An Irish surname, Daugherty comes from the Gaelic term ‘dochartach’ which means hurtful and awkward. The spelling variations for Daugherty include Doherty, Dougherty and Docharty. In England those with the Daugherty name mostly reside in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Norfolk and Devon counties. In Scotland the two major locations for those with the Daugherty surname are Lanarkshire and Angus counties. Within the United States the Daugherty family name originated in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. Famous: Dick Daugherty (professional football player), James A. Daugherty (U. S. Congressman from Missouri), Harry M. Daugherty (U. S. Attorney General under President Harding), Michael Kevin Daugherty (music composer), Derri Daugherty (songwriter, singer and record producer), James Henry Daugherty (artist, author of children’s books and illustrator), Jay Dee Daugherty (musician - drummer) and Lyndsie R. Daugherty (writer).