(arms never matriculated, but recorded in 1722)
(arms without supporters matriculated 1742)
(arms matriculated 1957)
Clan MacMillan Genealogy
The age, history, and unique structure of Clan MacMillan (it's three branches in different parts of Scotland) makes for a difficult genealogy, with many descendants of Maolan/Gillemaol bearing different surnames - some as clans in their own right, and others as septs of Clan MacMillan. This is further complicated by the two original Gaelic versions of the clan surname, both of which are difficult for English-speakers to pronounce or interpret - thus leading to a plethora of phonetic versions of the surname (i.e. different spellings), and further septnames. Please see the separate Guide to Clan Genealogy page - accessed by a link on the side bar to the left - for more about these matters; and please note that where any or all bearers of the clan surname are referred to, the neutral spelling M'millan is often used on this website to stand for Macmillan, MacMillan, McMillan, and all other possible variants.
For the reasons mentioned above it is almost impossible to trace even the chiefs all the way back to the clan's progenitor and his immediate descendants who are documented in the 12th and 13th centuries. Indeed there is no proven line of descent available for any M'millan chiefly line until the mid-17th century, when the present chief's ancestors became the lairds of Dunmore. Though M'millans can be found in Murlagan - bearing at this stage only patronymic names, not surnames - as early as the mid-16th century, and can be traced from then until the early 18th century, a gap from 1717 to 1745 makes it impossible to prove the descent of the later clan chiefs in Lochaber. The first M'millans of Brockloch are also on record in the mid-16th century, though it's not until the mid-17th century that their exact descent becomes clear. The proven lines for all three chiefly families can accessed by clicking the appropriate coat of arms below.
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| McMillan of Brockloch
& Holm of Dalquhairn (arms never matriculated, but recorded in 1722) |
MacMillan of Dunmore (arms without supporters matriculated 1742) |
Macmillan of Murlagan (arms matriculated 1957) |
These chiefly genealogies were compiled
for Project MAOL - Macmillan Ancestry
On Line which does the same for other M'millan families.
Please click the above link to access such trees and the MAOL Search Indexes
listing thousands of individual M'millans over 10 centuries.