You Pick BestYouPickBest

The 29 Best Gilmore Girls Characters of All Time

By YPB Team

From sharp-tongued matriarchs to small-town oddballs, Stars Hollow's cast runs the gamut between beloved and endearingly odd. Who earns your vote?

  1. Lorelai Gilmore — ranked #11
    Lorelai Gilmore
    The witty, fast-talking single mother whose relationship with her daughter drives the entire show.
    1000pts
  2. Emily Gilmore — ranked #22
    Emily Gilmore
    Lorelai's formidable, high-society mother whose sharp tongue masks deep family loyalty.
    718pts
  3. Luke Danes — ranked #33
    Luke Danes
    The gruff but softhearted diner owner and Lorelai's on-again, off-again love interest.
    692pts
  4. Rory Gilmore — ranked #44
    Rory Gilmore
    The bookish, ambitious daughter whose coming-of-age journey anchors the series.
    538pts
  5. Lane Kim — ranked #55
    Lane Kim
    Rory's rock-obsessed best friend navigating a strict upbringing and a budding music career.
    440pts
  6. Paris Geller — ranked #66
    Paris Geller
    Rory's hyper-competitive Chilton classmate turned lifelong frenemy and friend.
    440pts
  7. Kirk Gleason — ranked #77
    Kirk Gleason
    The eccentric Stars Hollow jack-of-all-trades who pops up in nearly every odd job in town.
    440pts
  8. Logan Huntzberger — ranked #88
    Logan Huntzberger
    Rory's wealthy, charming Yale boyfriend from the show's later seasons.
    440pts
  9. Jess Mariano — ranked #99
    Jess Mariano
    Luke's brooding, book-loving nephew and one of Rory's most debated boyfriends.
    440pts
  10. Dean Forester — ranked #1010
    Dean Forester
    Rory's earnest first boyfriend and the new kid who first captured her heart in Stars Hollow.
    323pts
  11. Sookie St. James — ranked #1111
    Sookie St. James
    Lorelai's clumsy, endearing best friend and the head chef at the Dragonfly Inn.
    0pts
  12. Richard Gilmore — ranked #1212
    Richard Gilmore
    Lorelai's dignified insurance-executive father, whose gruff formality, Friday-night dinners and quiet devotion to Rory made him one of the show's most beloved figures.
  13. Michel Gerard — ranked #1313
    Michel Gerard
    The haughty French concierge of the Independence Inn and later the Dragonfly, whose withering disdain for guests delivered some of the series' driest one-liners.
  14. Miss Patty — ranked #1414
    Miss Patty
    Stars Hollow's flamboyant dance-studio owner and town gossip, whose larger-than-life stories of past husbands and showbiz days enliven every town meeting.
  15. Babette Dell — ranked #1515
    Babette Dell
    Lorelai's raspy-voiced, cat-loving next-door neighbour, Miss Patty's partner in gossip and one of Stars Hollow's warmest eccentrics.
  16. Christopher Hayden — ranked #1616
    Christopher Hayden
    Rory's charming but unreliable father and Lorelai's first love, whose repeated returns and brief marriage to Lorelai in season seven complicate everyone's lives.
  17. Liz Danes — ranked #1717
    Liz Danes
    Luke's free-spirited sister and Jess's mother, a Renaissance-fair jewellery maker whose chaotic warmth contrasts sharply with her brother's grumpy order.
  18. Max Medina — ranked #1818
    Max Medina
    Rory's Chilton English teacher who fell for Lorelai, a romance that reached a planned wedding before Lorelai called it off in season two.
  19. Zack Van Gerbig — ranked #1919
    Zack Van Gerbig
    The laid-back guitarist of Hep Alien who becomes Lane's husband, his slacker charm hiding a sweet commitment to her and their twins.
  20. Doyle McMaster — ranked #2020
    Doyle McMaster
    The pompous, self-important editor of the Yale Daily News, whose prickly romance with Paris made them one of the show's funniest couples.
  21. Mitchum Huntzberger — ranked #2121
    Mitchum Huntzberger
    Logan's domineering newspaper-magnate father, whose blunt verdict that Rory lacked what it takes to be a journalist shook her ambitions in season five.
  22. Trix Gilmore — ranked #2222
    Trix Gilmore
    Richard's imperious mother, whose frosty visits and open disdain for Emily set the template for the Gilmore family's battles between generations.
  23. Tristan Dugray — ranked #2323
    Tristan Dugray
    Rory's smirking rich-kid tormentor at Chilton, whose mocking nickname 'Mary' and crush on her made him a memorable early rival to Dean.
  24. April Nardini — ranked #2424
    April Nardini
    The precocious, science-loving daughter Luke never knew he had, whose sudden arrival in season six strained his engagement to Lorelai.
  25. Anna Nardini — ranked #2525
    Anna Nardini
    April's fiercely protective mother, whose years of secrecy about Luke's daughter and later custody fight shook his engagement to Lorelai.
  26. Dave Rygalski — ranked #2626
    Dave Rygalski
    Hep Alien's earnest guitarist and Lane's sweet first boyfriend, who famously endured Mrs. Kim's scrutiny to win permission to take her to prom.
  27. Jason Stiles — ranked #2727
    Jason Stiles
    Richard's business partner, nicknamed Digger, whose quirky romance with Lorelai in season four ended amid a bitter legal feud with Richard.
  28. Gil — ranked #2828
    Gil
    The middle-aged, long-haired guitarist who joins Lane's band Hep Alien, his easygoing charm and rock-veteran swagger making the group complete.
  29. Lindsay Lister — ranked #2929
    Lindsay Lister
    Dean's young wife, whose short-lived marriage to him collapsed when she discovered his affair with Rory in season four.

Photo credits

Comments