The tartan pattern of crossed horizontal and vertical bands is most associated with traditional dress from Scotland.
Tartan is a woven pattern made from intersecting bands of color that form repeating designs called setts. It is especially linked with Scottish Highland clothing, including kilts, trews, shawls, and plaids. Over time, particular tartans became associated with clans, families, military units, districts, institutions, and organizations.
The Scottish connection became especially powerful during the 18th century. Tartan and Highland dress were associated with Jacobitism after the uprisings supporting the Stuart dynasty. Following the Jacobite defeat at Culloden in 1746, the Dress Act restricted Highland clothing in much of Scotland. The ban was repealed in 1782, and later romantic interest in Highland culture helped spread tartan internationally.
Scotland does not have a monopoly on checked textiles: related patterns appear in cultures across Europe, Asia, and Africa. “Plaid” is also often used as a synonym, particularly in North America, although historically a plaid could refer to a garment made from tartan rather than the pattern alone.