Clans

Clan Donald

Honored Clan for the 2020 Games

Clan Donald USA, Inc. is a nation-wide organization of almost 4,000 families who trace their ancestry to any of the branches of Clann Domhnaill or to the more than 156 names and affiliated families which constitute the total clan. Clan Donald USA embraces all the MacDonalds and other surnames that are recognized as branches or adherents of the greatest of the Highland clans.

Clan Donald USA is an affiliation of persons who qualify by reason of blood, kinship, marriage or legal adoption. Name alone does not count. Clanship is a family matter that transcends nationality, and we regard ourselves as an extended family.

We are led by a fine team of clans-folk — all appointed by, or by the authority of, our High Chief, Lord Godfrey James Macdonald of Macdonald and the High Council of Clan Donald Chiefs composed of the Right Honorable Godfrey James Macdonald of Macdonald, Lord Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald; the Much Honored Sir Ian Bosville Macdonald of Sleat, Baronet of Nova Scotia, Chief of Clan Uisdein; the Much Honoured Aneas Ranald Euan MacDonell of Glengarry, Chief of Glengarry; the Much Honored Ranald Alexander Macdonald of Clanranald, the Captain and Chief of Clanranald; and the Right Honorable Alexander Randal Mark MacDonnell, the Earl of Antrim, Chief of Antrim.

We call ourselves “Clan Donald” rather than “Clan MacDonald” to recognize the diversity of names within our extended family. Even the name “MacDonald” has a variety of spellings — MacDonald, McDonald, MacDonell, McDonnell, MacDaniel, MacConnell, MacWhannell, MacKinnell – as well as the anglicized versions of Donald, Donaldson, Connell and others.