First is Joseph Andrews. Joseph is most commonly known from the person in the Bible, and there are a few parallels. Like Joseph from the Bible, J. Andrews was kicked out of his home against his will. They were also both servants in a way (Bible Joseph was a slave, but you could argue the similarities). Bible Joseph was also the most favored out of his brothers, and, while Joseph Andrews can't compare to Pamela (obviously), he is still one of the most admirable characters in the story because you want him to come out on top at the end because he is so nice and tries his best to be good.
Second is Abraham Adams. Like Abraham from the Bible, they are both known for their steadfast in their faith, even if Abraham Adams is more on the naive side. He always believes everything will work in the end, even if he could have prevented the problem if he had more street sense.
Third is Fanny Goodwill. We learned what fanny is during class, so I'll refrain from reiterating it. It really just points out that she's the girl character, and really the only good girl character with seemingly pure motives. Her last name is quite obvious. She has a general goodness about her and good intentions. She only wants to find her Joseph.
Fourth is Sir Thomas Booby. Thomas was a person from the Bible, being one of the 12 disciples. He was known for his loyalty, which we see this characteristic in Thomas Booby when he trusts his wife's word and sends Joseph out into the world. There is the Saint Thomas who fought for the rights of the Church during King Henry 2's reign. There's also his last name, which reflects on his character. When you call someone a 'boob', it can mean that they are stupid or idiotic, and sense he fell for his wife's false claims, he was being stupid indeed. I'm not going to do there other Booby's since I just went over that last name.
Fifth is Mrs. Slipslop. I just want to say that I think her name is very silly. It reflects her character because she is very, well sloppish. She's a nasty woman who wants Joseph.
Sixth is Peter Pounce. His last name is obvious since he puts on airs to make himself seem more higher class than he is. He 'pounces' up when can. Peter is also a person from the Bible. He was basically the leader of the apostles, and Peter Pounce would no doubt jump at the chance to lead a group of high class citizens into certain fashions.
I also wanted to point that Parson Trulliber's name meant somewhere along the lines of fat farmer, according to some foot notes in the book.
Mrs. Grave-airs gives us a sense of...well...a lady with grave airs. Not someone you would go out of your way to hang out with.
While that's not all the characters, I tried to hit some of the earlier ones, and the main ones.
