Like the Everyman plays before him and Charles Dickens after him, Richard Brinsley Sheridan uses names to highlight the principal trait or disposition of the character in question. School for Scandal is about gossip and intrigue, a fact reflected by its title as well as the names of many characters. Lady Sneerwell, whose name reflects her propensity for sneering, is the most prominent, and her hireling, Snake, is equally well named for his poisonous and untrustworthy nature.

The scandal-mongers have suitable names for their conduct and tastes. Sir Benjamin Backbite spreads gossip and composes doggerel about acquaintances behind their backs, which is what "backbiting" means. Mr. Crabtree's sour nature is reflected by his name, since the crabtree produces only sour fruit, the crabapple. Their victims are similarly well named. Miss Vermillion, mocked for her use of cosmetics, is named after a type of red makeup which gives the appearance of blushing. The characteristics suggested by the names of Miss Prim and Miss Nicely are even more obvious. Miss Evergreen, meanwhile, is castigated for her attempts to remain young-looking.

The name "Surface" is shared by Joseph, Charles, and Sir Oliver. Its suggestion of shallowness and hypocrisy is most appropriate for Joseph, though it comes to have an equally apposite meaning for Sir Oliver when he appears in disguise. Even Charles is not innocent of shallowness, and his friend Careless is equally well named.

Richard Brinsley Sheridan's play School for Scandal is what is known as a "comedy of manners" or "drawing room comedy." It is an iconic exemplar of this genre, which gains its comic effect from making fun of the wealthy, typically through witty repartee and entertaining plot twists. Despite its frothy entertaining character, the play also, like the satires of Juvenal, unmasks vice and hypocrisy. The names of the major characters add to the humor of the play by revealing much of their true nature and providing opportunities for puns and other forms of word play and verbal irony. Some examples of this are:

• Lady Teazle: teases people in a nasty manner verbally and teases potential paramours in the sense of being sexually suggestive without actually committing adultery, but regains her moral sense by the end of the play.
• Sir Benjamin Backbite: is a backstabber who spreads malicious gossip.
• Mrs. Candour: is candid and open, but this means that she spreads gossip.
• Snake: is snake-like and venomous.
• Joseph Surface: his superficial amiability masks a deeper hypocrisy