Welsh
Hopkins Tartans & Clan
Hopkins is a medieval name which originates from Anglo-Saxon times where it is spread across Wales as well as in Scotland and Ireland. The name is largely concentrated in southern Wales along the Swansea valleys and its early patronymic form was Hopcyn, with some members of this dynasty believed to have traced their lineage back to Rhodri Mawr who as the first ruler of Wales in the 9th century.
Who Wears Hopkins Tartan? - Associated Names
First of all to explain why there are so many tartans, way over 2000 in fact. There are an awful lot of Scottish clans to start with and on top of this each clan can have many different tartans and names associated with it.
- Habbagan
- Hopcyn
- Hopcyns
- Hopkin
- Hopkines
- Hopkins
- Hopkinson
- Hopkyns
- Hopper
- Hoppner
- Popcin
- Popkin
Hopkins Tartans
1 variationsEach tartan can have multiple variations, the most common of which are Ancient, Modern, Weathered, Hunting and Dress
About tartan variations
- Ancient
- Modern
- Weathered
- Hunting
- One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if
Ancient Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans, mossy greens and sky blues, a more orangey red and some would say showing off the pattern to much greater effect as as the contrasts are much brighter than the Modern tartans. The pattern or sett remains the same across all variations of a single tartan, and only the shades or tones vary.
Helpful Advice
Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Modern Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer colours typical of the Ancient tartans. Post 1860 chemical dyes replaced the natural animal and vegetable dyes and the Modern Tartans were born with their stronger and bolder colours. The soft greens and blues become bottle green and navy blue, reds are scarlet.
Helpful Advice
The Modern tartans are often the more subtle combinations such as the classic Black Watch Modern
Weathered Tartan
Before 1860 fabrics were coloured using animal and vegetable dyes. This produced the softer, more earthy colours typical of the Weathered tartans, reminiscent of bolder colours subjected to wind, rain and sunshine producing beautiful faded tones, olive greens and browns, and very light blues with reds that are more pink than red.
Helpful Advice
Some mills refer to the Weathered tartans as Muted.
Hunting Tartan
The Hunting Tartans are the camouflage tartans and some clans don't have these variations because they are already predominantly green or brown and don't need amendment to blend in with nature's colours. The Black Watch or Gunn tartans are examples of these, whereas a tartan such as the Fraser is predominantly red and would not provide much cover for men out hunting.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if Tartan
The Dress Tartans were designed as the name suggests for celebrations and highland dance. The sett or pattern of the tartan remains the same and the main colour is changed to white, or extra white is added to the pattern to give it a brighter, more "fancy" appearance. The Scots do like to bend the rules and occasionally instead of white thread, yellow is used and this is where the rather wild MacLeod Dress Modern and Barclay Dress Modern came from.
Helpful Advice
One thing to remember if you are ordering your tartan to match an existing kilt or accessory is that although the sett and colours are the same, there can be a slight difference in colour from one mill to the next. This is purely down to yarn dying so if you need an exact match we suggest you order a swatch to double check.
From the Start
Hopkins Clan Origins & History
Explore the History
How it all started
Hopkins is a medieval name which originates from Anglo-Saxon times where is spread across Wales as well as in Scotland and Ireland. The name is largely concentrated in southern Wales along the Swansea valleys and its early patronymic form was Hopcyn, with some members of this dynasty believed to have traced their lineage back to Rhodri Mawr who as the first ruler of Wales in the 9th century. The surname Hopkins was first found in Oxfordshire at Swalcliffe where a family of this name has resided since the 13th century.
What's in the tartan?
The Hopkins Welsh tartan is mainly a dark green and has blue, red and white stripes running throughout.
Rhodri Mawr
Rhodr Mawr inherited the Kingdom of Gweynedd after his father and he is widely known for being the first to unite all three of the largest Welsh kingdoms and defend them all against the Vikings in the late 9th century. He continued to defend the kingdoms of Wales against the Saxons and the Vikings throughout his rule, however, the Vikings managed to drive him to abolishment in Southern Ireland but he did in fact return after a year to reclaim his rightful lands.
The name Hopkins literally means 'son of Hob', with Hob itself originating from the Germanic warrior name of Hrod-berht, which connotates to 'renowned-fame'.
The Hopkins family motto is 'Inter primos', meaning 'Among the first'.
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