TIMOR OMNIS ABESTO
“Let Fear Be Far From All”
MacNab — McNab — McNabb — MacNabb
Sons of the Abbot. Blood of the first Kings of Scots.
We have never broken.
TIMOR OMNIS ABESTO
“Let Fear Be Far From All”
Sons of the Abbot. Blood of the first Kings of Scots.
We have never broken.
The name descends from the Gaelic Mac an Aba, meaning “Son of the Abbot.” The founding progenitor was traditionally the Abbot of Glendochart and Strathearn, a descendant of Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scots.
Across centuries and continents, the name spread and changed in the writing but never in the blood: MacNab (the original Highland Scots form), Macnab (common in records), McNab (simplified in later centuries), McNabb (widespread in the Scottish diaspora, particularly in Canada and America), and MacNabb. All roots trace to the same clan seat in Glen Dochart, Perthshire.
The earliest written record of the name appears in documents dated to 1124, during the reign of King David I of Scotland.
Clan MacNab stands among Scotland’s oldest lineages, tracing its ancestry to the Cenél Loairn, a branch of the ancient Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. This is the same bloodline shared by the House of Alpin, dynasty of Scotland’s earliest kings.
The clan’s founders were the hereditary Celtic abbots of Glendochart, near Killin in Perthshire. Their territory stretched from Tyndrum to the shores of Loch Tay. Their castle at Eilean Ran commanded the River Lochay and the strategic Port of Ran, a seat of real power in the Highland world.
The clan motto is not a boast. It is a declaration. Forged through centuries of war, loyalty, exile, and return.
Let fear be far from all.
Through the Centuries
Kenneth MacAlpin unites the Picts and Gaels, forging the first Kingdom of Scotland. By clan tradition, the MacNab lineage traces to his royal bloodline.
The MacNab name appears in documented records during the reign of King David I of Scotland.
Clan MacNab and the MacDougalls oppose Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Dalry. The MacNab lands are stripped. Only the barony of Bovain survives.
King David II grants a royal charter to Gilbert MacNab. The first undisputed chief is recognized. The clan rebuilds from a single barony.
Chief Finlay MacNab defeats Clan MacNeish in open battle, cementing MacNab dominance over Loch Tay and Glen Dochart.
“Smooth John” MacNab’s twelve sons carry a boat over the mountains and destroy Clan MacNeish on their island. The MacNeish head becomes the clan crest.
The MacNabs fight alongside Clan Robertson and Clan Ogilvy under Montrose in one of his most decisive Royalist victories.
Archibald MacNab, 17th Chief, leads 500 clan members to the Ottawa River Valley, Canada. The township of McNab is established.
The 24th Chief, James “Jamie” William McNab of Macnab, leads the clan. The name endures on every continent.
Legacy
1734 — 1816
One of the most striking figures in Scottish portraiture. Sir Henry Raeburn painted him in 1802, the image now hanging in Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow. He embodied the old Highland chief: fierce, proud, unbending.
1798 — 1862
Born in Canada of Scottish descent, he rose to become Prime Minister of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1856. A soldier, politician, and the most powerful MacNab in North American history.
Born 1952
Four-star General, U.S. Air Force. 9th Commander of U.S. Transportation Command, overseeing $56 billion in strategic assets and 150,000 personnel. 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. 37 years of distinguished service.
Brotherhood
Recorded historical alliances and kinship
The Official Body
Killin, Perthshire
Ancestral heart of Clan MacNab, Glen DochartThe Clan Macnab Society is the official body of the clan, maintaining records, gatherings, and connection for MacNabs worldwide.