Born near London in 1812, Charles Dickens suffered many hardships throughout his life. Like many of the characters he would later create, Dickens stayed for a time in a workhouse, witnessed the death of several family members, and fell in and out of love a few times. All of this went into such classic stories as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and Great Expectations.

Dickens's characters typically had colorful names; the following list offers a sampling of these unusual and unique character names.

1. Harold Skimpole (Bleak House)

This cheapskate claims he knows nothing about money management and uses that as an excuse to never pay for anything. Some claim Dickens modeled Skimpole after Leigh Hunt, another writer of the time, which, not surprisingly, caused a bit of animosity.

Dickens crafted a number of memorable characters in his stories.
Charles Dickens crafted a number of
colorful character names in his stories.

2. Sloppy (Our Mutual Friend)

One of Dickens's many orphan characters, Sloppy lives with Betty Higden and is taken in by the Boffin family. The noble Sloppy later has a hand in exposing nasty Silas Wegg.

3. Wopsle (Great Expectations)

Wopsle is a parish clerk when we meet him in this classic story, but he doesn't stay one for long. Choosing to become an actor, he changes his name to Waldengarver.

4. Polly Toodle (Dombey and Son)

Polly Toodle is Little Paul Dombey's nurse who gets fired after taking him to visit her dingy apartment in London's poorest area. Jolly and plump, Polly is a ray of hope in the face of poverty and hardship.

5. The Squeers (Nicholas Nickleby)

Wackford Squeers is the patriarch of this conniving, weaselly pack. The Squeers run Dotheboys Hall, an orphanage for unwanted boys whom they mistreat horribly. Daughter Fanny, son Wackford, Jr., and the missus are each more cruel than the last.

6. Luke Honeythunder (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)

As with most of Dickens's characters, Luke Honeythunder's name fits him well. Described as boisterous and overbearing, this philanthropist is the guardian of Neville and Helena Landless.

Our list of memorable character names from the works of Charles Dickens continues on the next page.

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