Name Numerology Basics

For the invented name Mara Ellis, all letters total 36, an expression number of 9; the vowels total 16, a soul urge of 7, and the consonants 20, a personality number of 2.

Name numerology turns the letters of a name into numbers and reduces the total to a single digit, the way birth-date numbers are reduced. This guide uses the Pythagorean system, which assigns the values 1 through 9 to the alphabet in repeating order. It is a symbolic practice, and the resulting numbers are prompts for reflection and not measurements of anything.

Three numbers come from a name. The expression number, also called the destiny number, uses every letter and is traditionally read as a picture of your abilities and approach. The soul urge number uses only the vowels and is read as an inner motivation. The personality number uses only the consonants and is read as the outer impression you make. The site’s name numerology calculator gives the expression number.

The values simply cycle through the alphabet: the first nine letters are 1 through 9, the next nine start again at 1, and so on. That is why A, J and S all equal 1.

Numerologists disagree about details, so it helps to know the site’s exact choices. They are listed here in the order a name passes through them.

• Vowels are A, E, I, O and U. Y counts as a consonant unless you choose the option that treats Y as a vowel.
• Spaces, hyphens and apostrophes are ignored, so O’Neil is read as ONEIL.
• Accented Latin letters are reduced to their base letter, so José is read as JOSE and Zoë as ZOE.
• A name containing a digit is rejected.
• Letters from other alphabets, such as Cyrillic, Greek or Chinese characters, are not guessed at and not silently dropped. The site asks for Latin letters or a transliteration you have chosen. Letters such as Ø or Ł, which do not split into a base letter and a mark, need the same treatment.
• The site adds every letter value into one total first and then reduces that total. A total of 11, 22 or 33 stays as a master number unless you choose the reduce-all option.

Both names are invented. First, Mara Ellis. The letters are M4 A1 R9 A1 E5 L3 L3 I9 S1, and their sum is 36, which reduces to 3 + 6 = 9. That is the expression number. The vowels A, A, E and I give 1 + 1 + 5 + 9 = 16, which reduces to 7, the soul urge. The consonants M, R, L, L and S give 4 + 9 + 3 + 3 + 1 = 20, which reduces to 2, the personality number. The vowel and consonant totals, 16 and 20, add back to 36 as they should.

Second, Jonas Whitfield. Jonas is J1 O6 N5 A1 S1, a sum of 14. Whitfield is W5 H8 I9 T2 F6 I9 E5 L3 D4, a sum of 51. The total is 65, and 6 + 5 = 11, which is kept as a master number. The vowels O, A, I, I and E give 6 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 5 = 30, which reduces to 3. The consonants give 1 + 5 + 1 + 5 + 8 + 2 + 6 + 3 + 4 = 35, which reduces to 8. Again 30 and 35 add to 65. With the reduce-all option the 11 becomes 2.

For the accent case, Elena Ríos is read as ELENARIOS, the same as without the accent. The letters are E5 L3 E5 N5 A1 R9 I9 O6 S1, a total of 44, which reduces to 8. On this site 44 is not a master number.

Most errors come from deciding which name to use, and a few come from arithmetic. Check each of these before trusting a result.

• Using a nickname for the expression number. Most teachers use the full birth name, and some read a name you go by now as a second, separate layer.
• Dropping a middle name. For an invented Anna Marie Cole the letters total 57, which reduces through 12 to 3. Without the middle name, Anna Cole totals 29 and reduces to the master number 11. One word changes the result.
• Treating a name change as a correction. Marriage, a chosen name or a transliteration are all legitimate. There is no single rule, so many people note the number for each and reflect on both.
• Changing a spelling to improve a number. K is 2 and C is 3, so Katherine and Catherine differ, and nothing suggests that moving a letter changes your life.
• Reducing each part of a name separately. That can hide a master number that appears only when the whole name is added first.

Work through it on paper, then compare with the calculator.

1. Write your full birth name, then remove spaces and punctuation and turn accented letters into plain ones.
2. Write each letter’s value beneath it using the table.
3. Add the values for all letters, then for vowels alone and for consonants alone.
4. Reduce each total, stopping at 11, 22 or 33 if you keep master numbers.
5. Check that the vowel total plus the consonant total equals the full total, then compare with the site’s calculator.

Name numbers are symbolic prompts, not measurements, and a different spelling, a nickname or a dropped middle name can change the result.