2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lofters
A surname derived from someone who lived in or worked in a loft or upper room.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Lofters. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lofters surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lofters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Lofters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lofters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lofters
The surname Lofters has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "loft," which referred to an upper room or attic space. The name likely evolved to describe someone who lived or worked in a loft, perhaps a craftsman or tradesman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, where a certain Robert le Loftere is mentioned. This spelling variation, with the addition of the Old French word "le," meaning "the," was common during the Norman influence on English surnames.
In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, there is an entry for a Reginald Lofter, indicating the surname's presence in various regions of England during the 13th century. The variation "Loftere" was also found in records from the same period.
During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Loftere, Loftare, and Loftier, as evidenced by the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire from 1348. This suggests that the surname had spread across different parts of the country and was subject to regional variations in spelling.
One notable individual bearing the Lofters surname was John Lofters, a merchant and alderman who lived in London during the late 16th century. He was mentioned in the records of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, a prominent livery company, in 1589.
Another prominent figure was Sir William Lofters, a member of Parliament for the borough of Hertford in the early 17th century. He served during the reign of King James I and was active in local politics and governance.
In the 18th century, the name Lofters was associated with the village of Lofters Hall in Lancashire, where a family of that name resided. The place name likely derived from the surname, indicating the establishment of a local dynasty or landholding.
Other notable individuals with the Lofters surname include Thomas Lofters (1725-1792), a prominent industrialist and entrepreneur in the textile industry in Yorkshire, and Mary Lofters (1788-1865), a philanthropist and advocate for education in London.
While the surname Lofters is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its occupational origins in the medieval period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lofters
Among Census respondents with the surname Lofters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lofters bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lofters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.7% · 92
- Two or more races7.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- White4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lofters
Lofters appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lofters surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lofters bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Lofters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lofters?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Lofters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Lofters?
Lofters ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Lofters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lofters.
Has Lofters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lofters went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Lofters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lofters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 80.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lofters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.7% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lofters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (80.7%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Hispanic (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lofters (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lofters mean?
A surname derived from someone who lived in or worked in a loft or upper room. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lofters (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Lofters?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Lofters at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.