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Dougherty History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Dougherty History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The original Gaelic versions of today's Irish names demonstrate a proud, ancient past. The original Gaelic form of the name Dougherty is Ó Dochartaigh, from the word "dochartach," which means hurtful or obstructive 1 and in this case, it would be termed as a nickname.

Early Origins of the Dougherty family

The surname Dougherty was first found in at Inishowen, in the barony of Raphoe, in County Donegal, where they were a large and influential sept, and were kin to the O'Donnells.

They were one of the principal Irish clans to resist the Norman invasion of 1170 and were known as the Lords of Innishowen directly descended from the distinguished Irish General King Niall of the Nine Hostages, who was descended from the Heremon line of Irish Kings.

The MacDevitts, who exist in large numbers in Inishowen, are descended from David O'Doherty, a chief of Cinel Conaill who was killed in 1208. Some members of the MacDevitt branch migrated to the territory of Oriel, now counties Louth, Monaghan, and south Down. There the "D" was aspirated creating the early Anglicization MacCaveat, and then the variation MacKevitt.

Expanding their territory, they came to rule the peninsula of Inishowen in the 14th century. However, the poorly-timed and disastrous rebellion against the English crown led by Sir Cahir O'Dougherty in 1608, drastically reduced the power of the once powerful sept.

"The O'Doghertys were a powerful Sept in County Donegal, and were located in Inishowen Barony, of which O'Dogherty was Lord. The Doghertys or Dohertys are numerously represented there at the present time." 2

Early History of the Dougherty family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dougherty research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1608, 1677, 1755 and 1783 are included under the topic Early Dougherty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dougherty Spelling Variations

Within the archives researched, many different spelling variations of the surname Dougherty were found. These included One reason for the many variations is that scribes and church officials often spelled an individual's name as it sounded. This imprecise method often led to many versions. Dockeray, Dockerty, Dockharty, Dogherty, Dougharty, Dougherty, Doherty, Doherety, Dohertey, Docherty, Docharty, MacDevitt and many more.

Early Notables of the Dougherty family

Notable among the family name at this time was

Sir Cahir O'Dougherty (1587-1608), leader of the rebellion in 1608, the last Gaelic Lord of Inishowen. Angered by the confiscation of his lands for the Plantation of Ulster, he sacked and burned the t...

Dougherty Ranking

In the United States, the name Dougherty is the 1,022^nd most popular surname with an estimated 29,844 people with that name. 3

Dougherty migration to the United States +

During the 19th century thousands of impoverished Irish families made the long journey to British North America and the United States. These people were leaving a land that had become beset with poverty, lack of opportunity, and hunger. In North America, they hoped to find land, work, and political and religious freedoms. Although the majority of the immigrants that survived the long sea passage did make these discoveries, it was not without much perseverance and hard work: by the mid-19th century land suitable for agriculture was short supply, especially in British North America, in the east; the work available was generally low paying and physically taxing construction or factory work; and the English stereotypes concerning the Irish, although less frequent and vehement, were, nevertheless, present in the land of freedom, liberty, and equality for all men. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. Research into passenger and immigration lists has brought forth evidence of the early members of the Dougherty family in North America:

Dougherty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

David Dougherty, who landed in America in 1793 4
Edward Dougherty, who arrived in America in 1795 4
Anthony Dougherty, who landed in America in 1797 4

Dougherty Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Daniel Dougherty, who arrived in America in 1801 4
Joseph Dougherty, who landed in America in 1801 4
Daniel Dougherty, who landed in America in 1801 4
Darby Dougherty, aged 25, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 4
Charles Dougherty, aged 23, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dougherty migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dougherty Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Dougherty, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1759 5
Mr. Edward Dougherty U.E. born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA who settled in St. John River, New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Mr. Samuel Doughty U.E. who arrived at Digby Neck [Weymouth], Sissiboo, Nova Scotia c. 1784 he was a Mariner that was listed as arriving but shows no further details 6
Mr. Alexander Douglass U.E. who settled in Shefford Township, Eastern Townships [La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality], Quebec c. 1784 listed as an association of Captain John Savage 6

Dougherty Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Dougherty, aged 13, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Ugoni" from Belfast, Ireland
Biddy Dougherty, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
John Dougherty, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
John Dougherty a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Zephyr" in 1833
Rosean Dougherty, aged 38, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Ambassador" in 1834

Dougherty migration to Australia +

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

Dougherty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Dougherty, Scottish convict from Dumfries, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Dennis Dougherty, (Doherty, Dogherty), (b. 1815), aged 18, British labourer who was convicted in Guernsey for 14 years for desertion from the Army, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. James Dougherty, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Miss Eliza Dougherty, (b. 1817), aged 20, Irish maid who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for vagrancy, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Michael Dougherty, (b. 1819), aged 19, Irish labourer who was convicted in Tipperary, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th May 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dougherty 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:

Dougherty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

David Dougherty, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship London
Sarah Dougherty, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship London
Daniel Dougherty, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Sarah Dougherty, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
Mr. William Dougherty, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dougherty (post 1700) +

John Martin Dougherty (1932-2022), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton in Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2009
William "Bill" Dougherty (1932-2010), American businessman, lobbyist, and Democratic politician, the 31st Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota from 1971 to 1975
Thomas Dougherty, American diplomat, 18th United States Ambassador to Burkina Faso from 2010 to 2013
Patrick Dougherty (b. 1844), Irish-born, American Union Navy sailor in the American Civil War, recipient of the Medal of Honor
Patrick Henry "Patsy" Dougherty (1876-1940), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1902 to 1911
Marion Caroline Dougherty (1923-2011), American award winning casting director, known for her work on Full Metal Jacket (1987), Batman (1989) and Lethal Weapon (1987)
John Joseph Dougherty (1907-1986), American prelate, Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, New Jersey (1963-1982)
George Samuel Dougherty (1865-1931), American law enforcement officer, detective and writer, member of the Pinkerton Detective Agency
Dennis Joseph Dougherty (1865-1951), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Archbishop of Philadelphia from 1918 until his death in 1951
Dennis A. Dougherty (b. 1952), American chemist, George Grant Hoag Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dougherty family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. William Dougherty, (Pitchford), English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 13

Triangle Waist Company

Miss Anna Dougherty, American worker who was at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she survived the fire because she was lead to the roof 14

USS Arizona

Mr. Ralph McClearn Dougherty, American Fire Controlman First Class from Massachusetts, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 15

The Dougherty Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ar Ndutcas
Motto Translation: Our heritage

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, The Surnames of Ireland. Ireland: Irish Academic Press, sixth edition, 1985. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2366-3)
Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1820 with 192 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1820
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html