Surnames derived from nicknames form a sizeable and vastly heterogeneous and colourful group within English surnames. They record what medieval people noticed about other people: physical attributes or peculiarities, mental and moral characteristics, supposed resemblance to animals or birds, or usage of favourite phrases or words. They may have been given to express irony, to ridicule or to please. Drawing predominantly on professor Reaney’s extensive work, in combination with inspiration from the Czech surnames, the article deals in detail with five groups into which English surnames which originated from nicknames may be divided. The four aforementioned large groups are completed with the fifth one, comprised of several smaller subgroups, containing nicknames from trees, plants, coins, time or those with obscene connotations to name at least some of them.