It is difficult to say when such surnames became hereditary. Among the Normans some offices of state were hereditary and gave rise to hereditary surnames. However surnames of occupation are common, and many surnames previously regarded as nicknames are really occupational. Nicknames Nicknames arise spontaneously from some fortuitous chance according to Reaney . Some nicknames describe physical attributes or peculiarities, others mental and moral characteristics, and sometimes they may be names of animals, being descriptive of appearance or disposition.
Nicknames are common in medieval records, but few have give rise to modern surnames.
The table of the hundred most numerous surnames in England and Wales follows. Those surnames dealt with in the main text are highlighted in bold type.