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Arant

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An Arant line originating in Poland from the Arantowicz surname found three close DNA matches to the surname MacQuarrie.  The original Gaelic spelling for MacQuarrie is MacGuaran or MacGuarrie.  It is believed that Arantowicz is a direct translation of the name MacGuaran from Scottish to Polish.  The suffix "towicz" in Poland has the meaning of "son of", and translates to the meaning of the prefix "Mac" in Ireland/Scotland, also meaning "son of".  The surname MacGuaran comes from the root Gaelic word "Guarie" which means "noble" or "proud".  MacGuaran means "son of the noble one" in gaelic.  The MacGuaran family owned and inhabited the small island of Ulva and parts of the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Herbredes on the west coast of Scotland for over a thousand years.   The MacGuaran clan is known to have been one of antiquity, being a direct decendent of the King MacAlpin, 1st King of Scots.  This line of Arant DNA has been traced back to its roots from Cormac Cas in Ireland, via the MacDonnell line, therefore MacAlpin is believed to have been decended from the MacDonnells, although no documentation other than DNA exists to confirm this. 

The MacGuaran clan branched into Ireland from the Isle of Ulva in the 16th century when the fall of the MacCleans resulted in the death of the clan leadership.  One of two sons of the clan leader fled to Ireland, never to return to Scotland.  See the many historical documents covering the MacQuarrie Clan for details.  The sons that fled Ulva and stayed within scotland may have moved to Sedburgh, UK, where another branch of the Arant line is found.  Near Sedburgh is a hill named "Arant Haw", which is now found within a national park. This area is directly across from the island of ARRAN off the west coast of Scotland.   It is also summized by the writer that the family O'Coltaran of county Down, Ireland, are a branch of the Irish MacGuarans.  O'Coltaran appeared to have emigrated back to Scotland, some dropping the "aran" from the name to become Colt, and others becoming Colter or Coltur as are found in Baden, Germany.  The Gaelic translation of "Coltaran" is "dislikes authority".    It is unknown who controlled the island of ARRAN prior to 800AD, however DNA evidence from M.P.Arant shows relation to Stewart and Carrick DNA, both of which are found in historic site names today on the southern end of the isle of ARRAN.  A branch of these lines most likely emigrated from Ireland and Scotland during the Cromwellian wars and famine of the middle sixteenth and late nineteenth centuries to find work and food in other European territories.  It is highly likely that many Arant lines found their way into France, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, and Spain during this time to find work on the expanding European railway. It is interesting to note the Arant line which emigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany in 1641 changed the spelling to Arrant, matching that of the isle