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
#7

Ranked of all time

The 10 Oldest Clans in Scotland

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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.

Historic Places, Rebuilt

Explore the streets and seats the Grant name knew, rebuilt with AI as they stood in history.

Or recreate your own castle →

Historic Places, Rebuilt · New

Explore Urquhart Castle in 1509Enter →

The great castle guarding the Great Glen, newly granted to the Grants of Freuchie, whole above Loch Ness.

Historic Places, Rebuilt · New

Explore Inverness in 1745Enter →

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

Castles the Grant held

Strongholds this name held for a decade or more, look one up, or rebuild it to explore.

  • Urquhart Castle

    Granted to the Grants in 1509, later the Earls of Seafield, and held for centuries.

  • Castle Grant

    Main stronghold and seat of the chiefs of Clan Grant from the fifteenth century until the family sold it in 1983; renamed from Freuchie Castle in 1694.

  • Ballindalloch Castle

    The lands passed to the Grants in 1499.

  • Muckrach Castle

    Built in 1598 by Patrick Grant as the original seat of the Grants of Rothiemurchus, a branch of Clan Grant.

Castles that share the Grant name

The same name on the map, look one up, see what it looked like in its prime, and recreate it to explore.

Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes, GreecePalace of the Grand Master of the Knights of RhodesRestored · prime 1480Castle Grant, ScotlandCastle GrantRestored · prime 1694

All castles in Scotland → · Strongest castles in Scotland → · Castles of Europe

Play As Your Clan

Explore history as a GrantStart your story →

Pick any year from 500 to 1945 and any place on earth, the Grant country, or a shore no Grant ever reached. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.

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 Scottish or Irish?

Grant is a Scottish surname; its home on this atlas is Scotland, where the historical territory and family record of the name are concentrated. The same or similar spellings can surface in Irish records, but the lineage documented on this page is the Scottish one.

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.

Is there a Grant family crest or coat of arms?

There is no single coat of arms that belongs to everyone named Grant. Heraldic arms were granted to individuals and descend through specific documented lines, so a "family crest" matched to a surname alone is decorative rather than genealogical. In Scots heraldry the convention is different again: clansfolk wear the chief's crest inside a strap-and-buckle badge, the crest stays the chief's property, worn in allegiance rather than owned. The motto associated with the principal line is "Stand fast".

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