Show ContentsDooley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While many Irish names are familiar, their past incarnations are often shrouded in mystery, reflecting the ancient Gaelic heritage of their bearers. The original Gaelic form of the name Dooley is Ó Dubhlaoich, derived from the words dubh, which means "dark featured, great, prodigious, burned" 1, and laoch, referring to a hero or champion.

Early Origins of the Dooley family

The surname Dooley was first found in Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. According to O'Hart, the family claim descent through the MacMorough family which are descendants of the Heremon Kings of Ireland and were Chiefs in the County Wicklow and Queen's County. 1

Early History of the Dooley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dooley research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1622, 1702, 1787, 1801 and 1844 are included under the topic Early Dooley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dooley Spelling Variations

The spelling of one's surname was not as important as it is today. Names were recorded as they sounded and in many cases, one's surname changed with each listing. As a result, surnames often had many spelling variations. For Dooley some of these variations included: Dooley, Dooly, O'Dooley, O'Dooly and others.

Early Notables of the Dooley family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Mr. Dooley (or Martin J. Dooley) is a fictional Irish immigrant bartender created by American journalist Finley Peter Dunne

Dooley Ranking

In the United States, the name Dooley is the 1,236th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 2 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Dooley is ranked the 395th most popular surname with an estimated 118 people with that name. 3


United States Dooley migration to the United States +

Irish families fled the English-colonized Ireland in record numbers during the 19th century for North America. Many of those destitute families died from disease during, and even shortly after, the long journey. Although those that immigrated before the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s often were granted a tract of land, those that arrived later were generally accommodated in urban centers or in work camps. Those in the urban centers would labor in the manufacturing sector, whereas those in work camps would to build critical infrastructures such as bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Regardless of when these Irish immigrants came to North America, they were critical for the rapid development of the young nations of the United States and Canada. Early immigration and passenger lists have recorded many early immigrants bearing the name of Dooley:

Dooley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Lawrence Dooley, who settled in New England in 1774
Dooley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Dooley, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1813 4
  • Michael Dooley, who arrived in America in 1832 4
  • Thomas Dooley, aged 1, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 4
  • T Dooley, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
  • Joseph Dooley, who landed in Mississippi in 1852 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Dooley migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dooley Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Michael Dooley, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1829
  • John Dooley, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833
  • Patrick Dooley, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Edwin" from Dublin, Ireland
  • Ms. Ann Dooley, aged 22 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Washington" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in October 1847 5
  • Mr. James Dooley, aged 26 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Larch" departing from the port of Sligo, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Dooley migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dooley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Maurice Dooley, Irish convict who was convicted in Kerry, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Miss Mary Dooley, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. Thomas Dooley, (b. 1793), aged 22, Irish convict from Kildare who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he was executed in 1816 8
  • Miss Ellen Dooley, (b. 1778), aged 40, Irish convict who was convicted in Cork, Ireland for 7 years for house robbery, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 26th July 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Dooley, (Malone), (b. 1799), aged 30, Irish needle woman who was convicted in Carlow, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Edward" on 1st January 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, listed as having 2 children 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Dooley migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dooley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peter Dooley, Irish settler from Galway travelling from Leith aboard the ship 'Melbourne' arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 18th March 1861 11
  • Miss Ann Dooley, (b. 1841), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 11
  • John Dooley, aged 29, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 12
  • Mary Dooley, aged 22, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 12
  • Margaret Dooley, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dooley (post 1700) +

  • Vincent Joseph "Vince" Dooley (1932-2022), American college head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994
  • Albert John Dooley (1930-2022), American politician who served in the South Carolina Senate as a member of the Democratic Party from 1971 to 1976 and in the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1959 to 1964
  • James A. Dooley (1914-1978), American jurist
  • Edwin Benedict Dooley (1905-1982), American politician, Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New York
  • Calvin M. "Cal" Dooley (b. 1954), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California (1993-2005)
  • Bill Dooley (b. 1934), former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator
  • John Dooley, American 10th head football coach for the Eureka College Red Devils (1967-1968)
  • John Dooley (b. 1944), American attorney and jurist who has served as a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court since 1987
  • Paul Dooley (b. 1928), American actor, writer, and comedian
  • Thomas H Dooley, American COO of Viacom
  • ... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Patrick J. Dooley (d. 1912), aged 43, Irish Third Class passenger from Patrickswell, Limerick who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 13


  1. O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 25)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th November 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
  11. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  12. Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
  13. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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