Find out how popular the last name Loffer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Loffer.

Loffer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Loffer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Loffer in America

Loffer is the 58182nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Loffer surname appeared 349 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Loffer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Loffer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Loffer

The surname Loffer is believed to have originated in Germany in the early medieval period, likely derived from an occupation or trade. One theory suggests it may have come from the Middle High German word "lofer," meaning a runner or messenger.

In some early records, the name appears spelled as "Lofere" or "Loffere," indicating a possible connection to the Old High German word "loufari," which also referred to a messenger or courier. The name's association with this occupation could have arisen from a family's involvement in delivering messages or goods between towns and villages.

One of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Augsburg, where a certain Johannes Loffer is mentioned as a resident. This indicates that the name was already established in parts of southern Germany by that time.

Another notable mention of the Loffer name comes from the 16th century, when a Swiss theologian and reformer named Samuel Loffer (1539-1606) gained prominence for his writings and sermons on Protestant theology.

In the 17th century, a German historian and author named Johann Loffer (1629-1701) published several works on the history of various German regions, including "Historica Illustrata Saxoniae Descriptio" and "Annales Rerum Germanicarum."

Moving into the 18th century, a French composer and violinist named Jean-Baptiste Loffer (1709-1786) gained recognition for his contributions to the classical music scene in Paris.

Another notable figure was Wilhelm Loffer (1817-1892), a German politician and journalist who served as a member of the Reichstag (parliament) during the late 19th century.

Throughout history, variations of the Loffer name have also been associated with certain place names, such as Loffenau, a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, and Loffingen, a municipality in the same region. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Loffer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Loffer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Loffer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Loffer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Loffer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Loffer, please contact us.

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