The Scottish surnames of Clan Lamont include dozens of family branches. If you carry the name Lamont, Lucas, or Lamb, your roots may lead to one of Scotland’s oldest Argyll clans. Clan Lamont held the Cowal Peninsula for centuries. They left a deep mark on Scottish history that their diaspora descendants still carry today.
This guide covers the key surnames linked to Clan Lamont, the clan’s Gaelic origins, their tartan, and what happened to the thousands who left Scotland’s west coast for new lives abroad. If your family name appears on this list, Cowal is where your ancestors once called home.
What Does the Name Lamont Mean?
The surname Lamont comes from Old Norse. The word is “lögmaðr,” which means “lawman” or “law man.” It points to an ancestor who held legal authority in the community. Norse settlers brought this name to Scotland’s west coast during the Viking Age.
Over time, the name became Gaelic. It took the form “Mac Laomainn,” meaning “son of the lawman.” This is one of the few Scottish clan names with clear Norse roots. Most west-coast clans picked up Norse influence, but the Lamonts kept it in the family name itself.
This is not a warrior name. It is a name of order and justice. The lawman was someone the community trusted to settle disputes and uphold rules. That legacy shaped how the clan governed its lands for centuries.
Clan Lamont Surnames and Sept Names
Many families belong to Clan Lamont through sept names. A sept is a related family branch that carried a different surname but shared loyalty and land with the main clan.
Here are the key surnames linked to Clan Lamont:
Lamont
The main clan surname. It appears across Argyll in records from the 13th century onwards. Spelling variants include Lament, Lammond, and Lamond.
Lucas and MacLucas
These names mean “son of Luke.” The Lamonts had strong church ties. Luke was a common given name among the clan. Lucas families from Argyll almost certainly have Lamont blood.
Lamb and Lambie
These are shortened forms of the Lamont name. They were common in Cowal and the surrounding area. If your family name is Lamb or Lambie and traces to Argyll, you likely belong to this clan.
Lemmon and Lemon
These English spellings came from “Lamont” as people anglicised their surnames. Many Lamont descendants who moved to lowland Scotland or abroad softened the name over generations.
Limond and Lymond
Another anglicised form, found mostly in southwest Scotland and Ulster. Families with this name often have Lamont ancestry from Cowal.
MacClymont
This name means “son of Lamont” in Gaelic form. It is a direct patronymic. MacClymont families are almost always of Lamont origin.
MacLarmont
A variant of MacLamont, meaning the same thing. Less common but still found in Argyll records from the 16th and 17th centuries.
MacGilchrist
This name means “son of the servant of Christ.” Some MacGilchrist families from Cowal are counted as Lamont septs. They shared clan territory and fought alongside the Lamonts.
MacPatrick and McPatrick
“Son of Patrick” — this sept name appears in Lamont lands. Many Patrick families in Cowal adopted this surname during the medieval period.
MacAlemy
A less common but historically recorded sept of Clan Lamont. Found in old Argyll church records.
Black
Some Black families in Argyll are counted as Lamont septs. Their loyalty linked them to the main clan through geography and shared history.
Gillies
Meaning “servant of Jesus,” some Gillies families from Argyll fall within Lamont clan territory.
Burdon
A few Burdon families in Cowal connected to the Lamont sept structure through 17th-century land and marriage ties.
Turner
A small number of Turner families from the Cowal area appear in Lamont sept records. This is a rare connection but it is historically noted.
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Clan Lamont: Lords of Cowal
The Lamont clan held the Cowal Peninsula for centuries. Cowal is the stretch of land between the Firth of Clyde and Loch Fyne, directly across the water from Gourock. It is one of Scotland’s most beautiful and least-visited corners.
The first recorded Lamont ancestor was Ferchar, who held land in Argyll in the 13th century. His grandson Laumon formally built the family’s presence on Cowal. By the 14th century, the clan held much of the southern peninsula.
Their main strongholds were Castle Toward and Ascog Castle. Both sat near Dunoon, the peninsula’s main town. Castle Toward still stands today as a historic venue you can visit.
The Lamonts were not a large or powerful clan by Highland standards. They held their lands through careful alliances and local authority. Their Norse name — “lawmen” — reflects how they governed. They used rule of law, not just force.
The Dunoon Massacre of 1646
The worst moment in Lamont clan history came in June 1646. Historians call it the Dunoon Massacre. It stands as one of the most brutal war crimes of 17th-century Scotland.
During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the Lamonts backed the Royalist cause. The Campbells, their powerful neighbours, fought for the Covenanters. Campbell forces besieged Castle Toward and Ascog Castle.
The Lamonts surrendered. They did so under terms of quarter — meaning the Campbells promised mercy. Sir Colin Lamont of Toward handed over the castles in good faith.
The Campbells broke that promise.
Around 200 Lamont prisoners and civilians went to Dunoon churchyard. There, the Campbells killed them. Some men were hanged. Others were stabbed. Some were buried alive in mass graves while still breathing. It was a slaughter of people who had already surrendered.
The clan never fully recovered. Their numbers fell sharply. The Campbells took much of the Lamont land. This single event reshaped the clan’s future — and sent many survivors and their descendants toward the emigrant ships in the generations that followed.
Justice came slowly. After King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, a tribunal looked at the events of 1646. Sir Colin Campbell of Ardkinglas stood trial for ordering the massacre. He was found guilty and executed in Edinburgh in 1661. But the damage to the Lamonts was already done.
This event drives deep feeling in Lamont descendants today. It is the kind of history that explains why a family left Scotland and never came back. You can read about a similar betrayal in our piece on the Glencoe Massacre — another story of Campbells breaking the rules of surrender.
The Clan Lamont Tartan
The Clan Lamont tartan is registered and recognised. It uses dark blues and greens with thin crossing lines of red and white. The colours reflect the Cowal landscape — cold water, dark hills, and the quiet strength of a people who endured great loss.
You can find the tartan on the Scottish Register of Tartans website. The Clan Lamont Society also sells checked products.
For diaspora descendants, wearing the Lamont tartan is an act of pride. After everything the clan lost in the 17th and 18th centuries, claiming the tartan connects you to something that survived.
The Highland Clearances and Lamont Emigration
The 18th and 19th centuries brought more hardship. The Highland Clearances removed thousands of people from Argyll land. Landlords turned farmland over to sheep. Families had to leave.
Lamont families were among those who went. They sailed to:
- Canada — Nova Scotia drew many Argyll families. Cape Breton Island still has strong Scottish Gaelic traditions because of these migrations.
- United States — The Carolinas, New York, and Virginia received large numbers of Scottish immigrants from Argyll. Lamont surnames appear in American census records from the 18th century.
- Australia — New South Wales and Victoria saw Lamont settlement from the 1820s onwards. Many were assisted emigrants from cleared Argyll estates.
- New Zealand — The South Island, especially Otago and Southland, became home to many Highland families including Lamonts.
These were not holidays. They were acts of survival. But the communities built abroad carried Scottish identity with them. Their descendants now search for what was left behind.
Other Argyll clans made the same journey. The Campbells and the MacDonalds both sent waves of emigrants across the Atlantic in this period.
Where to Visit: Lamont Clan Lands in Scotland
If your family name connects to Clan Lamont, Cowal is where your ancestors lived. Here is what to see:
Castle Toward, near Dunoon — The main Lamont stronghold. The current building is a later structure on the clan’s original site. It works as a heritage venue and event space today.
Dunoon — The site of the 1646 massacre. Dunoon is the gateway to Cowal. You can reach it by ferry from Gourock in about 20 minutes. The old St Munn’s churchyard is where the massacre took place.
Kilmun Church and Burial Ground — On the shores of Holy Loch, this is one of the historic Lamont burial sites in Argyll. The church is among the oldest in the area.
Kilfinan Church, Cowal — Another ancient Lamont burial site. The church sits in a quiet valley south of Otter Ferry, well off the tourist trail.
Our full Scottish Heritage Trip Planning Guide gives you a step-by-step itinerary for visiting ancestral clan lands across Scotland.
How to Trace Your Lamont Ancestry
If you believe you have Lamont roots, start here:
- Check your family records for any of the surnames on this list.
- Search ScotlandsPeople for Lamont, MacClymont, or Lambie records in Argyll.
- Look at Old Parish Records from Cowal parishes: Dunoon, Kilmun, Kilfinan, Strachur, and Lochgoilhead.
- Contact the Clan Lamont Society, which keeps genealogy records and can connect you with distant relatives.
- Think about DNA testing. If your family tree points to Scotland’s west coast, Y-DNA testing can confirm Lamont links.
Our full guide — How to Trace Your Scottish Ancestry — walks you through every record type and archive in detail. It is the best starting point for anyone beginning a Scottish ancestry search.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Clan Lamont
What does the Lamont surname mean?
Lamont comes from the Old Norse word “lögmaðr,” meaning “lawman” or “judge.” Norse settlers brought the name to Scotland’s west coast. It became the Gaelic “Mac Laomainn,” meaning “son of the lawman.”
Where did Clan Lamont come from?
Clan Lamont came from the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, on Scotland’s west coast. Their lands stretched across southern Cowal, near Dunoon. They held the area from at least the 13th century.
What happened at the Dunoon Massacre of 1646?
Campbell forces besieged Lamont castles and accepted the clan’s surrender under a promise of mercy. They then killed around 200 Lamont prisoners and civilians at Dunoon churchyard — some were buried alive. The Campbell leader responsible was later executed for the war crime in 1661.
What is the Clan Lamont tartan?
The Clan Lamont tartan is registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans. It features dark blues and greens with thin lines of red and white. You can search for it at tartanregister.gov.uk or find it through the Clan Lamont Society.
What sept names belong to Clan Lamont?
Key Lamont sept names include: Lucas, Lamb, Lambie, Lemmon, Lemon, Limond, MacClymont, MacLarmont, MacGilchrist, MacPatrick, MacLucas, MacAlemy, Black (in Cowal), Gillies, and Burdon. If you carry any of these names with Argyll roots, you likely have Lamont ancestry.
Where did Lamont families emigrate to?
Lamont families went mainly to Canada (especially Nova Scotia and Cape Breton), the United States (the Carolinas and New York), Australia (New South Wales and Victoria), and New Zealand (Otago and Southland) during the 18th and 19th centuries.