| | Nettie | | Celie's little sister. |
| | Fonso | | Celie's stepfather. |
| | Ma | | Celie's mother. |
| | Mr. | | Celie's husband. aka: Albert. |
| | Shug | Avery | Singer. Albert's mistress. Aka: Queen Honeybee, Lillie Shug. |
| | Celie | | Protagonist. Narrator. |
| | Addie | Beasley | Celie's teacher. |
| | Olivia | | Celie's daughter. aka: Pauline. |
| | Samuel | | Corrine's husband. aka: The Reverend. |
| | Annie | Julia | Albert's deceased wife. Harpo's mother. |
| | Carrie | | Albert's sister. |
| | Kate | | Albert's sister. |
| | Bub | | Albert's son who's in and out of jail. |
| | Harpo | | Albert's oldest son. Celie's son-in-law. |
| | Sofia | Butler | A girl Harpo's in love with. |
| | Tobias | | Albert's brother. |
| | Odessa | | Sofia's sister. |
| | Swain | | Harpo's friend. |
| | Bessie | Smith | Shug's old friend. |
| | Henry | Broadnax | Sofia's family friend. aka: Buster, Prizefighter. |
| | Mary | Agnes | Harpo's new yellow skin girlfriend. aka: Squeak. |
| | Mayor | | Miss Millie's husband. |
| | Miss | Millie | Mayor's wife. |
| | Sheriff | | Albert's acquaintance. |
| | Bubber | Hodges | Mary's uncle. The prison cell warden. |
| | Henry | Hodges | Bubber's father. |
| | Jimmy | Hodges | Mary's father. |
| | Billy | | Miss Millie's son. |
| | Eleanor | Jane | Miss Millie's daughter. |
| | Jack | | Odessa's husband. |
| | Grady | | Shug's husband. |
| | Annie | Julia | Albert's first wife. |
| | Corrine | | Reverend Samuel's wife. Adopted Nettie. |
| | Adam | | Corrine and Reverend Samuel's son. |
| | Tubman | | Monrovia's President. |
| | Joseph | | Boatmen. A man Nettie met. |
| | Catherine | | Tashi's mother. |
| | Tashi | | Catherine's daughter. Olivia's friend. |
| | May | Ellen | Fonso's second wife. |
| | Daisy | | Fonso's third wife. |
| | Jolentha | | Harpo and Squeak's daughter. aka: Suzie Q. |
| | Henrietta | | Sofia's daughter. |
| | Herbert | Edenfail | Geoffrey's daughter. |
| | Geoffrey | Hood | Herbert's ailing mother. |
| | Jerene | | Darlene's twin. Celie's worker. |
| | Darlene | | Jerene's twin. Celie's worker. |
| | Doris | Baines | Someone Nettie and Samuel met in England. aka: Jared Hunt. |
| | Harold | | Doris's grandson. |
| | Germaine | | Shug's former lover. |
| | Stanley | Earl | Eleanor's husband. |
| | James | | Shug's son. |
| | Cora | Mae | James's wife. |
| | Davis | | James and Cora's son. |
| | Cantrell | | James and Cora's son. |
