Doherty
An Irish surname from the name of an ancient Donegal lordly family, now widely found in Ulster and the Irish diaspora.
The #1,264 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,111 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained from Irish Ó Dochartaigh, meaning descendant of Dochartaigh, a personal name associated with a well-known Donegal kindred. Older writers connected it with the figure Docbartach, described as a lord of Inishowen in County Donegal; the deeper personal-name meaning is often taken to suggest "hurtful" or "obstructive," though the exact shade is not fully certain. The name is firmly Irish in origin and belongs to one of the major hereditary families of the north-west.
History
The Dohertys were historically associated with Inishowen and County Donegal, where they were an important Gaelic family. In later centuries the surname spread widely through Ulster and then into Scotland, Britain, and the wider Irish diaspora, especially in North America. English spellings have varied considerably, with forms such as Daugherty, Dougherty, and Dooher/Deery appearing in records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname lists often place Doherty among the most common Irish names, reflecting how prominent the Donegal branch became in migration records.
From the historical record
“tive is found. DOHERTY or ODOIIERTY. " The surname is derived from Docbartach, lord aud prince of Inishowen, co. Donegal," a direct descendant of " Cean Faola, prince of Tire Couuell, now the county of Donegal, and 12th in descent from Conal Gulban, 7th son of Niall of the Nine Hostages," from whom so many of the…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom