Loftin Coat of Arms.

Loftin or Loftus comes from Lofthouse and is a local at Lofthouse, a house with an attic, a Yorkshire surname. Several places are so named. The chief village Lofthouse three miles north of Wakefield, and Lofthouse a village in the parish of P'alzard. Robert deLofthouse (Ed i temp) is the oldest name. The Richard Loftus county of York, Joyn Loftus, Yorkshire, Robustus Loftus, John deLofthouse (Temp Richard II), Then 1503, William Lofthouse, Yorkshire. Then comes references to London, Sheffield Deeds, New York and Philadelphia directories where branches of these have moved (Bordsleys English Surnames, page 492). 

 There is a generally accepted belief among those who have studied the Loftin lineage the family is of English origin. Some members of the family apparently left England for Holland during a period of persecution and later a branch of the family returned to England who spelled the name Loftingh. After becoming thoroughly anglicized, the family dropped the "gh" and the American ancestor of the family eventually spelled the name Loftin. A John Loftin from this line is reported to have been the inventor of the thimble and a successful clothing manufacturer near London.

In an attempt to substantiate this traditional belief, I  Don Loftin (Waco) contacted  Dr. John A. Lofting in Norwich, England who conducted extensive research of the family in the United Kingdom. Dr. Loftin's research tends to lend credence to the English origin of the family theory and members did leave England for Holland during a period of persecution. Strong evidence exists indicating the family married into Dutch blood while in the Netherlands. This family returned to England in the late 1500's and spelled the name Loftingh. According to Dr. Lofting, the most prominent variations of the name are LOFTIN, LOFTING, LOFTINGS, LOFTINGH, LOFTON, and LAUGHTON. 

The history of the family in England and Holland reveal a people independent by nature. The family produced farmers, merchants, clergymen, manufacturers and inventors in England while those in Holland were basically tradesmen, tailors, and fishermen. Dr. Lofting reported there are fire engines in England named after a John Loftin (Lofting), a Dutchman who came from Amsterdam in 1688 to London where he became a manufacturer of fire engines and an inventor. Charles Laughton, noted actor, is also descended from this line. 

The American ancestor of this branch of the family was a Leonard Loftin (Laughton) (1616), who came to the Colony of Virginia July 12, 1636.