Why did earls in the 14th/15th century name themselves after colors?

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Generally it is an Irish term of usage, to differentiate between different members of the same family, as Irish nobility was not as numerous as English nobility and therefore many had the same surname. They might have almost identical blazons, so to tell them apart at a distance, the background colour on a flag or shield would be a different colour to prevent confusion. This colour difference would then be used in the name....Show more

That is a good question. It may have to do with the colors of the coat of arms. The Brown Earl's father was the Red Earl. They wanted to be able to be seen in the battlefield and in the royal court, so colors were important back then....Show more

Well, the Brown Earl was very apprehensive and used to lose control of his bowels before a fight and the White Earl was a coward and ran away before that could happen.
People was very frank and down to earth in those days....Show more