2000
#4,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.42
Rare Last name
Loftis
Derived from a place name meaning "loft house" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a dwelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,456 Americans carry the last name Loftis. That puts it at #5,190 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,970 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loftis 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
7.5K
1 in 45,970
Census rank
#5,190
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,502 bearers of the surname Loftis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5190th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loftis
The surname Loftis has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English word "loft," which referred to an upper room or a loft. This suggests that the name may have originally identified someone who lived in or near a building with a loft or an elevated structure.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable reference is in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1292, which mentions a John de Lofte. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also include an entry for a John atte Lofte, indicating the name's presence in different regions of England.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Lofte, Loft, and Loftis. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 for Warwickshire list a Thomas Loftis, showcasing the more modern spelling of the name. This variation likely emerged due to the addition of the suffix "-is," which was common in the formation of English surnames.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was John Loftis, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1520. He was a prominent figure in the wool trade and served as a member of the local guild.
Another notable bearer of the name was William Loftis (1622-1691), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire. He played a significant role in the development of the local community and was a benefactor to several charitable causes.
In the 18th century, Samuel Loftis (1734-1805) was a respected clergyman and author from Yorkshire. He wrote several theological works and served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Leeds.
Moving into the 19th century, Elizabeth Loftis (1820-1902) was a pioneering educator from Kent. She founded one of the first schools for girls in her hometown and dedicated her life to promoting education for women.
Lastly, Henry Loftis (1858-1942) was a renowned architect from London. He designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Opera House and the National Gallery extension, leaving a lasting legacy in the architectural landscape of the city.
While the name Loftis may have evolved over time and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely identified individuals living in or near buildings with lofts or elevated structures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loftis
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Loftis 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 Loftis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 5,487
- Black or African American6.0% · 392
- Two or more races4.8% · 314
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 221
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loftis
Loftis 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
#5,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,777
+259 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 211 places
2020
#5,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,502
-275 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 28 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,951 | 6,518 | 2.42 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,162 | 6,777 | 2.30 | +259 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 211 places |
| 2020 | #5,190 | 6,502 | 2.18 | -275 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 28 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 Loftis 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 | #5,162 | #5,190 | -0.5% |
| Count | 6,777 | 6,502 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.18 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loftis bearers went from 6,777 to 6,502 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 28 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,162 to #5,190.
FAQ
Loftis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loftis?
Name Census estimates that about 7,456 living Americans carry the surname Loftis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,970 residents.
How common is Loftis?
Loftis ranks #5,190 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.18 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 6,502 people with the surname Loftis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,456), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.18 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 Loftis.
Has Loftis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loftis went from 6,777 recorded bearers to 6,502. That is a decrease of 275 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,162 to #5,190.
What does the Census say about the background of Loftis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftis, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Loftis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (5,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loftis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Loftis (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 Loftis mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "loft house" in Old English, referring to someone who lived in such a dwelling. 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 Loftis (2.18 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 Loftis?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Loftis, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.