What is the name of the spider in Charlotte's Web?

The spider in Charlotte's Web is named Charlotte. More fully, she is Charlotte A. Cavatica, a barn spider who befriends Wilbur, the young pig at the center of E. B. White's story.

Charlotte helps save Wilbur from being slaughtered by spinning words into her web that praise him, including “Some Pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant,” and “Humble.” The unusual messages persuade people that Wilbur is special and worth preserving. Charlotte is intelligent, practical, loyal, and compassionate, while Wilbur is more emotional and dependent on his friends.

A common mix-up is Templeton, who is not the spider but a self-interested rat living near the barn. Goose is another farm animal, and Wilbur is the pig Charlotte protects. White's novel was published in 1952 and illustrated by Garth Williams. Charlotte's friendship with Wilbur gives the book its central themes of loyalty, sacrifice, mortality, and the continuing cycle of life.