- Mr. Stevens, the narrator, an English butler who serves at Darlington Hall. A man devoted to performing his job to the highest standards, and who is particularly concerned with dignity (exemplified by the fact that the reader never learns his first name).
- Miss Kenton, the housekeeper at Darlington Hall, later married as Mrs Benn. A capable and opinionated woman who works closely with Mr Stevens as the two most senior serving staff. Her relationship with Mr Stevens is unstable; they frequently argue, yet it is evident to the reader (but not to Stevens) that she is in love with him.
- Lord Darlington, the owner of Darlington Hall, characterised as well-meaning but naïve. His support for appeasement with Nazi Germany results in public disgrace after WWII.
- William Stevens (Mr. Stevens senior), the 75-year-old father of Mr Stevens, serving as under-butler; Stevens senior suffers a severe stroke during the conference at Darlington Hall. His relationship with his son is portrayed as strained.
- Senator Lewis, an American senator who criticises Lord Darlington as being an "amateur" in politics. He symbolises the declining power and relevance of the European aristocracy in the face of America's ascendance as a global superpower, and the increasing role of non-aristocratic "experts" in politics.
- Young Mr Cardinal, the son of one of Lord Darlington's closest friends and a journalist; he is killed in Belgium during the Second World War.
- M. Dupont, a high-ranking French politician who attends Lord Darlington's conference.
On his motoring trip, Stevens briefly comes into contact with several other characters, most of them working class. They serve to challenge Stevens' ideals and values, particularly in the changing post-war social context, and contribute towards his epiphany at the end of the novel. For example, Harry Smith, an outspoken left-wing man he meets in a pub, argues that dignity is actually about democracy and standing up for one's beliefs, in contrast to Stevens' conception of it as being about suppressing one's own feelings in pursuit of professionalism.
