| Epithet | Irish | Dates | Notes | Other people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The White Earl | James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond | 1393–1452 | The Book of the White Earl | |
| The Black Earl | Thomas Butler, 10th Earl of Ormond | c.1531–1614 | From his dark complexion | James Carnegie, 2nd Earl of Southesk; William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (died 1469); Thorfinn Sigurdsson, Earl of Orkney |
| The Red Earl | Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster; Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, 1st Earl of Ossory | 1259–1326 | The Hall of the Red Earl, Galway; | John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer; Francis Hastings, 16th Earl of Huntingdon (left-winger); Gilbert de Clare, 8th Earl of Gloucester |
| The Yellow Earl | Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale; | |||
| The Green Earl | Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, the "Green Count" (clothes, armour, and livery); | |||
| The Blue Earl | zzz | 1–1 | ||
| The Grey Earl | zzz | 1–1 | John Gordon, 14th Earl of Sutherland. Distinguish Earl Grey. | |
| The zzz Earl | zzz | 1–1 |
In the Sutherland dynasty the colour of the hair decided this point, and they had “ The Red Earl, the Grey Earl, and the Black Earl;”