A sept may be described as a family
group or a small clan which, f or
protection, has allied itself to a larger
(and stronger) clan pledging, to come
to the assistance of the larger clan in
time of need. The late Chief, James
MacArthur, instructed that the
MacArthurs had no septs though some
publications, such as “Scots Kith &
Kin,” list some. Clan Campbell and
Clan MacDonald are two clans which
list "MacArthur" as a sept.
Following is a guide to some of the many variant spellings of the name MacArthur. The old axiom that “Mac” names are Scotch and “Mc” names are Irish is totally false, as such prefixes can be found in both countries. Where long lists of names of Scots were tediously handwritten by scribes, the task was made easier by using an apostrophe instead of the prefix, so such forms “M’Arthur” often were recorded.
It is possible some of the names listed are related to MacCarthys of Southern Ireland,
MacArtans of Northern Ireland or even MacCartneys of unknown origin. It is equally
possible that MacCarthy, MacArtan and MacCartney are septs of Clan Arthur. For this
reason the list may contain inaccuracies. M' and Mc are abbreviations of Mac. “The
Surnames of Scotland,” by George Fraser Black, may answer some questions relative
to names.
