The DNA of Scottish Clans Revealed… (Surnames and Tartans Included)

What do we know about the DNA of Scottish clans, their clan names and their tartans? Now so many people across the globe have Scottish ancestry that connects to one or many of the myriad of Scottish clans in these lands, and please let me know any clan connections you have in your family history in the comments below. And if you're wondering where I am, well today I've taken you to a place that connects to part of my ancestry, Clan Campbell, but don't hold it against me if you're a MacDonald. This is Castle Campbell, a medieval castle that sits just above the town of Dollar. It was the lowland seat of the Earls and Dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century. It was also visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century, who said this reminds me of home. And let's start with Clan Campbell. What do we know about the name, tartans and DNA of this clan? Well its name derives from a Gaelic word meaning crooked or curved mouth, with the initial spelling of the surname being Campbell. There are two different stories to explain where this crooked mouth meaning comes from. One is that an early ancestor of the Campbells had the trait of talking out of one side of his mouth, yet another explanation says it came from an early ancestor's physical appearance or expression. Regardless, the name Campbell stuck, with the roots of Clan Campbell seeming to rise out of the Brythonic Celts of Strathclyde. On the mythological side however, the Campbells trace their ancestry to the Dermod family, linked to the hero Dermod of Irish mythology. In fact, the Campbells actually seemed to use the surname Dermod for a period, before their current name became widely adopted. In general, the lands of Clan Campbell are mainly in Argyll on the west coast of Scotland, with Argyll meaning the coast of the Gaels. Sir Gillespie Campbell, 1st of Menstry, is the earliest member of the Campbell family to be attested for in contemporary resources, appearing in royal charters dating to the 1260s. Now before we look at the fascinating DNA research that's been done on Clan Campbell, let's quickly look at what the Tartans are of Clan Campbell, and there is a bit of a debate about the true Tartans of this clan. One of the Clan Campbell societies stresses that there are only four authentic Campbell Tartans. This is a photo of the first one, called Ancient or Plain Campbell Tartan. The society notes that Ancient Campbell is the same as Black Watch Tartan, which you've probably seen before. The Campbells were heavily involved in the formation and early leadership of the Black Watch Highland Regiment, and when the companies were brought together, the uniform was standardised to the Black Watch Tartan, which is also known as the Government Tartan. The other three authentic Campbell Tartans, according to the society, are Campbell of Bredalbane, Campbell of Cawdor, and Campbell of Loudoun. Now another Tartan was created by George Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll, who added a white line to his Tartan. It is known as Campbell of Argyll, but it is not recognised as an official Tartan by the clan. What do we know about the DNA of Clan Campbell then? Well the good news is there has actually been some good research into this, from the University of Strathclyde, that's my alma mater, and various other organisations as well. BigWise700 DNA tests have been done for documented male line descendants of Colin Campbell of Loch Awe, who lived between 1344 and 1413. Three of these descendants were from one of his sons, called Duncan, who was also known as the first Lord Campbell of Loch Awe. The other descendant was from another son of Colin, called Dougal Campbell, who was also known as the first Captain of Dunstaffnig, with this a picture of Dunstaffnig Castle. Now for reference, the BigWise700 DNA test is an advanced genetic test offered by FamilyTreeDNA. It analyses a man's Y-chromosome to trace paternal lineage and explore deep ancestral connections, and allows us to look at genetic branches in much greater detail than broad categories. As many of you know, the Y-chromosome has passed from father to son, remaining mostly unchanged across generations, except for small traceable changes in DNA called SNPs, or single nucleotide polymorphisms. But what did they find? Well, the test results show that both of these Campbell's sons carried Y-DNA SNP Rx58693. This means that they had inherited it from their father Colin, and therefore he was the latest possible individual in whom this SNP was formed. Any male carrying this SNP is most likely descended from Colin. Rx58693's paternal was formed when it branched off from its ancestor Ra5919 around 1200AD. For reference, Ra5919 is a subclad of the broader Y-DNA haplogroup R1bM269, found widely across Western Europe and in people with ancestry that connects to this part of the world. Ra5919 is also a related branch to older and broader subhaplogroups you may have heard of such as RL21 and RDF13, which are associated with insular Celts in general, as this map shows. However, this particular SNP is associated with Campbell's in particular, allowing us to see small genetic differences even within the same haplogroups. There are also many lineages of Rx58693 that evolved in later generations of the Campbell's as well, including RfT33170 and RfT33329. Now another very interesting finding on the genetics of Clan Campbell was that two leading branches of this clan seem to be unrelated to each other, according to research from the University of Strathclyde. They found that the Campbell's of Glenorchy are a separate line to the Campbell's of Argyll. The Campbell's of Glenorchy are a family descended from Sir Duncan Campbell, 2nd Lord of Glenorchy, who died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513, although this line of the family dates back to around the 13th century. The Campbell's of Argyll, on the other hand, are descended from Duncan Campbell that we mentioned earlier, the son of Colin. The research found descendants of Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy have a different genetic marker than the Campbell's of Argyll, as the Glenorchy Campbell's belong to Ry33315. The research is still ongoing into this in general to try and understand why there's a genetic difference in the genetic markers between the two, but it's been speculated that it could be because the Campbell's of Glenorchy adopted the name Campbell out of loyalty in the 13th century, or it also could be due to illegitimacy, but more research is definitely needed. Next up is Clan Sinclair, but what do we know about this clan? Well, they're believed to have Norman origins, thought to have come to Scotland with William the Conqueror's Conquest of England in 1066, with the Normans of course connected to the Norse as well. The Sinclairs were granted estates in the north of England and later in Scotland, holding lands mainly in the northeast of Scotland in places like Caithness and the Orkney Islands, as well as the Lothian area further south. The surname Sinclair is believed to be derived from The surname in Latin, Sanctus Clarus, means holy light. The main tartans associated with this clan are Ancient Hunting Green, Dress Red, Modern Dress Red and Hunting Green. What do we know about the DNA of Clan Sinclair though? Well, the snip RFGC-15254 is the earliest identified snip distinct to the surname Sinclair. This snip was probably formed at some point shortly after it became a fixed surname, perhaps in the late 12th century. The paternal line of RFGC-15254 was formed when it branched off from its ancestor RS5629 around 1150 AD. It's again part of the broader haplogroup R1BM269. Now next up is Clan Bruce, one of the most famous clan names for obvious reasons, but what do we know about the Bruces? Well, they're a lowland Scottish clan of Norman origins once again. They take their name from Bree, which is a commune in Normandy in northwest France. The Bruces arrived in Scotland in the early 12th century, receiving lands in Annandale from King David I, and they also held lands in Yorkshire. An early ancestor of the Bruce clan was Robert de Bruce, 1st Lord of Annandale, who lived between 1078 and 1141. The snip RFTB15831 appears to be a distinct marker for the family on the male side, having been formed by the early 14th century, and it was very likely to have been carried by King Robert de Bruce himself. He did not leave any male-lined descendants, however, but the Bruces of Clackmannan are his closest male-lined relatives. DNA tests taken by male-lined descendants of two of Robert of Clackmannan's sons, Robert and Edward, show that they both carry the marker FTB15831. This discovery means that anyone living today who tests positive for the marker is descended from the same family as the famous king. RFTB15831's paternal line was formed when it branched off from its ancestor RFT378466 around 250 AD, with these branches again downstream from the broader branch R1BM269. So although all these clans belong to the broader R1B haplogroup, it's interesting the different snips the different clans have, and how detailed you can trace your ancestry. Now there are obviously various other clans of Scotland, and please let me know any clan connections you have in the comments below, and I'll do a follow up video or various follow up videos. Obviously this is a topic quite close to my heart, given that I'm Scottish. But yeah, if you're interested in more on this topic, please let me know in the comments below. Now I know someone on my Patreon page asked me to include clan weems as well, but unfortunately I couldn't find any good research on this clan's DNA for now at least. Not all clans have been mapped in any great detail, and this is the only limitation of this subject, yet many have initially at least. As far as some interesting points on clan weems however, we know that the name comes from a Scottish Gaelic word which means cave, and it is believed to be taken from the caves of the Weems in Fife. Weems Castle has been the seat of the chiefs of the clan since the 12th century. The Weems family traces its lineage to the Macduff Earls of Fife, a powerful and ancient family believed to be descended from Celtic kings. There also seems to be a little Norman influence as well. As far as tartans, this is a photo of the main tartan associated with the clan, which is pretty cool. And speaking of Patreon, if you're interested in supporting this work, completely independent work, and also if you would like to I should also mention that a lot of research is still being done on this subject and ongoing on this subject, and there is also obviously lots of variation within clans themselves. On the mitochondrial side as well, the maternal side, there unfortunately wasn't really much detailed research on this, but we know that H is the most common mitochondrial haplogroup in Scotland, so many clans are probably going to be associated with variations of H. Hopefully there will be more detailed research moving forward on the mitochondrial side though, and let me know if you come across any in the comments below. Now speaking of Scotland, as well as the amazing weather, Scotland is known for having lots of people with red hair, but how did red hair and blue eyes spread to Europe in the first place? To find out, please click here. Thanks for watching, please subscribe and hit the bell. If you would like to vote for what video topics I make videos on, I'll put a link below. But yeah, thanks again for watching, please let me know your clan connections in the comments below, and I'll see you next time!