The preferred modern method of detailing clan related surnames is now Associated Family Names, which were once called Septs.
The founder of Clan MacTavish in Knapdale was Taviss Mor Mhic macCalumn, or, Tavis the Great son of Calumn (or simply Tavis Mor -1) in 12th century Argyll. His ancestors were the Irish MacGilletamhais of Guill and Irgull, what is now Northern Donegal, Ireland, descendants of the Boars Kings in the kin-group of Cenel nDuach of the Kingdom of Guill and Irguill, found in the various Irish annals. The clan lands of Dun an Ard Righ (now Dunardry) in Knapdale, Argyllshire, were given to the MacTavish ancestors in the reign of King Domnall the 2nd, grandson of King Kenneth McAlpin, about 893 AD. The Northern Irish MacGilleTamhais (MacTavish) are noted the descendants of the 2nd century Northern Irish Pictish King, Conn of the Hundred Battles, and the specific familial/lineal connections are noted in the chronicle, Chronicon Scotorum (Chronicon Scotorum – according to Nollaig Ó Muraíle, is “a collection of annals belonging to the ‘Clonmacnoise group’, covering the period from prehistoric times to 1150 but with some gaps, closely related to the ‘Annals of Tigernach‘.) Conn Cétchathach (Conn of the Hundred Battles – literally Conn the hundred Battled) was the son of Fedlimid Rechtmar, and according a 2nd Century medieval Irish legendary and annalistic texts, the Pctish High King of Ireland (probably only the northern half). From Conn and his kin group, are descended various Irish and Scottish clans.
1– Mor (or Mhor) bears the meaning of Great. Thusly, Taviss or Tavis a was a great warrior. His son was Tavis Coir, signifying that he was an only son.
Ancient Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge or Erse) Spellings of the MacTavish name.
The public-at-large should be aware that not all persons of Scottish heritage belonged to clans, nor do they currently. Such is a widely held misunderstanding of Scottish society. It is particularly true that persons with no clan or large family affiliations where inhabitants of the Lowlands and Borders of Scotland. Most inhabitants of the Highlands were indeed clan members, either by blood, or were adopted into the clan as a Sept (Associated Family Name within a clan). Where Scots would say “MacGregor and his Clan” the Irish might say “O’Neill and his Sept”.
A sept is an English word for “a division of a family”, especially of a Scottish or Irish family.[1]
The word may derive from the Latin saeptum, meaning “enclosure” or “fold”,[2] or via an alteration of “sect”.[3] The term is used in both Ireland and Scotland, where it may be translated as sliocht, meaning “progeny” or “seed”,[4] which may indicate the descendants of a person (for example, Sliocht Brian Mac Diarmada, “the descendant of Brian MacDermott”).
1- Clans and Septs of Ireland, RMK Research.“sept”. Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
2- Editors of Webster’s II Dictionaries. (2005.) Webster’s II New College Dictionary, 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-39601-2.
3- Woulfe Patrick, Fr. (2010.) Irish Names and Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company.
Most Lowland or Border clans more often called themselves “Houses” and not clans (i.e. The House of Bruce, The House of Gordon). However, some Lowland and Border Houses have begun the modern practice of calling themselves clans. This is neither correct or incorrect, but it is certainly not historical.
MacTavish CLAN/FAMILY NAMES: Cash, Holmes, Kash, Kaish, MacAishe, MacCamish, MacCash, MacCavish, MacComb**, MacCombie**, MacComich, MacComish**, MaComie, Macomie**, MacCosh, MacIltavish, MacIlTavish, MacLaws, MacLawes, MacElhose, MacLehose, MacTais, MacTaus, MacTauais, MacTavish, McTavish, Mactavish, Mactavis, M’Tavish, MacTawes, MacTawis, MacTawys, MacTawes, MacTeague, Stephens, Stephenson, Stevens, Stevenson, Tavish, Tawes, Tawse, Tawesson, Tawis, Teague, Thomas**, Thomason, Thomasson, Thompson, Thomson**, Tod, Todd, Tomey and all variant spellings are welcome to join us in celebrating our shared Scottish Highland heritage.
Additional historical resources provide an extended list of the Clan MacTavish related family names as follows:
Cavis, Cevis, Cavish, Kavis, Kavish, Kaviss, Hawes, Haws, Hawson, Haweson, Hawesson, Hawsone, Holmes, MacAves, MacAvis, MacAvish, MacAwis, MacAwishe, MacAws, MacCaueis, MacCauish, MacCause, MacCavis, MacCavish, MacCavss, MacCaweis, MacCawis, MacCawes, MacCaws, MacCevis, MacClavish, MacGavish, MacGilchois, MacGilhosche, MacGillhois, MacHomais, MacHolmes, (less often McHomes), MacIlhaos, MacIlhois, MacIlhoise, MacIlhose, MacIlhouse, MacIllhois, MacIllhos, MacIllhose, MacKawes, MacKilhoise, MacKillhose, MacKlavish, MacKlehois, Makavhis, Makawis, Makcaus, Makcawis, Makcaws, Makcawys, Makgilhois, MacCevis, MacLawes, MacLaws, MacLehose, MacTaevis, MacTamhais, MacTause, MacTaveis, MacTavish, MacTawisch, MacTawys, MacTeague, MacTegue, MacThamais, MacThamhais, MacThavish, MacThomhais, McTavish, Makgilhoise, Micklehose, Mucklehose, Taes, Tais, Taise, Taish, Taiss, Tam**, Tameson, Tamesone, Tamson, Tamsone, Taus, Tauis, Tauise, Tauison, Tavis, Tavish, Taweson, Tawesson, Tawis, Tawes, Taws, Tawse, Tawseon, Tawseson, Tawson, Taweist, Tawst, Tawus, Thomason, Thomasson, Thomassone, Thomassoun, Thomessone, Thompson, Thomson**, Thomsone, Thomsoun, Thomsoune, Thomsson, Tomson, Tomsone.
NOTE: ** signifies that these names could be of Clan MacThomas. If you are in doubt as to which clan you may belong, please undertake research for a determination.
Please be cognizant of the fact that not all persons bearing Tom or Thomas patronymics belong to Clan MacTavish, or for that matter, do they all belong to one particular clan, as Tom, Thomas, Tommie, and similar given names were widespread, and those given names often became surnames at a later date.
The original, or near original, name of a MacTavish ancestor might be retained in one parish, when an Anglicized, or slightly different version of the same name would show up in the same or a neighboring parish. In some instances multiple variations of names occurred in the same district. Names often reflected relationship and origin, and sometimes occupation, or a marital alliance. The main surname of the clan is most often the surname of its Chief, and all other surnames that came into use within the clan, came to be called septs, vassals or followers; which are now more commonly called Associated Family Names. A follower does not necessarily mean that a person or family actually belonged to a given clan. “FOLLOWERS” in most cases were persons, families, groups or even another clan which shared common beliefs and were in agreement with larger or more powerful clans whose activities and politics aligned with their own.