Clans and Rankings
In Vampire: the Masquerade, a clan (often spelled Clan, with capitalization) is a group of vampires "related" by blood; i.e. the vampiric equivalent of an extended family or lineage. A clan is usually a large group, acknowledged widely in the vampiric society, and not a small offshoot (which is called a bloodline).
It is assumed that each clan descended from a single progenitor (called Antediluvians in Vampire: The Masquerade and Vampire: The Dark Ages, who passed to each of his descendants, or childer, his unique gifts and flaws. However, in the original World of Darkness, it is also assumed that each of these Antediluvians came from a common source: commonly accepted to be Caine, the first murderer.
The Book of Nod names certain clans as the original thirteen; the Kingship Clan (Ventrue), the Clan of the Beast (Gangrel), the Moon Clan (Malkavian), the Clan of the Hidden (Nosferatu), the Wanderer Clan (Ravnos), the Clan of the Rose (Toreador), the Night Clan (Lasombra), the Clan of Shapers (Tzimisce), the Snake Clan (Setites), the Clan of Death (Cappadocian), the Healer's Clan (Salubri), the Clan of the Hunt (Assamite) and the Learned Clan (Brujah). Other fragments have alluded to the possibility of there being other clans who did not survive into the final nights.
Typically Elder vampires are more respected than younger ones (In the Camarilla by law and everywhere else as they are stronger) with some clans being considered higher than others.
The highest ranks in the game are the inconnu (regardless of clan) while the lowest are the clanless. Also worthy of note is the Black Hand.
Read more about this topic: Masquerade Society