MacTavish: Last Name Origin and Family Crest

Behind the MacTavish surname stands Thomson, a Scottish name that clerks and families wrote in more than one way.

Before spelling was fixed, Thomson was also written MacTavish. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.

Arms linked to Thomson and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Get the complete MacTavish report, with a museum-style coat of arms.