According to Scottish historians and the Lord Lyon King of Arms, Clan MacLellan is an ancient, highly respected family and not a sept of any other clan. The name MacLellan was mentioned in a lost charter of King Alexander of Scotland in 1217 and is identified with Galloway as early as 1273. They possessed lands in Galloway in the reign of Alexander II, 1217, and were hereditary sheriffs of that province. The clan was without leadership during the clan revival in the 19th century, but in 1981, a small group began what is now Clan MacLellan, gathering members from around the world. The "Scottish Diaspora" dispersed MacLellans throughout the world; the largest numbers settled in Ulster, then Nova Scotia, the United States and Canada and some made their way to Australia.