Lofts History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancient history of the Lofts 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 Lofts surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1

Early Origins of the Lofts family

The surname Lofts 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 Lofts family

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

Lofts Spelling Variations

Until 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 Lofts include Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others.

Early Notables of the Lofts family

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

Migration of the Lofts family to Ireland

Some of the Lofts 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.

Lofts 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 Lofts or a variant listed above:

Lofts Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Lenard Lofts, aged 25, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1732 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Lofts (post 1700) +

Norah Lofts (1904-1983), née Norah Ethel Robinson, English best-selling author, known for her work in historical fiction and short stories
William Thorneycroft "Bill" Lofts (1902-1952), South African-born, Canadian garage owner and politician who represented Meadow Lake from 1948 to 1952 Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
Wes Lofts (1942-2014), Australian rules footballer who played for Carlton from 1960 to 1970

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.
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)