The Buchan region, in the northeastern part of Aberdeenshire, verging on Banffshire, is the origin of the name of this clan. The Earldom of Buchan passed through the hands of the Comyns, though it fell from their grasp following their defeat at the hands of Robert the Bruce. Subsequently, the earldom was conferred upon Alexander Stewart, natural son of Robert II, and the notorious 'Wolf of Badenoch'. It is important to distinguish, however, that the name would also have been used by local nobility, even though they may have no direct affiliation with their Earls.