Dougherty
An Irish surname from O'Dochartaigh, meaning “descendant of Dochartach,” a personal name understood as “stern” or “difficult.”
The #915 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 8,150 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dougherty is the Anglicized form of Irish O'Dochartaigh, from the personal name Dochartach. The old Irish name is commonly explained as meaning “stern,” “obstructive,” or “difficult.” In other words, the surname originally meant “descendant of Dochartach.”
History
The name is strongly associated with the northern Irish family of Ó Dochartaigh, historically prominent in Donegal. Older spellings vary widely in English records, including Doherty, Dougherty, Dogherty, and O'Dougherty. The form Dougherty became especially common in English-language usage, while Doherty remains the simpler modern spelling in many areas.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century Manx source explicitly traces Dougherty back to O'Dochartaigh and glosses the base name Dochartach as “stern.”
From the historical record
“O'Dougherty, O'Doherty, Dogherty, Dougherty, Do- herty, etc. 0 "DoctiAiT), 0 "OociiAis, Dock- eray, Dockery, Dockrey,”
— Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish names and surnames