A summary of bynames from:
Duncan Probert. "Peasant Personal Names and Bynames from Late-Eleventh-Century Bury St Edmunds". Nomina 37 (2014). pp. 35-71.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/306388147_Peasant_personal_names_and_bynames_from_late-eleventh-century_Bury_St_Edmunds_2014
There are sixty-three named tenants in the Bury list with bynames that are best described as nicknames. Another feature of the nicknames in the Bury list is the complete absence of the definite article in cases where this might be expected: it is unclear if this represents scribal practice or local vernacular usage. Unless otherwise noted, each byname appears once.
(1) Those referring to some aspect of a person's physical appearance
- calvus (Latin, "bald")
- cattesnese (OE, cat-nose")
- chec (OE, "cheek, cheekbone")
- huitfot (OE, "white-foot")
- langhand (OE, "long-hand")
- litle (OE, "little")
- longus (Latin, "tall")
- niger (Latin, "black")
- rufus (Latin, "red")
(2) Those that reflect someone's perceived character or traits
- bastard (Old French, "illegitimate child")
- cres (OE, "elegant")
- cucuold (Old French, "cuckhold")
- demere (OE, "arbitrator")
- grelling (OE, "fierce one")
- letig (OE, "cunning")
- piche le cruste (Old French, "stab the crust", perhaps relating to table manners or else poverty)
(3) Those derived from animals
- bar (OE, "boar")
- hert (OE, "hart")
- mæw; son of Mæw (OE, "seagull")
- mus (OE, "mouse")
(4) Those relating to a person's work or status
- aurifaber (Latin, "goldsmith") -- 2
- barun (Old French, "baron", perhaps used interchangeably with OE eorl)
- bercarius (Latin, "shepherd") -- 7
- blodlætere (OE, "blood-letter")
- cerceman (Old English cyriceman, "church-man", which could mean "clergyman" but also "churchwarden", and in this case was borne by a woman, Ælfflæd, who may have been the wife or widow of a churchwarden) -- 1 woman
- clericus (Latin, "clerk") -- 2
- diaconus (Latin, "deacon") -- 3
- croppere (OE, "tree-pruner")
- dæge (OE, dairymaid")
- equarius (Latin, "groom")
- eorl (OE, "earl, noble", perhaps used interchangeably with Old French barun)
- faber (Latin, "smith") -- 7
- fabri filius (Latin, "son of the smith")
- hægweard (OE, "hayward"; estate manager?) -- 5
- *heallemann (OE, "hall-man", perhaps a servant?)
- horsthegn (OE, "horse thegn", ostler, groom?)
- hweolwyrhta (OE, "wheel-wright")
- *inngerefa (OE, "inn-reeve")
- mango (Latin, "monger", OE mangere) -- 2
- mercator (Latin, "merchant")
- moldendarius (Latin, "miller") -- 2
- paner (Old French, "pannier")
- pellicarius (Latin, "pelterer") -- 2
- pistor (Latin, "baker")
- porcarius (Latin, "swineherd")
- prepositus (Latin, "reeve, provost") -- 2
- presbiter (latin, "priest") -- 16
- sutor (Latin, "shoemaker") -- 2
- Teperesune (OE, "son of the tapper or beer-seller")
- textor (Latin, "weaver")
- tuittel (OE, *þwitel, "cutting tool")
- uidua (Latin, "widow") -- 12 women
(5) Phrasal, generally formed by an adjective prefixed to a substantive, or a verb plus object
- al fordruncen (OE, "wholly drunk")
- brenebrec (OE, either "burn-breeches" or "burn-clearing")
- crep under huitel (OE, "crawl under blanket/cloak")
- fægercild (OE, "fair-child")
- godhand (OE, "good-hand")
- hopeheuene (OE, "hope-for-heaven")
- prisun (Old French, "prison(er)")
- scaldehere (OE, "scald-hare", perhaps a cook?)
(6) Other
- Blurf (no scholarly concensus on possible meaning)
- candela (Latin, perhaps from OE candel)
- pape (Old French pape "pope" perhaps representing a role in a festive pageant or miracle play, as well as an austere person. Could also be the OE personal name *Papa or Old French papa "gruel")
- torce (Old French, "torch")