Tartan is a series of horizontal and vertical stripes that repeat in both directions to form a pattern.
Although the origin of tartan is largely unknown, it is believed that early celtic weavers in Ireland and Scotland developed very basic striped cloths, using yarn coloured with vegetable dyes. Scottish clans began creating tartans in the seventeenth century as a form of identity but today you have tartans mainly for surnames and even companies.
If your last name doesn’t have a tartan, that doesn’t mean you can’t create one yourself. The website tartandesigner.com lets you design your own tartan using any colours you desire. It even creates a mock-up (by clicking the photo option) of what the design would look like as real fabric — which you can then print.