Given name & surname · also Old Norse
Lofton
“upper chamber, attic”
Lofton is a surname from Old Norse (ultimately Old English).
Meaning & origin
What it means
Lofton goes back to Old Norse lopt, meaning “upper chamber, attic.”
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Where it comes from
Lofton comes from Old Norse, and ultimately from Old English.
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
How it developed
From Old Norse lopt (“upper chamber, attic”), from Old English tūn (“enclosure; settlement, town”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lofton through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 695
- 685 boys · 10 girls
- Most popular year
- 2018
- 20 babies
- 2025
- 11
- #7,480 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −23%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 11 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 7,480 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 11.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 20 in 2018. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 455 as a first name in 2020; 13,295 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lofton’s family of names
In English usage, Lofton as a surname has a related form in Lofting. In English usage, Lofton as a surname has a related form in Lofting.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 1
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Lofton, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Loxton
“enclosure; settlement, town”
>99% boys
Leven
“dear, beloved” · “friend”
96% boys · 4% girls
Staton
“stone”
>99% boys
Luxton
“enclosure; settlement, town”
>99% boys
Roxton
“rook” · “hill”
>99% boys
Whitton
“white” · “enclosure; settlement, town”
>99% boys
Buxton
“to bend, bow”
>99% boys
Heston
“brushwood”
>99% boys