Lofts

Recorded in several spellings including Loft, Lofts, Loftes, Loftus, Lofthouse and Loftis, this surname is a surname of English origins. However it is believed to originate from the pre 7th century when the Vikings occupied many parts of the country and introduced the word "lopt". This described an upper storey in a building, and it was also used with the English word "hus", meaning a house. In this long form it is found in various villages called "Lofthouse". Houses built with an upper storey, were a considerable rarity amongst people of the Middle Ages. This suggests that this surname is a status name or perhaps a status nickname, for somebody who lived in a house with an upper storey, and who therefore, was a cut above the rest! An early example of the surname recordings was that of Hugh ate Lofte in the Assize Court rolls of the county of Kent in the year 1317. Later examples of the recordings taken from surviving registers of the diocese of Greater London include the christening of Elizabeth Loft, the daughter of Matthew and Debora Loft, at St. Dunstan's in the East, Stepney, in 1626, and the marriage of John Lofts to Tabitha Thompson on May 19th 1713 at St. Martin's in the Field, Westminster. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Matthew at le Loft. This was dated 1279, in the "Hundred Rolls" of Huntingdonshire, during the reign of King Edward 1st, known as "The Hammer of the Scots", 1272 - 1307. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.