Clan Rising

Clan Grant

also Clan Grant, Grand, le Grand

Stand fast, Craigellachie — the clan of Strathspey.

Origin
The Highlands & Islands, Scotland
Motto
Stand fast
Famous bearer
Sir James Grant of Grant (1738–1811), founder of Grantown-on-Spey
Register
Scottish clan
Territory of Grant

CoreHistoric reach

The seat of Clan Grant

Seat vacant

Chief

No one leads the Clan Grant community yet. When the movement opens, you can stand for its leadership, or help elect whoever does.

Current mission

No shared goal set yet. Once Clan Grant has leadership, it sets the public focus: a restoration, a gathering, a real-world project that helps its own.

The Grant clan is being rebuilt. Join the waiting list for the movement today, and you help decide who leads it and what it does.

Help rebuild the Grant clan →

Motto

Stand fast

What does the Grant name mean?

Most likely from the Anglo-Norman French le grand, 'the great' or 'the tall', a byname carried north by a twelfth- or thirteenth-century incomer family. Gaelic tradition instead links the Grants to the ancient Siol Alpin kindred alongside the MacGregors. Whatever the root, by the fourteenth century the Grants were a settled Strathspey power, lords of Freuchie and, from 1694, of the regality of Grant.

The history of Clan Grant

The Grants emerged around Inverness and Stratherrick in the thirteenth century and pushed south-east into Strathspey, the broad valley of the upper Spey that became the clan's heartland. From the chiefly seat at Castle Grant near Grantown, the Grants of Freuchie held Speyside, Glen Urquhart and Glenmoriston by Loch Ness, and the birch-and-pine country on the edge of the Cairngorms was Grant ground for five centuries.

The clan was Protestant and broadly pro-government through the civil wars and the Jacobite risings, though Grant of Glenmoriston and other cadet lines came out for the Stuarts in the '45 and the clan's loyalties split as so many did. Sir James Grant of Grant, 'the Good Sir James' (1738–1811), founded the planned town of Grantown-on-Spey in 1765 as a model settlement for his tenantry, and the Grant lairds shaped modern Speyside, its whisky distilleries among them.

The name travelled widely with the Highland diaspora. Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the Union general who took Vicksburg and Richmond and served as eighteenth President of the United States, descended from a seventeenth-century emigrant of the Scottish-origin name. Duncan Grant (1885–1978), the Bloomsbury painter, was born a Grant of Rothiemurchus in the clan's own country; the actor Hugh Grant (b. 1960) carries the name in modern British film.

Step Into History

Walk the streets and seats the Grant name knew — a photoreal walk through time, on foot.

Step Into History · New

Walk Inverness in 1745Enter →

The old castle above the River Ness, the market cross and the seven-arched bridge — on the eve of Culloden.

Notable bearers of the Grant name

  • Sir James Grant of Grant (1738–1811), founder of Grantown-on-Spey
  • Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), Union general and US President
  • Duncan Grant (1885–1978), Bloomsbury painter
  • Hugh Grant (b. 1960), actor

Stories of Clan Grant

Frequently asked

What does the surname Grant mean?

Most likely from the Anglo-Norman French le grand, 'the great' or 'the tall', a byname carried north by a twelfth- or thirteenth-century incomer family. Gaelic tradition instead links the Grants to the ancient Siol Alpin kindred alongside the MacGregors. Whatever the root, by the fourteenth century the Grants were a settled Strathspey power, lords of Freuchie and, from 1694, of the regality of Grant. The Grants emerged around Inverness and Stratherrick in the thirteenth century and pushed south-east into Strathspey, the broad valley of the upper Spey that became the clan's heartland.

Where does the Grant family come from?

The Grant family is rooted in The Highlands & Islands, in Scotland. Within that, the name was particularly concentrated in Badenoch & Strathspey. The atlas page for the name records the historical territory it has held over the centuries.

Where did the Grant family historically hold territory?

At its greatest historical extent, the Grant name has been concentrated in Moray, Inverness & the Aird and Easter Ross & Cromarty. The atlas page distinguishes the core territory of the name from this wider historical reach with hatched silhouettes on the map.

Is Grant a Scotland surname?

Yes, Grant is a Scotland surname. Its editorial home in this atlas is Scotland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated.

How old is the Grant surname?

The Grants emerged around Inverness and Stratherrick in the thirteenth century and pushed south-east into Strathspey, the broad valley of the upper Spey that became the clan's heartland. European hereditary surnames crystallised broadly between the 12th and 14th centuries, and the Grant name took its modern form within that long settlement.

What is the Grant family known for?

Stand fast, Craigellachie — the clan of Strathspey. The Grants emerged around Inverness and Stratherrick in the thirteenth century and pushed south-east into Strathspey, the broad valley of the upper Spey that became the clan's heartland.

What is the Grant motto?

The motto of the Grant family is "Stand fast". Family mottoes were registered with the chief of the name and carried on the heraldic arms and battle-banners.

Who is the most famous Grant?

The best-known bearer of the Grant name is Sir James Grant of Grant (1738–1811), founder of Grantown-on-Spey. Other prominent figures of the family include Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), Union general and US President, Duncan Grant (1885–1978), Bloomsbury painter and Hugh Grant (b. 1960), actor.

Who are some famous Grants?

Notable bearers of the Grant name include Sir James Grant of Grant (1738–1811), founder of Grantown-on-Spey, Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), Union general and US President, Duncan Grant (1885–1978), Bloomsbury painter and Hugh Grant (b. 1960), actor. Each is profiled on the family page, with cross-links to the geography, stories, and historical events tied to their life.

What stories are told about the Grant family?

The Grant family is associated with Stand Fast, Craigellachie. Each story has its own page on this site with the full account, the date, the location, and the other families involved.

What is the story of Stand Fast, Craigellachie?

The war-cry of Clan Grant is 'Stand Fast, Craigellachie! ', a command to rally and hold firm at the Tor of Craigellachie, the steep, birch-clad rock that rises above Aviemore at the head of Strathspey. The event is dated to Traditional.

Is Clan Grant the same family as Grant?

Yes. Clan Grant is a historical spelling variant of the Grant name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Is Grand the same family as Grant?

Yes. Grand is a historical spelling variant of the Grant name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Is le Grand the same family as Grant?

Yes. le Grand is a historical spelling variant of the Grant name. The two share the same lineage and family affiliation; different parishes, clerks and migration registrars recorded the same name in slightly different forms, and the variant spellings sit on the same family tree.

Where is the Grant surname found today?

Scotland is the primary historical home of the Grant surname. In the modern era, the name is also borne across the wider diaspora, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where families carry the line of descent from the same Scotland origin recorded on this page.

What does the Clan Rising page for the Grant family cover?

The Clan Rising page for the Grant family covers the meaning of the surname, the historical geography of the name, the family motto, famous bearers of the name, traditional stories and the seat of the head of the family. Each section is linked to the underlying atlas of Scotland so the name can be read in the geography that shaped it.

Who is the head of the Grant family today?

The seat for the head of the Grant family is currently vacant on this register. Clan Rising is rebuilding the chief and family structure for the modern era, and the family page allows readers to claim the seat or pledge to the name.

Neighbouring clans