2000
#4,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,502
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.41
Rare Last name
Loftin
Derived from an Old Norse personal name, Lófótr, likely referring to a person with heavy or clumsy feet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,346 Americans carry the last name Loftin. That puts it at #5,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loftin 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.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,659
Census rank
#5,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,406 bearers of the surname Loftin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loftin
The surname Loftin is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "loft," which referred to an upper room or chamber, typically situated above a barn or other outbuilding. The name likely denoted someone who lived or worked in such a loft or attic space.
Loftin is thought to have emerged as a surname in the regions of Devon and Somerset in the southwest of England, where it was first recorded in various spellings, including Loften, Loftan, and Loftain. These early variations reflect the fluid nature of surname spellings in medieval times before standardization became more common.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Devonshire from the year 1198, which mention a Geoffrey de Lofta. This suggests that the surname was already established by the late 12th century, though it may have existed earlier in an unrecorded form.
Another notable early reference to the name appears in the Assize Rolls of Somersetshire from 1243, where a Thomas Lofteyn is mentioned. This spelling variation highlights the regional differences in the name's early usage and evolution.
In the 14th century, the Loftin surname is recorded in various manorial records and tax rolls throughout the southwest of England, indicating its continued presence and gradual spread. For instance, a John Loftayn is listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Devonshire from 1327, while a Walter Loftyn appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Somersetshire from 1380.
Over the centuries, several individuals bearing the Loftin surname have achieved notable prominence. One such figure was William Loftin (c.1625-1691), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Exeter and was known for his scholarly works on theology and church history.
Another notable Loftin was John Loftin (1659-1689), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of navigation and authored works on seamanship and trigonometry.
In the 19th century, Edward Loftin (1815-1894) was a prominent English architect known for his work on churches and other ecclesiastical buildings, particularly in the Gothic Revival style.
Additionally, Samuel Loftin (1804-1877) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia in the mid-19th century.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contributions of Mary Loftin (1905-1994), an American civil rights activist and educator who played a significant role in the desegregation of public schools in Virginia during the 1950s and 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loftin
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Loftin 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 Loftin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 4,791
- Black or African American16.3% · 1,045
- Two or more races3.9% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 230
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loftin
Loftin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,739
+237 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 228 places
2020
#5,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,406
-333 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 70 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,963 | 6,502 | 2.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,191 | 6,739 | 2.28 | +237 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 228 places |
| 2020 | #5,261 | 6,406 | 2.14 | -333 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 70 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 Loftin 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 | #5,191 | #5,261 | -1.3% |
| Count | 6,739 | 6,406 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.14 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loftin bearers went from 6,739 to 6,406 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 70 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,191 to #5,261.
FAQ
Loftin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loftin?
Name Census estimates that about 7,346 living Americans carry the surname Loftin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,659 residents.
How common is Loftin?
Loftin ranks #5,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,406 people with the surname Loftin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Loftin.
Has Loftin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loftin went from 6,739 recorded bearers to 6,406. That is a decrease of 333 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,191 to #5,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Loftin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftin, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (16.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loftin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (4,791 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loftin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (16.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Loftin (2000, 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 Loftin mean?
Derived from an Old Norse personal name, Lófótr, likely referring to a person with heavy or clumsy feet. 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 Loftin (2.14 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 many people share the surname Loftin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.