| ![Show Contents]() Loft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient history of the Loft name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the village of Lofthouse during the reign of King Alfred in 900 AD. This place-name was originally derived from the Old Norse words lopt meaning loft and hus meaning house. Therefore the original bearers of the Loft surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1 Early Origins of the Loft familyThe surname Loft was first found in North Yorkshire at Lofthouse, a small village in Nidderdale in the Harrogate district or at Lofthouse, a village in West Yorkshire. "This place, in the Domesday Survey Lochtushum, was granted by the Conqueror to Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who soon afterwards transferred it to the Percy family, of whom William de Percy, the third Baron, in 1133 founded at Handall, in the parish, a priory for Benedictine nuns, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary." 2 Early History of the Loft familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loft research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1573, 1605, 1619, 1620, 1639, 1647, 1691, 1695 and 1797 are included under the topic Early Loft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Loft Spelling VariationsUntil quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Loft include Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others. Early Notables of the Loft familyDistinguished members of the family include - Robert Lofthus of Lofthouse
- Adam Loftus, 1st Viscount Loftus (1619-1639), Lord Chancellor of Ireland
 Migration of the Loft family to Ireland
Some of the Loft family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 81 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
| Loft migration to the United States | + |
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Loft or a variant listed above:
Loft Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Mary Loft, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 3
| Loft migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Loft Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Charles Loft, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Candahar" in 1850 4
- William Loft, aged 28, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Joseph Rowan" 5
| Loft migration to New Zealand | + |
Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include: Loft Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century- Miss Isabella Loft, (b. 1842), aged 19, English domestic servant, from Hertfordshire travelling from Bristol aboard the ship "Rhea Sylvia" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 2nd May 1861 6
| Contemporary Notables of the name Loft (post 1700) | + |
- George William Loft (1865-1943), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Presidential Elector for New York, 1908; U.S. Representative from New York 13th District, 1913-17; Presidential Elector for New York, 1932 7
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CANDAHAR 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Candahar.htm
- South Australian Register Saturday 17th June 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Joseph Rowan 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/josephrowan1854.shtml
- New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Loft migration to the United States 
Loft migration to Australia 
Loft migration to New Zealand 
England
Ireland
