2000
#4,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,916
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.93
Rare Last name
Loftus
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "loft house," referring to a dwelling with an upper story.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,191 Americans carry the last name Loftus. That puts it at #4,279 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loftus 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 Loftus with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,292
Census rank
#4,279
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,015 bearers of the surname Loftus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4279th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loftus
The surname Loftus is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English words "loft" meaning an upper room or floor, and "hus" meaning a house or dwelling. It is believed to have originated in England sometime during the 11th or 12th century, possibly as a descriptive name for someone who lived in an upper chamber or loft of a building.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Loftus name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Lofthus" in the records for Yorkshire.
The Loftus family later established a stronghold in the village of Loftus, located in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England. This village likely took its name from the family, and its earliest mention dates back to the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Loftus family played a prominent role in the history of Yorkshire. Adam de Loftus, born around 1200, was a notable figure who served as the Sheriff of Yorkshire in the late 13th century.
In the 16th century, Sir Adam Loftus (1533-1605) was an influential figure who served as the Lord Chancellor of Ireland and the Archbishop of Dublin. He played a crucial role in the establishment of Trinity College, Dublin, and was a key figure in the English Reformation in Ireland.
Another notable bearer of the Loftus name was Dudley Loftus (1619-1695), an English jurist and politician who served as a judge and member of the House of Commons in the 17th century.
During the 18th century, the Loftus family continued to hold significant positions in Ireland. Nicholas Loftus (1737-1805) was a prominent Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons, while Arthur Loftus (1745-1806) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
In more recent history, one of the most famous individuals with the Loftus surname was Elizabeth Loftus (1944-), an American cognitive psychologist and expert on human memory. Her pioneering research on the malleability of memory and the creation of false memories has had a significant impact on the field of psychology and legal proceedings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loftus
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Loftus 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 Loftus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,359
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 282
- Two or more races3.0% · 241
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 66
- Black or African American0.6% · 50
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loftus
Loftus 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
#4,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,166
+250 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.77
Rank movement Down 205 places
2020
#4,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,015
-151 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Up 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,142 | 7,916 | 2.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,347 | 8,166 | 2.77 | +250 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 205 places |
| 2020 | #4,279 | 8,015 | 2.68 | -151 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 68 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 Loftus 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 | #4,347 | #4,279 | 1.6% |
| Count | 8,166 | 8,015 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.77 | 2.68 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loftus bearers went from 8,166 to 8,015 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,347 to #4,279.
FAQ
Loftus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loftus?
Name Census estimates that about 9,191 living Americans carry the surname Loftus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,292 residents.
How common is Loftus?
Loftus ranks #4,279 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,015 people with the surname Loftus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,191), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Loftus.
Has Loftus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loftus went from 8,166 recorded bearers to 8,015. That is a decrease of 151 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,347 to #4,279.
What does the Census say about the background of Loftus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loftus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Loftus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loftus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Loftus (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 Loftus mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "loft house," referring to a dwelling with an upper story. 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 Loftus (2.68 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 Loftus?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Loftus at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.