Charecter name etymology

Question 1

What is the meaning behind Scrooges name

Answer 1

Ebenezer has its root in the Hebrew word for “stone”.Linking to his cold hearted nature

likely based on the Old English scruze, “to squeeze or compress”.Linking to his miserly greedy nature

Question 2

What is the meaning behind Jacob Marleys name

Answer 2

Jacob is an allusion to the biblical story of Jacob who dreamt of a ladder ascending to heaven but also a golden coin from medieval England called a Jacobus

Marley is an obvious reference to marl, an archaic word for “earth” or “soil,” in this case, the soil of graves and cemeteries.

Question 3

What is the meaning behind Bob Cratchits name

Answer 3

bob being a Victorian British slang for shilling.This is emphasised by the quote “Think of that! Bob had but fifteen ‘bob’ a week himself.”

Cratchit is an onomatopoeia for the sound that a clerks quil makes while scratching the paper