes it does ). Andersson is the most common name in Sweden. Despite the presence of Vikings in Scotland, Clan Anderson did not get its name from them ( but from St:Andrew). Sweden and Denmark have lions on their arms too. So does Armenia, Algiers,The Czech Republic etc,etc ( I even saw someone claim that the Danes where the Hebrew lost tribe of Dan here on youtube once ). Speculation is fun, but not history. I will not claim to know where Clan Chattan came from without reliable documentation. I dont know. I just have theories that i find plausible. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps i am. Maybe we are both wrong ( or even party right ). I have seen no academic proof either way so i leave it at that.

@@DMB80 I give up. Clan Chattan came from the lizzard people of Illuminati.

The Cummings crest is a lion holding a dagger, but probably came before the Bruce incidence.

Nice Scots slogan. Interesting story about how Bruce replaced the incompetent King.

Comyn was a highly trained warrior. He always dominated Bruce in sparring with swords the Man truely was a Dangerous machine. The only way to defeat Comyn was the way he was murdered. You have to backstab him to win, if not then prepare to die, that's how good Comyn was

No disrespect to John Comyn I admire the Warriordem of him. But my ancestors Clan MacKay sided with Bruce

My Mom's from Robinson, a Sept Clan 'of Gunn Clan. T'would concur..

Yeah that's a badass motto.

Gunn in name & soul despite my ancestors immigrating to America generations ago.

unsure if apart of the Gunn clan, my family history is all round the UK n northern france, Guyan is the family name n google search says its derived from Gunn, any info?

It's called a slogan rather than war cry. Not too many Gaelic words in English, should try to use them where possible.

@@Catubrannos Very true. From "sluagh airm" translating to something like "the cry of an assembled host".

Wilson is also a MacGregor sept. Possibly a name they (Greigroc) used during their proscription while living a Cateran life on Rannoch moor before they moved further north into Grampian, Moray, Ross and Cromarty etc.

yep

Love the Guthrie motto I'm Guthrie on my maternal side and love their motto much better than my paternal side clan motto of the MacTavish "Non Oblitus" - Not Forgetful

Hey! Clan Guthrie here as well! 🍻🇺🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Not my family motto, but a personal one. 😁

Are you a Hume?

@@sharongilligan8813 yes, on my moms side, and my dads side is Blackfoot Indian.

@@Crowwtf Hume - my Mom's side. Blackfoot Indian - Montana? my dads family married Miami tribe folks - Oklahoma territory

Family Alpin and Family Duncan are the two tainist groups in the royal sept of the Eraiin Fienne...descended from Conaire Mor...the Sil Conerie...ancient royal line of the High Kings of Ireland from the original celtic Iverni. Themselves from The Sons of Mil and progenitor BROGAN

McDonald 👋

@@tallycahamuhlhetru26being a MacDonald I have seen it both ways but Mac does mean “son of”

After discovering our Kerr connection my daughter says she means well but being late is in her genes.

After discovering our Kerr connection my daughter says she means well but being late is in her genes.

I once saw a guy in shorts, immediately after me, get some cans of beer in the Dalry area of Edinburgh a smidgen before the legal cut-off time at ten pm. Afterwards I saw him at the bus stop, with the Kerr crest and arms in a tattoo on his calf. 'Late but in ernest,' I said. He laughed. My grandfather's mother was a Kerr. Michael, Edinburgh.

@@janh5199By the way, another thing that’s in the Kerrs’ genes is being left-handed. There are terrifically awesome stories about this being an advantage to them Google “left handed clan Kerr”) - and, even in our own days, some scientists in the UK did a survey of people surnamed Kerr/Carr/Keir and found that the percentage of left-handers among them was about 4 times higher than in the general population.

My grandmother was a Bailey. Cheers from Virginia, cousin

@@ipoopexelence Hello their cousin! Yeah I may very well have family in Virginia! The oddest thing is here in Knoxville, their are many differing Bailey families, including my own, that show “no immediate relation.” But it’s spelled the same and we can all trace it the same?? It’s like their was some unspoken of older generation spilt that happened for some reason and now even Boomer Bailey’s wouldn’t have the slightest idea. I haven’t asked my Grandfather this though either, I am just assuming.

Hey cousin! Mom is a Macnab!

This is my Family Clan, I'm a Direct Descendent of the Crawford Family I even still Carry the Crawford name 😁

yeah!

I like the way I've seen it translated, Danger is Sweet.

The motto of the family Johnston NUMQUAM NON PARATUS 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

My family spelling is McKee, too.

Bruv really 😅 your gunna do the rest of the Celts like that 😅 I mean I get it but dam tht is cold

Grip Fast is on my arm. Along with coat of arms and shield.

Here here

You must be a fellow McLennan

@@chazzerbox131 Yes, but it was corrupted in America. My branch came in two waves; 1695 and after the '45. I'm not certain exactly which group I belong to. But they're my people!

@@user-pb2vo4pt3t ahh I see yes well I’m from the Scotland but I did see their was a county named McLennan in Texas pretty cool and I know family in Canada and see variations of the name in many Commonwealth Nations we went everywhere 😂

@@chazzerbox131 I was checking... I had an Uncle that did some research many years ago. Checking his notes, we came in through Charleston South Carolina in the 1695 wave. Naturally, they headed into the Appalachian mountains; spreading through what would become North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. My own line settled in Northern Alabama in the Scottsboro area (fitting name!🤣) They stayed there for hundreds of years. In 1908, my great grandfather and his brother moved to North Texas. They chartered a train to move everything. The train had mechanical problems in Clarksville TX. While waiting for repairs, they toured the area, and the brother decided to stay there. So that group did. I have kin there I haven't met! My great grandfather pushed on to their original planned destination; Bowie, TX ("Boo-wee" here!) My grandfather was an infant during this move; born that March. He passed away in 1979. I left Bowie in '92. Lived all over the Country. Spent 25 years in Wyoming; loving every minute of it! But the Winters are brutal. I'm pushing 60 with a heart condition. I don't need to shovel snow anymore, so two years ago I moved South. But I do miss Wyoming! I realize Scots just belong in mountains!🤣

@@chazzerbox131 I have thought about changing mine back to the original spelling _MacLennan._ But haven't done anything more. It's a hassle of paperwork! Yes, I knew about that county in Texas. One branch came to Texas early! One fought in the Texas Revolution at the battle of San Jacinto! I don't know which branch of the family tree that was, but they're ours too! 😅

Perhaps... Never alone?