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

Question

I'm studying medieval history for the first time ever (I'm an American), and we've been learning about a bunch of Anglo-Irish earls. One of them called himself "The Brown Earl" of Ulster and one of them was "The White Earl" of Ormond. Maybe this is a stupid question, but what's with the colors? Where did those come from?

Derek · Accepted Answer

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.

Anonym · Answer

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.

? · Answer

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.

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

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