Lovtus History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The present generation of the Lovtus family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having 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 Lovtus surname were dwellers of the loft house. 1

Early Origins of the Lovtus family

The surname Lovtus 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 Lovtus family

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

Lovtus Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Lovtus include Loftus, Lofthouse, Loftis, Loftiss, Loftos and others.

Early Notables of the Lovtus family

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

Migration of the Lovtus family to Ireland

Some of the Lovtus 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.

Migration of the Lovtus family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Lovtus were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: John Loftis settled in Barbados in 1634; John Lofthouse arrived in Philadelphia in 1878; John Loftus arrived in Philadelphia in 1682; Biddy and Elen Loftus arrived in Quebec in 1848.

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.