One of the main groups of English surnames is that which includes nicknames given to describe appearance, tastes, clothes, temper, morals etc. A lot of these have obvious meanings but those whose origins lie in Old or Middle English are more obscure.
| Agnew | Ankers | Argent |
| Arlott | Arlotte | Armstrong |
| Ault | Averill | Ayer |
| Bagg | Bagge | Bairnsfather |
| Ball | Ballard | Barne |
| Barrat | Barratt | Barrett |
| Bastard | Baud | Beard |
| Beauclerk | Becket | Beckett |
| Belch | Belcher | Belgian |
| Belham | Bellamy | Bellmaine |
| Belt | Bevin | Bew |
| Bezzant | Bigg | Biggs |
| Bighead | Bird | Bisgood |
| Bismire | Biss | Bisset |
| Black | Blacklock | Blake |
| Blanchard | Blanchflower | Blandamore |
| Blank | Bleakman | Blessed |
| Blewett | Bligh | Blight |
| Blinman | Bliss | Blondell |
| Blood | Blundell | Blunden |
| Blunt | Blythe | Boar |
| Body | Bold | Bonamy |
| Bone | Bonger | Bonner |
| Bonser | Boon | Boss |
| Bossey | Boutflour | Bowie |
| Bowser | Bracegirdle | Bradfer |
| Bragg | Bragge | Breakspear |
| Bream | Breese | Brend |
| Bright | Brisbane | Broad |
| Broadfoot | Broadribb | Brock |
| Brockless | Brown | Browne |
| Browning | Brownjohn | Buck |
| Buffard | Bugg | Bull |
| Bullied | Bullock | Bunclarke |
| Bunyan | Burd | Burnet |
| Burrell | Buss | Butlin |
| Buzzard | Caddow | Callow |
| Cam | Cammamile | Cannard |
| Carless | Carman | Casbolt |
| Catt | Cave | Chaff |
| Chaffe | Chant | Charity |
| Cheek | Cheever | Cherry |
| Chick | Chicken | Chin |
| Chinn | Clapp | Cockbaine |
| Cockbill | Coe | Collop |
| Comfort | Comley | Conning |
| Coot | Coote | Cope |
| Copner | Coppard | Corp |
| Corpe | Corrick | Courage |
| Courtauld | Courtenay | Coy |
| Crane | Crass | Crawcour |
| Craze | Crisp | Crispe |
| Cruickshank | Crump | Cruse |
| Cuckow | Cuff | Curling |
| Curthose | Curtin | Cypher |
| Dagg | Damson | Dark |
| Darke | Darling | Dear |
| Deare | Dearman | Debney |
| Dent | Dixey | Dobell |
| Dodd | Doe | Dolittle |
| Dormer | Douce | Doughty |
| Dove | Dowsett | Drake |
| Drane | Drinkall | Drinkwater |
| Drury | Duncalf | Dunn |
| Dunne | Dwelley | Eld |
| Elder | Evershed | Fage |
| Fair | Fairbrass | Fairbrother |
| Fairchild | Fairfax | Fairfoot |
| Fairhead | Fairman | Fairweather |
| Falcon | Fane | Fant |
| Farr | Farthing | Fatt |
| Fauchon | Fawn | Fear |
| Fellowes | Fellows | Feverel |
| Fickle | Fidge | Fido |
| Fidoe | Finch | Fine |
| Firebrace | Fish | Fitch |
| Fitchett | Flowerdew | Flunder |
| Foljambe | Follenfant | Follett |
| Foot | Fortman | Fortnam |
| Fouweather | Fowle | Free |
| Freeborn | Friend | Frost |
| Froud | Froude | Fry |
| Frye | Fuggle | Fullalove |
| Gabb | Gadd | Gain |
| Gaine | Gambrill | Gamlin |
| Gape | Garnon | Garnons |
| Gawkrodger | Gay | Gaylord |
| Gear | Gearing | Gelding |
| Gent | Gentle | Gentleman |
| Gerrish | Giddy | Gigg |
| Gildersleeve | Girle | Gleave |
| Gleed | Glew | Goacher |
| Godsmark | Gold | Golden |
| Golightly | Good | Goodale |
| Goodbairn | Goodbody | Goodday |
| Goode | Goodenough | Goodfellow |
| Goodheart | Goodlad | Goodspeed |
| Goodyear | Gook | Gosling |
| Gotobed | Gough | Grand |
| Grealey | Greathead | Grice |
| Grill | Groocock | Gross |
| Grout | Grubb | Guest |
| Gully | Gurden | Hallmark |
| Hand | Hardy | Haresign |
| Harfoot | Harlock | Hart |
| Hawk | Hawke | Hendy |
| Hext | Hoar | Hoare |
| Hogg | Holyman | Idle |
| Jay | Jaye | Jucker |
| Keat | Keate | Keen |
| Keene | Kippen | Kipps |
| Langbain | Lappin | Lapping |
| Large | Lark | Larter |
| Laventure | Lawless | Lazar |
| Leaf | Leafe | Leal |
| Lean | Leane | Lebeau |
| Leleu | Leng | Leopard |
| Lepper | Letcher | Leuty |
| Leveson | Light | Lightbody |
| Lightfoot | Lillicrop | Lillywhite |
| Lipp | Lithman | Little |
| Littleboy | Littlechild | Littlejohn |
| Long | Longfellow | Longman |
| Longstaff | Louch | loud |
| Love | Loveday | Lovejoy |
| Lovel | Lovelace | Lovell |
| Lovitt | Luff | Lugg |
| Luttrell | Lyte | Maffey |
| Maiden | Makepeace | Male |
| Maliphant | Mallard | Mallory |
| Manley | Marmion | Marrow |
| Martyr | Maufe | Mauleverer |
| Mawditt | May | Maybank |
| Meager | Meek | Meeke |
| Meiklejohn | Melk | Mercy |
| Merriman | Merrison | Merry |
| Merryweather | Metcalfe | Midwinter |
| Mildmay | Milk | Minchin |
| Minet | Miskin | Mockler |
| Moignard | Monday | Morehen |
| Morrant | Morrell | Mort |
| Much | Mudge | Murch |
| Muskett | Mutton | Nares |
| Neam | Neame | Nears |
| Neave | Neck | Neep |
| Neighbour | New | Newman |
| Newson | Nightingale | Niker |
| Noblet | Nott | Odam |
| Old | Orgill | Orpet |
| Orpett | Outlaw | Palmer |
| Papigay | Pardew | Pardey |
| Parfett | Parlabean | Partridge |
| Passmore | Paternoster | Pauncefoot |
| Pauncefort | Peabody | Peacock |
| Peacocke | Pear | Peart |
| Peasebody | Peat | Peate |
| Peay | Pee | Pellew |
| Pelly | Penny | Pennyfather |
| Pennyfeather | Pepperell | Peregrine |
| Petch | Petchey | Petticrew |
| Pettifer | Pettit | Pettitt |
| Petty | Pigg | Pilgrim |
| Pincher | Pingree | Pink |
| Pinker | Pinnock | Pluckrose |
| Poe | Poindexter | |
| Polyblank | Poor | Poore |
| Pope | Popejoy | Popplestone |
| Portly | Postle | Povey |
| Powdrill | Pratt | Pretty |
| Prew | Prickett | Pride |
| Prime | Prin | Prince |
| Pring | Proffitt | Proud |
| Proude | Proudfoot | Prowse |
| Prudhom | Prudhomme | Pullan |
| Purcell | Purchas | Purchase |
| Purefoy | Puscat | Pyatt |
| Pye | Quaintance | Quant |
| Queen | Quick | Ramadge |
| Ramage | Ramm | Ramson |
| Rank | Rathbone | Raven |
| Rawbone | Ready | Redwood |
| Rich | Rideout | Ring |
| Roe | Roebuck | Rook |
| Rooke | Root | Roughead |
| Round | Rous | Rouse |
| Rowsell | Roy | Rudd |
| Rump | Rundall | Russ |
| Rust | Ruth | Sadd |
| Saffron | Sage | Saint |
| Savage | Scaife | Scammell |
| Scattergood | Scragg | Secrett |
| Secular | Selth | Sex |
| Shakeshaft | Shakespear | Shakespeare |
| Shank | Shanks | Shapeley |
| Sharp | Sharpe | Shears |
| Sheepshanks | Shere | Shergold |
| Sherlock | Shewell | Shilling |
| Shinn | Short | Shorthose |
| Shortman | Shotbolt | Shoulder |
| Shrapnel | Shrimp | Shuck |
| Shuker | Silburn | Skeat |
| Skeate | Skegg | Skipp |
| Skipper | Sleeman | Sleeper |
| Sleigh | Smale | Small |
| Smallbones | Smart | Smartman |
| Smele | Smollett | Snare |
| Snell | Snow | Snowball |
| Snuggs | Soan | Soane |
| Sorrel | Sorrell | Spark |
| Sparke | Sparrow | Sparrowhawke |
| Speak | Speake | Speakman |
| Spear | Speare | Speed |
| Speight | Speke | Spendlove |
| Spiller | Spink | Spinke |
| Sprackling | Spray | Spring |
| Springall | Springer | Springett |
| Sproat | Sprunt | Squarey |
| Squibb | Squirrel | Sriddell |
| Stagg | Stallard | Staneven |
| Stanfast | Stark | Starke |
| Starling | Starr | Startifant |
| Startup | Steer | Stern |
| Stiff | Still | Stirk |
| Stith | Stott | Stout |
| Strag | Straight | Strange |
| Stretch | Stripling | Strong |
| Strongitharm | Stutter | Suckling |
| Sudden | Sugarwhite | Supple |
| Swart | Sweet | Sweetapple |
| Sweeting | Sweetlove | Sweetman |
| Swift | Syrop | Tabard |
| Tait | Tallemach | Targett |
| Tazewell | Tench | Tepest |
| Tester | Thick | Thrush |
| Thrussell | Tite | Titler |
| Tod | Todd | Toogood |
| Tooth | Tough | Tout |
| Toy | Toye | Trant |
| Trapnell | Treasure | Tredgett |
| Trett | Trible | Tricker |
| Trickett | Trig | Trigger |
| Trivett | Trott | True |
| Truelove | Trueman | Truman |
| Try | Tulk | Turk |
| Turnbull | Turtle | Twinn |
| Twopence | Tyson | Vantage |
| Veal | Veale | Verity |
| Vidler | Vimpany | Virgin |
| Virgo | Virgoe | Vivash |
| Wake | Wann | Waple |
| Ware | Warme | Warr |
| Welfare | Wellcome | Wellfare |
| Werlock | Wheat | White |
| Whitefoot | Whitehead | Whitelegg |
| Whitlock | Wigg | Wight |
| Wild | Wildblood | Wildbore |
| Wilde | Wilder | Wildgoose |
| Wilding | Wildman | Wine |
| Winn | Winter | Wisdom |
| Wise | Wiseman | Witty |
| Woodcock | Woodfull | Woodiwiss |
| Wren | Wrenn | Wroth |
| Yearling | Yemm | Yould |
| Young | Younge | Younger |
| Youngman | Youngmay | Yule |
This collection of names was compiled by Kate Monk and is ©1997, Kate Monk.
Copies may be made for personal use only.