For nine epic seasons, How I Met Your Mother entertained fans with its delightful humor, captivating narrative, and melting pot of quirky characters. From Barney’s womanizing escapades to Ted’s quest for true love, HIMYM was packed with symbols, catchphrases, and other materials that have their place in modern pop culture.
Of course, the impact of this hit series on the lives of its viewers would not have been possible without an endearing cast of characters, each of whom made up a piece of the puzzle with their dazzling personalities. Fans can learn even more about each character by connecting them with their place in the Myers-Briggs Personality Typology. Each character matches up to a different MBTI type, creating a strong network of unique characters and relationships.
Mickey Aldrin — INTP (Logician)
Mickey has a difficult relationship with his daughter because he spent so much of his life focused on creating the next great American board game. He neglected his family and their needs while he tried to make it in the board game industry, but he finally realized once Lily cut him out of her life that he needed to value family too.
This is an all-too-familiar trap for INTPs, because they can get too focused on their creative goals. Logicians are always thinking, channeling their life experiences into their pet projects, but it’s important for them to be able to put them aside for the people and things that matter most, like when Mickey dropped everything to be there for the birth of his grandson.
Kevin Venkataraghavan — ISTJ (Logistician)
Kevin was one of Robin’s healthiest partners, and this is partly because so much of his personality is driven by his integrity. Like most ISTJ characters, Kevin does what he thinks is right whether it’s hard for him or not, which can be seen when he stops seeing Robin as a client due to his attraction to her and when he proposed to her even after knowing she couldn’t have children.
He was respectful and supportive through all the bumps in the road, and that made him a genuinely great boyfriend. In many ways, his steady personality made him feel the most realistic on a show full of extreme personalities.
Billy Zabka — ISFJ (Defender)
William Zabka portrayed a fictionalized version of himself throughout the final seasons of How I Met Your Mother, becoming close with the main group of friends and opening up about how people still hate him for portraying the antagonist Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid.
Barney believes that his character was actually the hero of the movie and Billy is understandably excited to have a fan and eventually a good friend. He’s a loyal, considerate, and committed friend that just wants to be part of the family—proving he has a lot of similar characteristics to the ISFJ personality.
Sandy Rivers — ESFP (Entertainer)
Sandy Rivers didn’t appear often on the show, but he was mostly known for his misogynistic ways while working as an anchor alongside Robin. He constantly harassed Robin and other women, and his countless scandals eventually ended his career in America, leading to him becoming an anchor in Russia.
The ESFP personality is typically outgoing, friendly, and enjoys working in a team of people while also being a lover of life, which Rivers was, but he never learned how to respect women both in and out of the workplace, a critical flaw that other ESFPs should avoid.
Wendy The Waitress — ESFJ (Consul)
While not much is known about her, Wendy had been a waitress at MacLaren’s Pub for the duration of the series. Whenever the group would sit down in their booth, she always greeted them with an open smile, displaying her caring ESFJ personality.
She always appeared welcoming and enthusiastic when assisting the group, but—like many ESFJs—she had a tendency to become too transparent, which opened her up to being hurt easily. The biggest example of this was the fallout that came after she briefly dated Barney.
Quinn Garvey — ESTP (Entrepreneur)
Barney’s longtime ex and notorious stripper, Quinn is direct and realistic in her goals and does what it takes in order to make a living. She is adventurous and is always up for a risk, particularly if it results in having a good time. While she is as efficient as the typical ESTP, she often uses this trait to take advantage of people, such as when she took an excessive amount of money off of Barney on the night they met.
Quinn is very insightful and observant and has a knack for anticipating how someone will behave. She is also a people-person who loves being at the center of attention. All of this makes her a clear Entrepreneur.
James Stinson — ENTP (Debater)
James has a very similar personality to his half-brother Barney, so it’s not a surprise that their MBTI categories are so similar. James is a resourceful character that’s quick on his feet and able to solve problems creatively.
He’s good at reading other people, which he uses to help pick up women for Barney and eventually find a husband for himself. Even though he occasionally feels bored by the routine of married life, he frequently finds new thrills in it as well, which lines up well with the ENTP personality type.
Victoria — ESTJ (Executive)
Ted and Victoria dated off and on throughout the series, and she understood Ted’s quest for true love best. When they first met, Victoria laid down ground rules to have the perfect evening, and that demonstrated her clear ESTJ traits. Victoria is also a dedicated baker and owner of her own bakery, proving her dedication and work ethic.
Although Victoria struggles to find the right path when she runs away from her wedding, it’s because she is torn between what seems right and what actually is. At the end of the day, she believes that true love is worth fighting for, even if it seems wrong to outsiders, and she has the strength to pursue it.
Zoey Pierson — INTJ (Architect)
Zoey, ironically enough, best fits into the Architect personality type. She is incredibly witty, which can get her into trouble, because her mind comes up with new schemes and challenges even when it shouldn’t. By following her passion for her protest movements, she can wind up breaking rules she didn’t intend to get near.
Like other INTJs, Zoey is intensely single-minded, not letting any obstacles get in her way. While this can hinder her socially, it’s also the source of her fire, which Ted and the audience loved so much. INTJ characters are more concerned with being right and getting what they want than they are with making friends, but that didn’t stop Zoey from making a major impact on Ted with her confidence and strength.
Stella Zinman — ENFP (Campaigner)
Stella was sociable and easy to get along with, but Ted just wasn’t the right person for her. Like many ENFP characters, she was deeply focused on forming emotional connections, which she then struggled to let go of. This was especially true with her ex, Tony, who she kept going back to in her mind throughout her relationship with Ted.
All of her insecurities aside, Stella also exemplifies many positive ENFP qualities such as being enthusiastic and future-oriented, especially during the time in which she and Ted were seriously considering building a life together. Campaigners are well known for their infectious sense of joy, which Stella had in spades and offered to everyone around her.
Marshall Eriksen — INFP (Mediator)
With his politeness and strong moral compass, Marshall has a great value system—as do many INFPs. He is caring and always willing to listen to the struggles of his friends and wife, even lending a shoulder to cry on when necessary. His soft personality does cause an issue for him in the workplace, however, as he is often taken advantage of by his employers.
One of Marshall’s defining INFP traits is his pursuit of harmony; he never picks sides in a fight so long as he can help it and often acts as a mediator within the group to bring his friends together again.
Lily Aldrin — ENFJ (Protagonist)
The ever-enthusiastic Lily is always willing to lend a helping hand, even when it may not be welcome. Like many ENFJs, she believes that there is a higher purpose to life, and she tends to be idealistic about things like true love and morality. While she can get into trouble by enforcing childish punishments on her friends and loved ones, it’s only because she is so passionate about how the world should be.
Protagonists tend to be full of passion, which she applies both as a teacher and an art consultant. She can sometimes cross the line by meddling too deeply in her friends’ affairs, but that is common for someone who is an ENFJ. Despite sometimes being overbearing, Lily remains a warm person who will always be there for her friends when times get tough.
Tracy McConnell — ISFP (Adventurer)
While she is only featured towards the end of the series, it quickly becomes evident that Ted’s eventual wife was incredibly observant, and could pick up on someone’s emotions almost right away. This valuable ISFP trait was evident when she and Robin first met, and Robin was displaying cold feet before her wedding to Barney. Immediately, Tracy told Robin to stop what she was doing and take three deep breaths, which allowed Barney enough time to convince her to go through with the wedding.
Apart from her observance and wisdom, Tracy is simply a caring person. When Lily was distraught after her fight with Ted, as well as the fact that she missed Marvin, Tracy immediately offered her cookies in an effort to console her.
Robin Scherbatsky — ISTP (Virtuoso)
While Robin may sometimes seem somewhat negative, this impression is mostly due to her ISTP sense of practicality. Robin has her feet planted firmly on the ground, and she goes after what she wants, even when it leads her all the way to Japan. While she often remains cool and seems to take a back seat, her hands-on personality comes out when she gets involved in discussions on ice hockey as well as her news reporter career.
While she may be down to earth, Robin also has a sense of adventure like many other ISTPs, which leads her to act impulsively. Fans saw this after her second breakup with Ted, when she decided to travel to Argentina as an escape and came back with her rebound boyfriend, Gael.
Barney Stinson — ENTJ (Commander)
ENTJs are able to see the world for what it is, break it down into rules, and execute plans—and that’s exactly what Barney does. The Playbook couldn’t be pulled off by anyone who didn’t have his level of analytical thinking and blind confidence. He is a novelty seeker who is always up for a party and often attempts to coerce Ted into participating in his elaborate schemes.
Commanders like Barney are always looking for a challenge, and that can be seen in his relationships with both Quinn and Nora. Only a fellow force of nature could hold their own with him, which explains why his flings rarely turn into something more. Even lacking staying power, Barney is generally able to get what he wants out of a given situation, marking him as a true ENTJ.
Ted Mosby — INFJ (Advocate)
Like a typical INFJ, Ted is quietly intense, which is a trait that forms the foundation of the entire show, namely his never-ending search for the right woman. This trait does have its downside, however, as it has often led him into the wrong types of relationships.
He does, however, possess the great INFJ quality of being vision and meaning-oriented, which allows him to persevere in his career as an architect and eventually find his soulmate. Ted’s perseverance is what allowed him to stay positive and keep striving for what he wanted, even when others would have thrown in the towel.
