The District Tartans book states that this was designed about 1930 for Councillor John Hannay by Arthur Galt of Hugh Galt & Sons Ltd., of Barrhill, Girvan. The name Carrick has a Gaelic derivation ('rock') and may refer to the island of Ailsa Craig off the Ayrshire coast. The Ayrshire Earldom of Carrick is associated with two major families, the Fergusons and the Kennedys. This tartan and its associated clan version were for some time considered as District & Personal tartans respectively, but this misunderstanding has now been rectified (June 2010).