The Clan

Clan Scott Society helps descendants and friends of Clan Scott throughout North America discover and celebrate the heritage of this historic Scottish Border family. Established in 1971, the nonprofit Society is dedicated to the advancement, study, and preservation of Clan Scott culture, values, history, lore, genealogy, and art.

Clan Scott Society is represented at Scottish and Celtic festivals across the United States, where its clan tents welcome visitors interested in discovering their Scott ancestry and learning more about life in the Scottish Borders. The Society also supports education, genealogy, traditional Scottish arts, cultural programs, and scholarships for students pursuing Scottish history, music, dance, literature, and related studies.

Whether you bear the Scott name, have an associated surname, descend from the family, or simply want to explore the story of one of Scotland's great Border clans, the Clan Scott Society invites you to come say hello and discover where your story may connect.

Clan Names

Scott, Scot, Scotte, Scotten, Schott, Scoth, Scutt, Scotus, and associated names Buccleuch, Geddes, Laidlaw, Langlands

History of Clan Scott Society

Clan Scott is deeply rooted in the Scottish Borders, where the family became one of the region's most powerful Border clans. One of the earliest documented ancestors associated with the family is Uchtredus filius Scotti, recorded around 1130. From these early Scotts descended important branches including the Scotts of Buccleuch and the Scotts of Balwearie.

Over generations, the Scotts acquired extensive lands and influence throughout the Borders. By the late fifteenth century, the family had become a formidable regional power, with the chief traditionally said to have been capable of calling upon a thousand spears. Like many of the great Border families, the Scotts lived during the turbulent era of the Border Reivers, when kinship, loyalty, cattle raids, feuds, shifting alliances, and defense of family territory shaped life along the Anglo-Scottish frontier.

The chiefly line became the Scotts of Buccleuch, whose prominence continued to grow in Scottish and British history. The chief of Clan Scott today is His Grace the Duke of Buccleuch, head of one of Scotland's most distinguished historic families.

The clan's crest features a stag, and its motto is “Amo,” meaning “I Love.” The Scott name remains closely associated with the Scottish Borders, while centuries of migration carried Scott descendants throughout North America and around the world.

Today, Clan Scott Society works to preserve that heritage through genealogy, scholarship, education, cultural programming, and participation in Highland games and Celtic festivals—keeping the stories of the Scotts and the Border country alive for generations to come.