Doherty

Gaelic: Ó Dochartaigh

Variants: O’Doherty, Dochertuy, O’Docherty, (O) Dougherty

Motto: Ar Nduthcas
“Our Inheritance”

Name Meaning: Hurtful

Famous Dohertys:
Shannon Doherty – actress (Beverly Hills 90210)
Peter C. Doherty – Nobel Prize winner (Physiology or Medicine, 1996)
Denny Doherty – singer (The Mamas and the Papas)

The name in Irish (Ó Dochartaigh) means obstructive or hurtful. In the 4th century the Dohertys settled around the Inishowen peninsula in Donegal, where they've primarily stayed. Their surname is the most common in Derry. The names Doherty and Dougherty in Ireland are derived from the O'Dochartaigh Sept who were located in Inishowen in County Donegal in the North West of the country. Descendants of this Sept now rank among the twenty most frequently found names in Ireland.

 

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