This is a list of

tartan Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...

s from around the world. The examples shown below are generally emblematic of a particular association. However, for each clan or family, there are often numerous other official or unofficial variations. There are also innumerable tartan designs that are not affiliated with any group but were simply created for aesthetic reasons (and which are not within the scope of this list).

British royal and noble tartans

Tartans in this section are those that are (at least ostensibly) of the current or former

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

or of individual

British nobility The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the gentry of the British Isles. Though the UK is today a constitutional monarchy with strong democratic elements, historically the British Isles were more predisposed towards aristocratic gove ...

members.

UK military or government tartans

A number of tartans, worn by UK military units, are known as government tartans, and are defined in a standard currently maintained by

Defence Equipment and Support Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is a trading entity and joint-defence organisation within the UK Ministry of Defence. It began operating on 2 April 2007, following the merger of the MoD's Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logisti ...

within the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

. They are known by a number, a name, or both. The commonest in regimental use today are royal Stewart (to which a number was not assigned); Government 1, Black Watch; and Government 1A, Sutherland district (a slightly lighter form of Black Watch, and specifically with a lighter green – general-public fashion use often has a lighter blue instead or in addition). For military wear, there are official specifications for the size of the full repeat (tile) of the sett (tartan pattern), which vary by tartan (e.g. 34.5 cm × 34.5 cm for Governemt 1A). In kilt form, the tartans are worn with the central vertical line of the sett on the kilt's front apron running in-line with the buttons of the jacket and with the belt buckle; and the sett horizontally centred between the top of the

sporran The sporran (; Scottish Gaelic for ' purse'), a traditional part of male Scottish Highland dress, is a pouch that functions as a pocket for the kilt. Made of leather or fur, the ornamentation of the sporran is chosen to complement the formality ...

and the bottom of the belt buckle. Exactly how the kilt is pleated (knife or box pleats, and presenting which colour at the pleat edge) varies by unit. The following table includes those government tartans worn by UK military units as from the 2006 creation of the

Royal Regiment of Scotland The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) is the British Army Order of Precedence, senior and only current Scottish regiment, Scottish line infantry Regiment#British Army, regiment of the British Army Infantry. It consists of three regular (form ...

onwards. Some other units may wear a named clan tartan without it being defined by this standard; these are covered in a second table below. For the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the

pipes and drums A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, ...

in each battalion wear the uniform of their antecedent regiment (as listed below) for ceremonial dress purposes, but the Royal Regiment's standard Government 1A for non-ceremonial (and non-combat) undress purposes. A number of other tartans are, since 2014, no longer listed as official uniform material by the Defense Clothing (DC) division of the Ministry of Defence, and "DC do not purchase or hold any of the cloth", but remain in use by some units' pipe bands and may be permitted for some other uses, such as uniform cap cockades, though are "unfunded" (must be provided by the units out of their own budgets). No. 1A was listed among these no-longer-official tartans in 2014, but in 2019 was included in the official tartans of the entire

, so something clearly changed during that period. It is unclear from available official documentation what tartans (ones apparently no longer in British military use at all) correspond to the serial numbers now missing from the specifications: 5, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, 23, 24, and 25.

Scottish clan tartans

The tartans in this list are those ascribed to particular

clans of Scotland A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure r ...

, including

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

Lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of a ...

, Isles, and

Borders A border is a geographical boundary. Border, borders, The Border or The Borders may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Border'' (1997 film), an Indian Hindi-language war film * ''Border'' (2018 Swedish film), ...

clans. Their status varies widely;

armigerous clan An armigerous clan (from armiger) is a Scottish clan, family or name which is registered with the Court of the Lord Lyon and once had a chief who bore undifferenced arms, but does not have a chief currently recognised as such by Lyon Court. Be ...

s generally accept them, while some have been officially adopted or rejected by a

clan chief The Scottish Gaelic word means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief (''ceannard ci ...

Scottish non-clan family tartans

Tartans in this list are ascribed to specific families or surnames, though not to

Scottish clans A Scottish clan (from Scottish Gaelic , literally 'children', more broadly 'kindred') is a kinship group among the Scottish people. Clans give a sense of shared heritage and descent to members, and in modern times have an official structure r ...

; they range in date from 21st century to considerably older.

Welsh family tartans

Beginning in the 21st century, tartans were created in

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

to mainly represent traditionally Welsh family surnames, also through the traditional wearing of "cilts", as the letter ''k'' is non-existent in the

Welsh alphabet Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

Cornish

Organisational tartans

Tartans in this list are modern ones pertaining to particular commercial and non-profit organisations.

Regional tartans

Tartans in these lists were created (mostly in modern times) for particular national and sub-national jurisdictions, most often officially, though with some exceptions.

Australia

Canada

Cornwall

Ireland

The most traditionally associated tartan worn in Ireland is the plain saffron tartan, however, additional Irish tartans were created to represent its

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

and

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

United States

The United States of America has tartans for certain states, as well as tartans that represent each branch and select units of the

U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except th ...

, in a similar manner to the British government.

References

External links

Scottish Register of Tartans

Scottish Tartans Authority
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Tartans Tartan or plaid ( ) is a patterned cloth consisting of crossing horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours, forming repeating symmetrical patterns known as ''setts''. Originating in woven wool, tartan is most strongly associated wi ...