Clan MacEwen
MacEwen is a Cowal clan whose chiefs held Otter on Loch Fyne until the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. No chief is recognised today, so it is an armigerous clan, with later families around Loch Lomond and in Galloway.
History
The MacEwens take their name from Ewen, in Gaelic Eoghainn. Electric Scotland names the earliest chief on record as Eoghain na h-Oitrich, Ewen of Otter, in the early thirteenth century. Otter is a point of land on the Cowal shore of Loch Fyne in Argyll, and the family's later title was Ewen of Otter. Early dates in clan histories are traditional rather than documented, so we treat them with care.
The Electric Scotland account says Swene MacEwen granted a charter of the Otter lands to Duncan Campbell in 1431 or 1432 and resigned the barony to the Crown. The king later returned it to a Campbell, and the Register of Tartans notes the same 1432 link between the two families. Sources disagree about when Swene died. One family-history article gives 1493 and says he left no lawful heir. Electric Scotland gives 1513, when James V confirmed the barony on the Earl of Argyll.
Whichever date is right, the clan lost its Loch Fyne homeland. Clan tradition has many MacEwens moving east to the Lennox country around Loch Lomond. The Ewing family-history article suggests a William MacEwen may have led the move, and argues that the family reached Ladytoun in Dumbartonshire sometime between 1560 and 1589, later than the old story implies. The same author holds that the surname Ewing grew out of MacEwen once the Mac was dropped. That is one writer's case, not a settled fact.
Tradition also says that MacEwens fought for Mary, Queen of Scots, at Langside in 1568. Because they lived on Lennox land, that would have set them against their feudal superior, the Earl of Lennox. The Ewing article treats this as inference and oral tradition, and we cannot confirm it. The Register of Tartans adds that MacEwans settled in Lennox, Lochaber and Galloway, and Electric Scotland says some went to Perthshire.
Today the MacEwens are an armigerous clan. The Council of Scottish Clans and Associations lists a Commander, not a chief, and gives the motto Reviresco, 'I grow strong again'. A commander speaks for the clan society without holding the chiefship. The MacEwen Clan Society's cairn at the castle ruins on Loch Fyne, raised in 1990, shows the old homeland is still remembered.
Clan MacEwen tartans
Names and reference numbers follow the Scottish Register of Tartans. Mills sell most setts in modern, ancient and weathered colourways. The pattern is the same; only the shades change.
MacEwenClan tartan · Register ref. 2428The Register says this sett looks like Campbell of Loudoun, apart from the red stripe. It links the two through the 1432 annexation of the Otter lands to Campbell territory, and draws on Johnston's 1906 book on clan and sept tartans.
MacEwen (1880)Clan tartan · Register ref. 2427Taken from a woven sample in the 1880 Clans Originaux, this version alternates single and double black lines on the blue bands. The Register says its count was estimated from a poor photograph in 2004.
Get the kilt
When you order a kilt, ask for the tartan by its full name — for example “MacEwen” — and say which colourway you want. “Modern” is dark and strong, “ancient” is lighter, “weathered” is muted. The sett is the same in each.
We are choosing retailers we trust and will list them here soon.
Wear the colours
Our own MacEwen range is on its way: the name, the tartan and the motto on a heavyweight tee, a hoodie and a mug. About the shop.
Lands and seats
- MacEwen's Castle, Otter. Ruins on the Loch Fyne shore, where the MacEwen Clan Society raised a cairn in 1990. Electric Scotland places the chiefs' old lands here.
Surnames
The clan name and its spellings
- MacEwen
- MacEwan
Names associated with Clan MacEwen
- Ewen
- Ewan
- Ewing
- Owen
- Quinn
- Keown
- Kewan
- Eunson
- MacOwen
- MacQuinn
- Ewen: Listed by COSCA.
- Ewan: Listed by COSCA.
- Ewing: Listed by COSCA. Family historians link it to the Lennox MacEwens, but the link is argued rather than proved, and Ewing is also claimed to have other origins.
- Owen: Listed by COSCA; also a common Welsh name.
- Quinn: Listed by COSCA; also an Irish name.
- Keown: Listed by COSCA.
- Kewan: Listed by COSCA.
- Eunson: Listed by COSCA.
- MacOwen: Listed by COSCA as Mac Owen.
- MacQuinn: Listed by COSCA as Mac Quinn.
“Associated” means the name appears in published sept lists for this clan. It does not prove descent, and many names are linked to more than one clan. Where your family lived is often the better clue.
Questions people ask
What is the MacEwen tartan?
The Scottish Register of Tartans lists a MacEwen/MacEwan sett in green, blue and black with tan yellow and red lines, recorded as 2002. A second version comes from the 1880 Clans Originaux.
What is the MacEwen motto?
COSCA gives the motto as Reviresco, Latin for 'I grow strong again'.
Does Clan MacEwen have a chief?
No chief is recognised at present, so the clan is armigerous. COSCA lists a Commander, who leads the clan society but is not a chief.
Where do the MacEwens come from?
Their early chiefs held Otter on Loch Fyne in Cowal, Argyll. After the Campbells took the lands, families are said to have moved to Lennox, Galloway and elsewhere.
Sources
- MacEwen — COSCA - Council of Scottish Clans & Associations
- The clan MacEwen trace — Electric Scotland
- Ewing Thor WhoWere — Ewing Family Association
- MacEwen/MacEwan (ref. 2428) — Scottish Register of Tartans
- MacEwen (Clans Originaux) (ref. 2427) — Scottish Register of Tartans
Clan histories are contested and sources disagree. If you can correct something here with a source, write to hello@tartanflag.com. Last updated 1 November 2026.