| ![Show Contents]() Docherty 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 Docherty 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 Docherty familyThe surname Docherty 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 Docherty familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Docherty research. Another 61 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1608, 1677, 1755 and 1783 are included under the topic Early Docherty History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Docherty Spelling VariationsPronunciation, rather than spelling, guided scribes and church officials when recording names during the Middle Ages. This practice often resulted in one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Docherty are preserved in these old documents. The various spellings of the name that were found include Dockeray, Dockerty, Dockharty, Dogherty, Dougharty, Dougherty, Doherty, Doherety, Dohertey, Docherty, Docharty, MacDevitt and many more. Early Notables of the Docherty familyNotable 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 town of Derry and killed the Governor, Sir George Paulet. He had quarreled with Paulet for some time and some claim that Paulet had assaulted him. The real reason for the...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Docherty Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Docherty RankingIn the United Kingdom, the name Docherty is the 590th most popular surname with an estimated 11,043 people with that name. 3
 Docherty 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 Docherty family in North America:
Docherty Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Daniel Docherty, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1764 4
| Docherty migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Docherty Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. James Docherty, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
- Martha Docherty "Alias McBryde", Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Angelina" on April 25, 1844, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 6
- Miss Mary Docherty, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
- Mary Ann Docherty, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
- Miss Mary Docherty, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duchess of Northumberland" on 25th November 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Docherty 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: Docherty Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Mr. John Docherty (Doughety), British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 10
- Mrs. Hellen Docherty (Doughety) née Liddal, (b. 1812), aged 46, Scottish settler born in Scotland, travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858, she died on board 10
- Miss Marion Docherty (Doughety), (b. 1838), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 10
- Mr. John Docherty (Doughety), Jr., (b. 1841), aged 17, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 10
- Mr. Andrew Liddell Docherty (Doughety), (b. 1842), aged 16, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 10
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
| Contemporary Notables of the name Docherty (post 1700) | + |
- George MacPherson Docherty (1911-2008), Scottish-born American Presbyterian minister
- James A. Docherty (b. 1932), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives 76th District, 1983-84, 1987-88; Defeated, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992 11
- Tom Docherty (1924-2020), English professional footballer who played in 291 matches from 1947 to 1958
- Dame Jacqueline Docherty DBE, British nursing administrator
- Valerie E. Docherty, Canadian politician for the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
- Kevin Docherty (b. 1979), Australian association football referee
- Bevan John Docherty (b. 1977), New Zealand Olympic two-time triathlete medalist
- Thomas Henderson "Tommy" Docherty (b. 1928), Scottish former footballer
- Steve Docherty (b. 1950), Australian former professional tennis player
- Laurence Docherty (b. 1980), Scottish-born, Dutch field hockey player
| Historic Events for the Docherty family | + |
- Mrs. Mabel Docherty, American 2nd Class passenger from Long Island, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 11 12
- Master Thomas William Docherty Jr., American 2nd Class passenger from Long Island, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 11 12
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
- 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
- "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
- 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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Angelina voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1844 with 171 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/angelina/1844
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duchess-of-northumberland
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
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Docherty migration to the United States 
Docherty migration to Australia 
Docherty migration to New Zealand 
