In some of the other posts regarding the wearing of the Lochaber tartan it was brought up that you should only wear clan tartans if you are a member of the clan. If you can trace you geneology back to the clan, does that make you a clan memeber? If my McCoy ancestor left Scotland in the 18th century for America, can I still wear the tartan of Clan MacKay? Or the tartans of Clan Lyon or Clan Fraser even though my ancestors from those families have been here for a couple of hundred years? Or have I been in the states so long that all I am is a wannabe?

When your family tree goes back to several different clans, are you still am member of all of them or do you chose one and live with that?

Will someone please enlighten me?

Hello. I hope that this will help you. Anyone can wear a tartan whether you are 'entitled’ to or not. If you can trace you history back to Scottish antecedents all the better, you will find you are entitled to wear probably more than one. For example the name McCoy doesn’t entitle you to the MacKay tartan or indeed any tartan, but you may wear the ‘universal tartans’; Caledonia, Black Watch, Black Watch Dress, Hunting Stewart and Flower of Scotland, or if you know the district that the name originated you may wear the District Tartan.
The name Lyon entitles you to wear: Lyon and Farquharson Dress, and the name Fraser entitles you to wear; Fraser (Clan), Fraser of Altyre (Clan) Fraser of Lovat Hunting (Clan).
If you go to www.tartansauthority.com/Web/Site/home/home.asp this will give you all the information you need, and www.scotweb-objects.com/pdf/kiltbook.pdf is also a very useful download
Please try these sites. It took me 10 minutes to come up with the information on the names you gave. I'm sure you can come up with lots more. I’m hope you’ll enjoy them. It is a fascinating hobby.
By the way I am entitled to wear MacDonald, Campbell (Clan), Campbell Dress (Clan), MacDonald of Clanranald (1819) Clan, Cian of Ely (Clan), Cian of Ely Hunting and Cooke. Good luck and happy hunting.

Thank you very much for the information, Lord Rhoderick.