About us
The Clan Gregor DNA Project is in its 19th year [2020] and still going strong, and we have reached over 1200 active participants to date including some currently in progress. In the table of all surname projects the MacGregor project is the 11th in the world and 3rd largest of the Scottish clan projects (as at 2012). Up to date as of January 2017. PLEASE NOTE THAT WHEN YOU GO ONTO THE Y and MtDNA RESULTS PAGES THE CHART TAKES UP TO 30 SECONDS (sometimes longer) TO LOAD. LEAVE YOUR BROWSER OPEN AT THE PAGE - DON'T MOVE OFF IT, THE RESULTS WILL APPEAR. THIS MAY BE BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM!
Historical Background: The MacGregor bloodline traces its origin to a Gregor who lived in the 14th century though some genealogies go back further, to King Alpin. King Alpin’s descendants are said to have become the founders of not only Clan Gregor but, among others, the MacKinnons, MacQuarries, MacAulays and MacAlpines. The history of the MacGregors is a turbulent one and as a result the name was banned (proscribed) from 1603 to 1775, although in practice the worst years were from 1603-1642. From 1660-1693 the ban was in fact lifted, but it was re-imposed on the accession of King William of Orange as ‘punishment’ for the MacGregors taking the wrong side. This later ban had most effect in commercial terms since one could not use the MacGregor name on official documents. Many MacGregor families did not retake the clan name when it finally became legal to do so, and as a result, the Clan Gregor Society now recognises more septs and aliases than perhaps any other clan. Our hope is that over time it will be possible to understand more of the clan’s history from this project. Certainly there is no doubt that those who find that their DNA matches the bloodline will be able to claim a connection with the traditional genealogies, even if, for their particular family, the paper trail has dried up.
Historical Background: The MacGregor bloodline traces its origin to a Gregor who lived in the 14th century though some genealogies go back further, to King Alpin. King Alpin’s descendants are said to have become the founders of not only Clan Gregor but, among others, the MacKinnons, MacQuarries, MacAulays and MacAlpines. The history of the MacGregors is a turbulent one and as a result the name was banned (proscribed) from 1603 to 1775, although in practice the worst years were from 1603-1642. From 1660-1693 the ban was in fact lifted, but it was re-imposed on the accession of King William of Orange as ‘punishment’ for the MacGregors taking the wrong side. This later ban had most effect in commercial terms since one could not use the MacGregor name on official documents. Many MacGregor families did not retake the clan name when it finally became legal to do so, and as a result, the Clan Gregor Society now recognises more septs and aliases than perhaps any other clan. Our hope is that over time it will be possible to understand more of the clan’s history from this project. Certainly there is no doubt that those who find that their DNA matches the bloodline will be able to claim a connection with the traditional genealogies, even if, for their particular family, the paper trail has dried up.