The Carolina Tartan was designed and registered with the Scottish Tartans Society

Scottish Tartans Society

The Scottish Tartans Society , now defunct, was a society committed to the recording and preservation of woven tartan designs from around the world; it maintained the Register of All Publicly Known Tartans. The society was first formed in 1963 and existed for about 40 years...

 in 1981 by Peter MacDonald of Crieff, Scotland. The design was based on a Royal Stewart tartan believed to have been worn by king Charles I of England

Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

 during his marriage, giving it significance since The Carolinas

The Carolinas

The Carolinas is a term used in the United States to refer collectively to the states of North and South Carolina. Together, the two states + have a population of 13,942,126. "Carolina" would be the fifth most populous state behind California, Texas, New York, and Florida...

 were named after King Charles. It was made the official tartan of North Carolina in 1991 when it was passed by the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

. South Carolina followed suit and enacted legislation making the Carolina Tartan its official tartan as well in 2002.