2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Loftman
A surname derived from an occupation related to lofts or upper rooms.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Loftman. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loftman 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Loftman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loftman
The surname Loftman is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "loft," which referred to an upper room or attic space, combined with the suffix "man," indicating an individual associated with or living in such a space.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a Richard Loftman is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 14th century and may have originated even earlier.
The surname Loftman is often linked to the occupation of those who worked or resided in the lofts or upper floors of buildings, which were commonly used for storage or living spaces. It is possible that the name initially referred to individuals who occupied such spaces, either as tenants or workers.
In the 15th century, records show a John Loftman who was a merchant in the city of London, born around 1420. He is mentioned in various trade documents and records of the time, indicating the name's association with urban areas and commercial activities.
During the 16th century, the Loftman surname appears in various parish records and historical documents across England. One notable figure was William Loftman, a clergyman born in 1592 in Lincolnshire, who served as the Rector of Sutton-on-the-Hill in Yorkshire from 1632 until his death in 1670.
In the 17th century, the name Loftman is found in records related to the English Civil War. A military officer named Thomas Loftman, born in 1610, served in the Parliamentarian forces and is mentioned in accounts of battles and troop movements during the conflict.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Robert Loftman, a lawyer and historian born in 1678 in Yorkshire. He authored several works on English legal history and served as a justice of the peace in his local community.
As the surname spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, including Loftsman, Loftesman, and Lofthouseman, reflecting the connection to the occupation or living space associated with the name.
While the Loftman surname is not among the most common in England, it has persisted over the centuries and can be found in various regions of the country, with concentrations in areas such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and the West Midlands.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loftman
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Loftman 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 Loftman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 67
- Black or African American39.3% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loftman
Loftman 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 1,121 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 Loftman 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 | #143,149 | #144,270 | -0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 117 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loftman bearers went from 116 to 117 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 1,121 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #144,270.
FAQ
Loftman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loftman?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Loftman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Loftman?
Loftman ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Loftman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Loftman.
Has Loftman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loftman went from 116 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Loftman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftman, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (39.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Loftman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (67 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loftman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.3%), Black (39.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.7%). 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 Loftman (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 Loftman mean?
A surname derived from an occupation related to lofts or upper rooms. 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 Loftman (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 many people have the last name Loftman?
Find out how common the surname Loftman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.