Little Women · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Jo March
major
Also known as Josephine, Miss Jo, Doctor Jo, Joanna, Jo March
The second March sister, a restless aspiring writer who declares herself 'the man of the family' and guards her secrets as fiercely as her temper.
Amy March
major
Also known as little Amy, Grace, Amy Curtis March, Miss Amy
The youngest March, a self-declared 'most important person' with blue eyes, yellow curls, and a cologne budget that leaves room for pencils.
Laurie Laurence
major
Also known as Theodore Laurence, Mr. Laurence, Teddy, young Laurence
The wealthy, mischief-loving boy next door who wheedles, bribes, and teases Jo for her secrets, then bursts into the March parlor with news of a Christmas surprise.
Meg March
major
Also known as Margaret, Meg, Daisy, Miss Meg March
The eldest March sister, pretty and domestic, who lectures her sisters about propriety while secretly thrilling to white gowns, gold-paper jewelry, and the idea of being grown up.
Beth March
major
Also known as Miss Elizabeth March, Little Beth, Beth
The third March sister, called 'Little Tranquillity,' who warms slippers at the hearth, hems handkerchiefs for Marmee, and dreads being the center of attention.
Marmee March
major
Also known as Mrs. March, Mother, Marmee
The March sisters' wise and loving mother, whose return at six o'clock brightens the whole house and whose patient counsel steadies Jo's wildest schemes.
Professor Bhaer
supporting
Also known as Mr. Bhaer, Friedrich Bhaer, Old Fritz, the Professor
Bhaer scrapes a living teaching indifferent young ladies who mock his accent, and Jo first notices him as the tired, hungry man at the bottom of Mrs. Kirke's boarding-house table. He is no polished suitor: he shouts philosophy at a deaf neighbor, scolds his pupils with a despairing 'Prut!', and yet strokes a child's hair with a fatherly tenderness that startles Jo. His blunt honesty and unglamorous kindness quietly measure everything the March girls have been taught to value.
John Brooke
supporting
Also known as Brooke, John, Mr. Brooke, John Brooke
A poor young man with no fortune and no theatrics, Brooke courts Meg under Aunt March's scandalized nose and against her threat to disinherit the girl. When Meg, flushed with Annie Moffat's lessons in coquetry, petulantly sends him away, he neither rages nor storms but stands looking at her 'so wistfully, so tenderly' that her heart relents. His steady, unromantic sincerity forces Meg—and the reader—to weigh love against money and pride, setting the marriage plot in motion.
Aunt March
supporting
Also known as March, Aunt
Aunt March hobbles into the March household with opinions, money, and a talent for meddling, insisting Meg marry well and help the family rather than throw herself away on a penniless tutor. She wields her fortune like a weapon—'not one penny of my money ever goes to you'—and yet her interference is precisely what stiffens Meg's resolve to marry John. Crotchety, imperious, and secretly sentimental, she embodies the worldly pressure against which the sisters' choices are measured.
Hannah Mullet
supporting
Also known as old Hannah, Hannah, Hannah Brown
Hannah stalks in with turnovers on bleak mornings, scolds the girls for being 'the crossest family,' and never forgets the lunch that keeps them going. She is servant and second mother both, a fixture whose grumbling hides steady devotion during Mr. March's absence and Marmee's long days of war work. Her small rituals—the muffs, the ironing 'with a slap and a bang'—give the March household its texture of cheerful, hardscrabble endurance.
Mr. March
supporting
Also known as Mr. and Mrs. March, March
Off serving as a chaplain in the Civil War, Mr. March is felt in every letter, every sacrifice, and every dollar the girls scrape together to bring him home. A studious, unworldly minister who lost his property helping an unfortunate friend, he is the household's 'conscience, anchor, and comforter'—the head to whom the busy women turn in trouble. His absence makes the sisters' poverty urgent and their Christmas generosity poignant, and his eventual return marks the story's first great emotional homecoming.
Demi Brooke
supporting
Also known as Master Demi, Demi, naughty Demi
As the first grandchild of the March family, Demi arrives to be doted on, scolded, and philosophized over by aunts who once squabbled over slippers and Christmas plays. He is 'naughty Demi' to his mother, a puzzle and a joy to Jo, and a small living proof that Meg's choice of love over Aunt March's fortune has produced something real. His presence shifts the sisters' world from girlhood toward the next generation, softening the book's later chapters with domestic comedy.
Old Mr. Laurence
supporting
Also known as Mr. Laurence, James Laurence
As Laurie's guardian and the wealthiest man in the neighborhood, Mr. Laurence occupies a position of quiet power that could easily isolate him, yet he finds himself drawn into the March family's orbit through his grandson's friendship with Jo. His stern manner and heavy eyebrows mask a profound loneliness and a desperate wish to be needed, which surfaces when he offers everything from his dressing-gown to his personal escort during the March family crisis. His tentative generosity toward Beth and his willingness to bridge the gap between his grand house and the modest one next door make him the emotional hinge on which the story's cross-class connections turn.
Sallie Gardiner
supporting
Also known as Sallie, Sallie Moffat, Miss Sallie
Sallie Gardiner moves easily through the parties and parlors that Meg March can only dream of, and her invitation to the Moffat gathering becomes Meg's first real taste of luxury and its discontents. Through Sallie's social circle, Meg overhears the gossip that shatters her innocent friendship with Laurie and plants seeds of dissatisfaction with her family's poverty. Sallie herself remains largely oblivious to the damage her world inflicts, making her a perfect emblem of how thoughtless privilege operates—not through malice, but through careless talk that changes everything for the listener.
Ned Moffat
minor
Also known as Mr. Ned, Ned, Ed
A wealthy young man who marries Sallie Gardiner and socializes with the March circle.
Fred Vaughn
minor
Also known as Fred, old Fred
A young Englishman who courts Amy during her European travels.
Aunt Carrol
minor
Also known as Aunt Carrol
A wealthy aunt who takes Amy to Europe as her companion.
Esther
minor
Also known as old Esther
Aunt March's French maid who helps the March girls with various tasks.
Florence
minor
Also known as Flora McFlimsey, Flo
A wealthy friend of the March sisters who appears in social gatherings.
Mrs. Kirke
minor
Also known as Mrs. Kirke
The boardinghouse owner where Jo stays in New York and meets Professor Bhaer.
Mr. Davis
minor
Also known as old Davis, Davis
The strict schoolmaster who teaches Amy and punishes her for pickled limes.
Annie Moffat
minor
Also known as Annie, Nan
A fashionable friend of Sallie who gossips about the Marches at the Moffat party.
Mrs. Moffat
minor
Also known as young Mrs. Moffat, the good-natured Mrs. Moffat
The hostess of the lavish party Meg attends, mother of Ned Moffat.
Scott
minor
Also known as Mr. Scott, Jack Scott
Laurie's friend and fellow college student who joins in various adventures.
Belle
minor
Also known as Miss Belle
A fashionable young woman who socializes with the Moffat circle.
Kate Vaughn
minor
Also known as Miss Kate, Kate
Fred Vaughn's sister, a refined English girl who befriends Amy in Europe.
Mr. Dashwood
minor
Also known as Mr. Dashwood
The editor of the newspaper who publishes Jo's sensational stories.
Mary Kingsley
minor
Also known as Mary, Minna, Polly
A friend of the March sisters who appears in their social circle.
Hugo
minor
Also known as Hugo
A character in Jo's plays and stories, possibly a servant or villain figure.
Tudor
minor
Also known as Mr. Tudor
A young man who dances with Meg at the Moffat party.
Zara
minor
Also known as the exhausted Zara
A character in the March sisters' theatrical productions.
Pip March
minor
Also known as little Pip, Pip
A minor character, possibly a child or pet in the March household.
Hagar
minor
Also known as Hagar
A character in the March sisters' plays, often a witch or villainess.
Christian
minor
Also known as Tina
A character from the Pilgrim's Progress allegory the girls act out.
Mr. Snodgrass
minor
Also known as Snodgrass
A character from the Pickwick Club, part of the girls' literary games.
Roderigo
minor
Also known as Roderigo
A character in Jo's plays, likely a romantic or villainous role.
Mrs. Chester
minor
Also known as Consequences Mrs. Chester
A society woman who snubs Amy at a party, leading to consequences.
Mr. Pickwick
minor
Also known as Pickwick, Tupman
The fictional club president in the March sisters' Pickwick Society.
Susie Perkins
minor
Also known as Susie
A schoolmate of Amy's who teases her about pickled limes.
Miss Norton
minor
Also known as Miss Norton
A wealthy woman who employs Jo as a companion for a short time.
Miss Crocker
minor
Also known as Miss Crocker
A gossipy neighbor who spreads news about the March family.
Winkle
minor
Also known as Prim little Winkle
A character from the Pickwick Club, played by one of the March sisters.
Madame Récamier
minor
Also known as Madame
A historical figure referenced in the girls' artistic and literary games.
Kate Kearney
minor
Also known as Kitty
A character in a song or story the March sisters reference.
Don Pedro
minor
Also known as Don Pedro
A character in the March sisters' theatrical productions.
Viola
minor
Also known as the Lady Viola
A character from Shakespeare, referenced in the girls' plays.
Dr. Bangs
minor
Also known as busy Dr. Bangs
The family doctor who attends to Beth during her illness.
Mrs. Hummel
minor
Also known as poor Mrs. Hummel
A poor German woman whom the March sisters help with charity.
Little Parker
minor
Also known as little Parker
A minor character, possibly a child in the March neighborhood.
Jenny Snow
minor
Also known as Jenny
A schoolmate of Amy's who competes with her for attention.
Ferdinand Devereux
minor
Also known as Ferdinand, Fred
A character in Jo's stories, possibly a romantic interest.
Sam Weller
minor
Also known as old Sam
A character from Dickens, referenced in the Pickwick Club games.
Lotty
minor
Also known as Lotty
A servant or minor character in the March household.
Hayes
minor
Also known as Hayes
A servant in the Laurence household.
Aunt Mary
minor
Also known as Mary, Minna
An aunt of the March girls, possibly related to Aunt March.
Mercy
minor
Also known as Mercy
A character from Pilgrim's Progress, referenced in the girls' games.
Mrs. Gardiner
minor
Also known as Mrs. Gardiner
Sallie Gardiner's mother, a society woman.
Clara
minor
Also known as Miss Clara
A minor character in the March sisters' social circle.
Count Antonio
minor
Also known as the Count Antonio
A character in Jo's plays, likely a romantic or noble figure.
Miss Randal
minor
Also known as Hang Miss Randal
A schoolteacher or authority figure mentioned by the March girls.
Count de Adelon
minor
Also known as Count de Adelon
A character in the March sisters' theatrical productions.
Baptiste
minor
Also known as little Baptiste
A servant or minor character in the Laurence household.
Ellen Tree
minor
Also known as Ellen
An actress referenced by the March sisters in their theatrical games.
Mr. Cutter
minor
Also known as Mr. Cutter
A minor character, possibly a tradesman or neighbor.
Poll
minor
Also known as Poll
A parrot or pet mentioned in the March household.
Mr. Moffat
minor
Also known as Mr. Moffat
Ned Moffat's father, a wealthy society figure.
Hortense
minor
Also known as Hortense
A French maid or servant in the Moffat household.
Tommy Chamberlain
minor
Also known as Tommy
A schoolmate of the March girls, possibly a childhood friend.
Robert Lennox
minor
Also known as Lennox
A minor character, possibly a friend of Laurie's.
Minnie Kirke
minor
Also known as Minnie
Mrs. Kirke's daughter, a young girl who befriends Jo in New York.
Franz
minor
Also known as tall Franz
One of Professor Bhaer's nephews, a student at his school.
Emil
minor
Also known as Emil
One of Professor Bhaer's nephews, a student at his school.
