Scottish, very rare from the surname, itself derived from a number of place-names in Yorkshire, England, from Old Norse Lofthuis - "upper storey of a house", reputed to be a sign of wealth.

A private correspondent writes:

"My great-grandfather's surname is Loftus. During my many years of research I have found it also used as a first name as well as a middle name (the Scottish traditional way of acknowledging a mother's maiden name). However, these are rare occurrences."