Loftin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Loftin is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived 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 Loftin surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1

Early Origins of the Loftin family

The surname Loftin 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 Loftin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Loftin 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 Loftin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loftin Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Loftin has been spelled many different ways, including Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others.

Early Notables of the Loftin family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Loftin Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Loftin Ranking

In the United States, the name Loftin is the 4,196^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Loftin family to Ireland

Some of the Loftin 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.

Loftin migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Loftins to arrive in North America:

Loftin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Loftin, aged 25, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1860 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Loftin (post 1700) +

Richard Bowen Loftin (b. 1949), American academic, the 24th American President of Texas A&M University
Peter Loftin Peter T. Loftin, American telecom entrepreneur
Brian Loftin (b. 1972), retired American soccer forward, former commissioner of the Xtreme Soccer League, member of the US National Team (1996-2000)
Carey Loftin (1914-1997), American actor and stuntman
W. F. Loftin, American politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Lenoir County, 1871-72 5
Scott Marion Loftin (1878-1953), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Florida State House of Representatives, 1903-04; U.S. Senator from Florida, 1936 5
Lester Loftin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Missouri State House of Representatives from Stone County, 1940 5
Frank S. Loftin, American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate 37th District, 1923-24 5
F. B. Loftin, American politician, Member of North Carolina State Senate 11th District, 1883-84 5
E. E. Loftin, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Tennessee State Senate 20th District, 1947 5
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

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.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html