As you may know, the Gillis family comes from Scotland. Previously I have been reporting that we are actually a clan and not just a family. After much research into this subject, I am afraid to report that I was misinformed. Contrary to the beliefs of many people there are not that many actual scottish clans.
There are only 101 clans in scotland total. The family Gillis is a member of the famous Clan MacPherson, and consequently we are allowed to wear the MacPherson tartan as well as the Gillis tartan. The Gillis family unique in that we actually have our own tartan, most families simply use the tartan of their clan. The MacPherson Clan itself is part of the larger Clan Chattan, which is where we get our crest from. The original Gillis was named Gillies MacPherson. Gillies MacPherson lived in the Lothian region of Scotland in the 12th century. Gillies (with the E) is how the name Gillis was originally spelled. Over the years, names get modified, consequently many of us are now named Gillis. This is simply a difference in nomenclature, there is no difference in the family line.