Irish Middle Names

[RebD]

Can anyone please tell me if middle names were used often on documents?  Also, were middle names commonly used as a first name?

The reason why I ask is that my GGG Bernard Dougherty, I cannot find anything about his parents using the name Bernard, and I just wonder if perhaps that was his middle name that he may have used.

Thank you for any clarification on this.

[Girl Guide]

Welcome to Rootschat Reb 

It is quite a common occurrence for a middle name to be used as a first name. 

Do you know when and where Bernard was born?  You could try searching the births on:-

https://www.irishgenealogy.ie/en/

Or try the Family Search website:-

https://www.familysearch.org/en/

It is free to register.

[Ruskie]

Welcome to rootschat RebD.

In your searches, have you tried spelling the surname as Doherty?

Knowing his approximate year, place of birth, and if he was Catholic or Protestant may give a starting point on where to look.

Depending on where/when he married or died, you might find father or parent’s names on the certificates.

Another site to try:
https://www.rootsireland.ie/

You say Bernard was your 3xgreat grandfather. That gives no clue as to dates etc but might he or his family have been in Ireland for the 1901 or 1911 Irish censuses?:
http://www.census.national archives.ie/search/

It is also worth following the trail of his siblings in case you can find the parents that way.

Good luck.

[frostyknight]

Also, names such as Doherty/dougherty can be O'Doherty/O'Dougherty, with the "O" appearing and disappearing even with the same person. Check for other spelling variants too.

[Sandblown]

From experience of researching My Wife's Irish Roots, I can categorically say 'Yes' to Your first two questions.

ADD: Irish Middle Names have traditionally been given at a Catholic Baptism, and are usually derived from a Saints Name. The middle 'Baptism Name' will often not appear on the official Civil Birth Registration Document, but can turn up later, on a Marriage or Death Certificate. Ideally You need to view both a Baptism Record, as well as the Birth Registration, to compare the given Forenames.

[Maiden Stone]

The reason why I ask is that my GGG Bernard Dougherty, I cannot find anything about his parents using the name Bernard, and I just wonder if perhaps that was his middle name that he may have used.

An alternative name for Bernard is Brian.
Do you have an approximate year of birth for Bernard and do you know where he was born? Birth registrations began 1864.
Have you found Bernard's marriage?
What's the earliest record you have for Bernard?

[Maiden Stone]

2 other posts about Bernard Dougherty.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=847967.msg7151480#msg7151480
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=301396.msg7151997#msg7151997
One post says Bernard was born around 1822. A possible reason for you not being able to find information about his parents is that his baptism record may not exist.
Do you know Bernard's religious denomination?

[RebD]

I do believe that he was Roman Catholic.

2 other posts about Bernard Dougherty.
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=847967.msg7151480#msg7151480
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=301396.msg7151997#msg7151997
One post says Bernard was born around 1822. A possible reason for you not being able to find information about his parents is that his baptism record may not exist.
Do you know Bernard's religious denomination?

[Maiden Stone]

I do believe that he was Roman Catholic.

Catholic parish registers at the National Library of Ireland for a random parish in County Donegal. Click on other parish names on the map to access register for each. I tried a few more. Baptism registers for all parishes I looked at began decades after Bernard was born.
https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1014

Irish Genealogy Toolkit
http://www.irish-genealogy-toolkit.com/