Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Loufcrum (sic for -trun) c.1270 MdMb

• Loustrum (sic) c.1300 Lowth

• Loftron 1614,1635 PR

• Loftorn(e) 1617,1618 ib

• Lofthorne 1708 ib

• Loftern 1689,1730 ib

• Lofterus (sic for -erns) 1762,1776 ib

• Lofterance 1829 Dir

Etymology

Loftern (lost), Loufcrum (sic for -trun )c. 1270 MdMb 357, Loustrum (sic)c. 1300Lowth , Loftron 1614, 1635 PR, Loftorn (e )1617, 1618 ib, Lofthorne 1708 ib, Loftern 1689, 1730 ib, Lofterus (sic for -erns )1762, 1776 ib, Lofterance 1829 Dir. This is probably to be taken with Loughtrans Hill, Lofterant, Loftern bank and Lofterns hill (ii, 63, 87, 100, 142 supra ), from an ON  *lopt-rann used in the same way as the common ON  lopt-hús of 'a house with a loft or upper story' (v. EPN ii, 27, NGIndl 66, NG v, 246, xi, 453), but in this case the second el. may have been influenced by runnr 'thicket'.It may be noted that the compound lopt -hús belongs to West Scandinavia, as it does not occur in Denmark or the main part of Sweden, but it does in Norway and Iceland; the same may be true of *lopt-rann (not yet found in Norw p.ns.).