Find out how popular the last name Dougherty is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dougherty.

Dougherty, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dougherty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dougherty in America

Dougherty is the 915th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dougherty surname appeared 37,884 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 13 people would have the surname Dougherty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dougherty to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dougherty

The surname Dougherty is of Irish origin, tracing its roots back to the ancient Gaelic name Ó Dochartaigh. This name is derived from the Irish words "doch" meaning "hurtful" and "artach" meaning "bear." It likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a fierce or bear-like demeanor.

The earliest recorded instances of the Dougherty name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The name appears in these records as early as the 14th century, with references to individuals such as Donnchadh Ó Dochartaigh, who lived in the late 1300s.

In its original Irish form, the name was often anglicized to various spellings, including Doherty, Dogherty, and Daugherty, before settling on the more common Dougherty spelling. The name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Donegal and Derry in Ulster, where the Ó Dochartaigh clan held significant influence.

One notable historical figure bearing the Dougherty name was Cú Chonnacht Ó Dochartaigh, a prominent Irish chieftain who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was the Lord of Inishowen and played a crucial role in the conflicts between the Irish and English during the Tudor conquest of Ireland.

Another famous Dougherty was Sir John Dougherty (1598-1689), an Irish lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Irish Parliament and held the position of Recorder of Dublin. He was a staunch supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War.

In the literary world, the name Dougherty is associated with Michael Dougherty (1844-1922), an Irish-American writer and poet who is best known for his works celebrating the Irish-American experience, such as "The Bard of Erin" and "Songs of the Gael."

Moving across the Atlantic, one cannot overlook the significance of the Dougherty name in American history. One notable figure was Daniel Dougherty (1865-1938), a renowned lawyer and orator from Philadelphia. He gained national recognition for his passionate defense of civil liberties and his eloquent speeches on various political and social issues.

Finally, a more recent historical figure with the Dougherty name is Michael Dougherty (born 1974), an American filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed horror films "Trick 'r Treat" and "Krampus," as well as co-writing the superhero film "X-Men: Apocalypse."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dougherty

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dougherty.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dougherty was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dougherty has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dougherty was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dougherty, please contact us.

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