Clan Fraser is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. It is not to be confused with the Clan Fraser of Lovat who are a separate Scottish clan of the Scottish Highlands (though with a common ancestry). Both clans have their own separate chief, both of whom are officially recognized by the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. History Origins of the clan The exact origins of the surname "Fraser" can not be determined with any great certainty. The Frasers are believed to have come from Plantagenet Anjou in France. Traditionally it is thought to have originated in France, but the Oxford Dictionary of Family Names (2016) notes there is no place name in France corresponding with the earliest spellings of the name "de Fresel", "de Friselle", and "de Freseliere", and suggests the possibility it represents a Gaelic name "corrupted beyond recognition by Anglo-French scribes". By the way, the name Fraser may be an altered form of the French patronymic Fresel. The French surname Fresel meant "ribbon, braid" in Old French and was probably the nickname for such merchants. In fact, the surnames Fresel and Frezel are now centred on Normandy and Artois/French Flanders and not in Anjou because Fresel/Frezel were historically Plantagenet. It sounds like a derived form of fraise which means "strawberry" in French and such popular etymologies explain many badges and coats of arms. The first Fraser to appear in Scotland was in about 1160 when Simon Fraser held lands at Keith in East Lothian. Wars of Scottish Independence About five generations after the first Simon Fraser, another Simon Fraser was captured fighting for Robert the Bruce and was executed in 1306 by Edward I of England. Simon’s cousin was Alexander Fraser of Cowie who was Bruce’s chamberlain. He married Bruce’s sister Mary. Alexander Fraser’s younger brother was another Sir Simon Fraser, from whom the chiefs of the Clan Fraser of Lovat are descended. One of Simon Fraser’s grandsons was Sir Alexander Fraser of Cowie and Durris. This Alexander Fraser acquired a castle now called Cairnbulg Castle and the lands of Philorth by marriage to Joanna, younger daughter and co-heiress of the Earl of Ross in 1375. Frasers of Philorth In 1592, Sir Alexander Fraser of Philorth received charters from James VI of Scotland for the fishing village of Faithlie which later became the town of Fraserburgh. Sir Alexander Fraser was also authorized to found a university in