Breaking Down the Fraser Family Tree on Outlander and Blood of My Blood

Murtagh Fraser (Brian’s second cousin)

Outlander: Another potential obstacle to the Brian-Ellen union was Murtagh (Duncan Lacroix), Brian’s second cousin and romantic rival. Though Murtagh was heartbroken when Ellen chose Brian over her, he remained completely devoted both to her and to her son, Jamie. He became godfather to Jamie, and fought by his side in multiple battles, before being killed at the Battle of Alamance.

Blood of My Blood: Murtagh (Rory Alexander) convinces Brian to attend the festivities at Castle Leoch, where the MacKenzie clan will be selecting a new laird. Murtagh wants to make a good impression on Ellen, but doesn’t factor in that his cousin will accidentally beat him to the punch. Murtagh’s aunt, Mrs. Fitz (Sally Messham), is Ellen’s lady’s maid, but this proximity is likely not enough to land the woman of his dreams.

Ellen MacKenzie Fraser (William, Jamie, and Jenny’s mother)

Outlander: We’ll see the details of Ellen and Brian’s courtship play out in the prequel series, but while the couple had many happy years together, their love story has a tragic ending. Ellen died giving birth to the couple’s fourth child, Robert Fraser, who was stillborn.

Blood of My Blood: Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) was her father’s favorite, which is evident in flashbacks, as Red Jacob wishes he could name Ellen his successor. Unfortunately, while there had already been a Queen of England, Scottish clan leadership is not accustomed to taking this route in picking a laird—even if she is the oldest. Unlike her two sisters, Ellen is not expected to marry, as her father promised he would never force this tradition on his advisor. But when Red Jacob suddenly dies, Ellen is not only left grieving her father, but also struggling to retain her autonomy. Soon, she becomes a pawn in her brothers’ ongoing disputes with each other. Not only that, but Malcolm Grant, the son of a powerful clan, wants to make Ellen his bride. While she has no interest in Malcolm, Ellen begins to reconsider her views on marriage when she meets Brian Fraser.

Colum MacKenzie (Ellen’s brother)

Outlander: Ellen’s eldest brother, Colum (Gary Lewis) lives with a condition called pycnodysostosis, also known as Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome, which affects the mobility of his legs. Despite his painful and debilitating condition, he’s made the chieftain of Clan MacKenzie—much to the chagrin of his hotheaded younger brother, Dougal, who was vying for the position himself. Colum eventually grows weary of living in pain, and enlists Claire to help him to die in peace.

Blood of My Blood: Colum (Séamus McLean Ross) has the brains to be a great leader, but his condition doesn’t project the physical strength associated with becoming laird. Colum will strike any deal he can to get his way, regardless of whether it means breaking their father’s promise not to marry off Ellen. Colum works closely with his father’s advisor, Ned (Conor MacNeill), to ensure he gets enough votes to become laird. Unfortunately for Colum, you don’t have to have the MacKenzie name to stake the claim on this title, and the division with his brother could see them losing the clan altogether.

Dougal MacKenzie (Ellen’s brother)

Outlander: Headstrong and hard to pin down, Dougal (Graham McTavish) had a complex relationship with most of the show’s characters—but none more so than his nephew, Jamie. Before his death, Colum designated Jamie to be the guardian of his son Hamish, instead of Dougal, which exacerbated the resentment that already existed. Finally, when Dougal tries to kill Claire and Jamie for treason, Jamie kills him right back in a memorably emotional and bloody scene.

Blood of My Blood: Dougal (Sam Retford) is a man with an insatiable thirst for fighting and sex. He acts before he thinks and uses his overt masculinity in an attempt to assert dominance. Dougal refuses to back down from his claim to become his father’s successor, suggesting that Colum’s intelligence is not enough to lead. He is quick to anger, taking the MacKenzies down a dangerous avenue when he beats up Malcolm Grant after he thinks the Grants have kidnapped Ellen (they haven’t). It is these impulsive actions that could destroy the MacKenzies because the Grants have more money and men.

Jocasta Cameron (Ellen, Colum, Dougal, and Janet’s sister)

Blood of My Blood: In the original series, Jocasta’s (Maria Doyle Kennedy) path frequently crosses with Jamie and Claire’s. In the prequel, Jocasta (Sadhbh Malin) is unhappy in her marriage and envious of her sister Ellen’s freedom. At the MacKenzie Gathering, Jocasta meets Murtagh, immediately crushing on the friendly man who only has eyes for her older sister.

Red Jacob MacKenzie (Ellen, Colum, Dougal, Jocasta, and Janet’s father)

Blood of My Blood: Red Jacob’s (Peter Mullan) death sets off the Succession-style power grab with his two sons vying for the Number One Boy crown. In life, Red Jacob was a formidable figure, known for his strategizing and strength. While he treated Ellen with dignity and respect, he was not as forgiving when it came to his two sons. He left no instructions about who should take his place, leaving Clan MacKenzie vulnerable to outside forces.

Hamish MacKenzie (Dougal’s biological son, raised by Colum)

Outlander: Although Hamish (Roderick Gilkison) was raised as Colum and Letitia’s son, his biological father is actually Dougal. To say that this family is complicated is an understatement.

Letitia MacKenzie (Colum’s wife)

Outlander: Because Colum’s condition made him unable to have children, his wife Letitia (Aislín McGuckin) became pregnant by his brother, Dougal. It’s not entirely clear if she did this willingly, but it seems to have been a strategic move rather than an affair, in order to ensure that Colum would have an heir.

William Fraser (Jamie and Jenny’s brother)

Outlander: The eldest of Brian and Ellen’s children, William only lived until the age of 11, when he died from smallpox.

Janet “Jenny” Fraser Murray (Jamie and William’s sister)

Outlander: Ellen and Brian’s second eldest child. After her mother’s death, Jenny (Laura Donnelly) took over running the household at Lallybroch, and continues to hold down the fort while her younger brother Jamie is away on his endless adventures.

James “Jamie” Fraser

Outlander: A man so legendary he barely needs an introduction. James Fraser grew up at his family’s Scottish estate, Lallybroch, and like Jenny, his childhood was marred by losses: first his beloved brother William, and then his mother, both of whom died before Jamie was ten. He grew up to be a formidable warrior, serving as a mercenary in France and a soldier in Scotland, before his life was changed forever by meeting Claire.

Ian Murray (Jenny’s husband)

Outlander: Having grown up together, Jenny and Ian (Steven Cree) married at a pretty dramatic time in both of their lives; her brother Jamie had just been imprisoned for the first time, and shortly after that, her father Brian died. Ian, a longtime friend of Jamie’s, had just returned from the war after losing part of his leg.

Ian “Young Ian” Murray (Jenny and Ian’s son)

Outlander: Jenny and Ian’s youngest child (John Bell) is a key character in Outlander. Born during a fraught time, when Redcoats were regularly coming back to harass the Frasers at Lallybroch, Ian took after his uncle and grew up to be a relentless thrill-seeker, following Jamie and Claire on many of their escapades. Ian became a Mohawk and fell in love with Wahionhaweh (whom Ian calls Emily). The pair married, but Emily (Morgan Holmstrom) had several miscarriages and then a stillborn daughter, and Ian was asked to leave to improve Emily’s chances of having children. In the first half of season 7, Ian finds out that the remarried Emily had a son who bears a striking resemblance to Ian. Now, Ian is following his father’s dying wish to make his feelings known to a Quaker called Rachel (Izzy Meikle-Small) when he returns to America.

Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser

Outlander: One of the many things Jamie and Claire have in common is their traumatic childhoods. Claire lost her parents in a car accident when she was young, after which she was raised by her uncle.

It was through that uncle that she met Frank Randall, a historian, who she went on to marry. When World War II began, Claire became a combat nurse while Frank served as an MI6 officer, meaning the the couple spent much of their time apart. After the war, they take a trip to the Scottish highlands to reconnect—but instead, Claire ends up inadvertently whisked back into the 18th century. There, she meets a certain dashing Scotch warrior, and the rest is history (if you will).

Julia Beauchamp née Moriston (Claire’s mother)

Blood of My Blood: Claire thought her parents died in a car crash. Little does she know that they both went through the magical standing stones in Scotland, ending up in the early 1700s. Julia (Hermione Corfield) is pregnant with her second child when she accidentally travels through time, separating from her husband, Henry, in the Scottish Highlands. Julia ends up working as a maid at Castle Leathers, immediately interacting with her daughter’s future father-in-law (who Claire never meets). Now, she must do everything in her power to find Henry.

Henry Beauchamp (Claire’s father)

Blood of My Blood: Like Julia, Henry (Jeremy Irvine) finds himself in a strange time. Claire isn’t wrong to think a car crash killed her parents, as Henry swerved to miss a stag and drove into a river. Thankfully, neither of her parents is injured. But when Henry goes to remove a stone from his shoe, Julia disappears. Henry follows the sound of buzzing and also ends up in the 18th century. Henry has a loftier role than his wife; he is the Grant clan spokesperson (bladier), and his time in the trenches during WWI might prepare him for the violence between clans.

Quentin Lambert Beauchamp (Claire’s uncle)

Outlander: Claire’s uncle Quentin (Prentis Hancock), an archeologist, stepped in to raise her after her parents died in a car accident. His work took him all over the world, and Claire got to go with him, which prepared her well for her future exploits as a transatlantic time traveler.

Frank Randall (Claire’s husband)

Outlander: Frank (Tobias Menzies) never gave up searching for Claire after she vanished on their trip, but when she miraculously returns, things are...not the same. She is, of course, in love with another man—and pregnant with his child. Despite discovering this, Frank loves Brianna as his own daughter, but his marriage to Claire never recovers. In the end, he dies an unceremonious death in an icy car accident, leaving Claire free to try and find her way back to Jamie.

Brianna Randall Fraser (Claire and Jamie’s daughter)

Outlander: Conceived in the 18th century but born in 1940s Boston, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) is understandably conflicted about where she belongs. After mourning the loss of the man she thought was her father, she eventually travels back into the past with Claire and tries to build a life there with her husband, Roger. Brianna and Roger have two children, Jeremiah and Amanda. When Claire detects Mandy has a life-threatening heart defect, the couple decides they must return to the 20th century. When Brianna and Roger discover Lallybroch is for sale, they decide to renovate the now-dilapidated ancestral Fraser home. Bree applies for an inspector job at the local dam, which after some sexist-based resistance, she successfully gets. Unfortunately, one of her co-workers, Rob Cameron (Chris Fulton) is about to tear Bree’s family apart.

Roger MacKenzie (Brianna’s husband)

Outlander: History professor Roger (Richard Rankin) first becomes involved with Claire and Brianna when they come to him seeking answers about a group of Scotsmen who fought in the 1945 Jacobite rising—and one in particular by the name of Jamie Fraser. During the course of that “research project,” he and Brianna begin to fall in love, and in season 5 the couple get married. Roger became a minister to those on Fraser’s Ridge but has not pursued this path after returning to Scotland in the late ’70s. Instead, he has been writing down a brief history of time travel in the guise of a novel. Now, he returns to the past with his many-times grandfather Buck to save his kidnapped son. Unfortunately, they travel too far back, and Roger is now coming face-to-face with other members of his family tree in 1739. How will this mess with the myriad branches?

Jeremiah Fraser MacKenzie (Brianna and Roger’s son)

Outlander: Bree and Roger’s first child Jeremiah was born shortly before their wedding. At the time of his birth it wasn’t clear who his father was, because of Brianna’s rape at the hands of Stephen Bonnet, but a distinctive birthmark later proves that Roger is indeed Jeremiah’s dad. Growing up on Fraser’s Ridge gives Jemmy time to bond with his grandfather Jamie so he still has vivid memories of the past when they return to modern-day Scotland. Jemmy has knowledge of where Jamie hid the stolen Jacobite gold, making him a target for Bree’s co-worker. Rob kidnaps Jemmy and now Roger has to save his son.

Amanda MacKenzie (Brianna and Roger’s daughter)

Outlander: The season 7 trailer shows Brianna giving birth to her and Roger’s second child, Amanda. Due to her health, the MacKenzie’s return to the 20th century. The procedure works and the family seems settled until Rob Cameron kidnaps her older brother Jemmy. It is Mandy who alerts her parents that Jemmy is no longer in the same timeline because Mandy can no longer feel a connection to her brother. Mandy and Bree stay in 1980 while Roger returns through the stones at Craigh na Dun.

Laoghaire MacKenzie (Jamie’s wife)

Outlander: After being infatuated with Jamie since she was a teenager, Laoghaire (Nell Hudson) ends up finally getting the chance to marry him after he’s released from prison. At the time, Claire is back in the future, trapped in her own loveless marriage, but Jamie is (of course) still in love with her, and the marriage quickly breaks down. Laoghaire never overcomes her jealousy of Claire, and ultimately conspires to have her put on trial for witchcraft. When Jamie returns to Scotland in the Season 7b premiere, he visits Laoghaire to deal with unfinished business. Jamie agrees to amend their agreement so Laoghaire can remarry and keep the roof over her head.

Marsali MacKimmie Fraser and Joan MacKimmie (Jamie’s stepdaughters)

Outlander: Marsali (Lauren Lyle) and Joan (Layla Burns) are Jamie’s step-daughters from his marriage to Laoghaire. Though the marriage ended poorly, Jamie’s paternal relationship with the girls is very real, to the point where Marsali even calls him “daddy.”

Fergus Fraser (Marsali’s husband)

Outlander: Although they’re not related by blood, young orphan Fergus (César Domboy) is effectively adopted by Jamie and Claire after they meet in France during season two. Fraser never knew his own parents, and is scraping by as a pickpocket in Paris—but after Jamie catches him in the act, they develop a bond so deep that they become chosen family. Fergus later goes on to marry Marsali, Jamie’s stepdaughter.

Geneva Dunsany of Helwater (William’s mother)

Outlander: Geneva (Hannah James) was yet another woman who was hopelessly infatuated with Jamie, but she took thing a step further than Laoghaire and actually blackmailed him into a one night stand–days before her own wedding, no less. She becomes pregnant with a son, William, and dies giving birth to him.

William Ransom (Jamie and Geneva’s son)

Outlander: William (Oliver Finnegan/Charles Vandervaart) grew up as an orphan, never knowing that his real father was Jamie. He was raised by Lord John Grey, a close friend of Jamie’s and husband to Geneva’s sister Isobel. William is now fighting in the American Revolutionary War for the British, which puts him on the opposite side of the conflict to his biological father. At the moment, William doesn’t know that Jamie is his dad, but others have already clocked the familial resemblance.

William Buccleigh “Buck” MacKenzie (Roger’s many times grandfather)

Outlander: Family and time travel make for complicated bedfellows, which Roger knows better than most. Jealousy caused William Buccleigh “Buck” MacKenzie to target Roger in season 5. For the crime of hugging Buck’s wife, Buck turned Roger into the Red Coats as a rebel, and Roger ended up with a noose around his neck. Graham McTavish cameoed as Buck because Tavish’s fan-favorite character, Dougal MacKenzie, is Buck’s father. Confused? Thankfully, Diarmaid Murtagh has been cast as the accidental time-traveler Buck, who has come from the 18th century to 1980. Cousin Buck followed the humming sound through the stones and made his way to Lallybroch. Roger caught the prowler and realized his identity. Buck accompanies Roger as they look for Jemmy’s whereabouts, but Buck is experiencing ill health. When the duo go to a herbalist, Roger is startled by who opens the door.

Geillis Duncan (Buck’s mother)

Outlander: It is hard to make friends in another century, but Claire quickly bonded with Geillis (Lotte Verbeek) through their knowledge of herbs in 1743. The pair both get accused of witchcraft, and Geillis confesses to save Claire. However, Geillis is not the BFF Claire thinks she is. Later, Claire learns Geillis survived execution because she was pregnant with Dougal’s child (who we know to be Buck), and Dougal helped her escape. In 1968, Roger and Bree meet Geillis, whose real name is Gillian Edgars, and Gillian tries to kill Bree because Gillian thinks she must make a blood sacrifice to time travel. Bree survives, but Gillian’s husband does not. Now, Roger comes face to face with Geillis once more in 1739.