How numerology works
Numerology is the practice of giving symbolic meaning to numbers, especially numbers taken from your name and date of birth. For names, it uses a letter chart that gives each letter a number. You add up the numbers and then reduce the total, usually by adding its digits together until you reach a single digit.
There are two main letter charts in use today: the Pythagorean and the Chaldean. They give different numbers to many letters, so the same name can produce different results. Knowing which chart a calculator uses is the first step to understanding your number.
The Pythagorean chart
This is the system most Western numerology books and websites use. It simply numbers the alphabet in order, from 1 to 9, and then starts again:
- 1: A, J, S
- 2: B, K, T
- 3: C, L, U
- 4: D, M, V
- 5: E, N, W
- 6: F, O, X
- 7: G, P, Y
- 8: H, Q, Z
- 9: I, R
It is easy to learn because the pattern is regular. Pythagorean numerology usually works with your full name as given at birth.
The Chaldean chart
The Chaldean chart uses only the numbers 1 to 8. The number 9 is left out because many practitioners consider it sacred or complete. The letters do not follow alphabetical order:
- 1: A, I, J, Q, Y
- 2: B, K, R
- 3: C, G, L, S
- 4: D, M, T
- 5: E, H, N, X
- 6: U, V, W
- 7: O, Z
- 8: F, P
Followers say the values are based on the sound or vibration of each letter, rather than its place in the alphabet. Chaldean numerology often uses the name a person is best known by now, not necessarily their birth name. It also pays attention to compound numbers (the two-digit total before the final reduction), each of which has its own meaning.
A worked example
Let's take the name MARIA.
Pythagorean
M = 4, A = 1, R = 9, I = 9, A = 1. Total: 4 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 1 = 24. Reduce: 2 + 4 = 6.
Chaldean
M = 4, A = 1, R = 2, I = 1, A = 1. Total: 4 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 9.
So the same name gives a 6 in one system and a 9 in the other. Neither answer is wrong. They are the results of two different sets of rules, just like the same distance can be 10 kilometres or about 6.2 miles.
Reduction rules and master numbers
Reduction is the step where a big total becomes a single digit. But the systems, and even individual authors, do it differently:
- Master numbers. Many Pythagorean numerologists stop reducing at 11, 22 or 33. These "master numbers" are said to carry extra intensity. Others reduce them like any other number (11 becomes 2).
- When to reduce. For a Life Path number, some people add the whole date at once; others reduce the month, day and year separately first. Usually the answer is the same, but not always, especially when master numbers are involved.
- Compound numbers. Chaldean readers look closely at totals like 24 or 37 before reducing them.
- The letter Y. Some treat Y as a vowel in some names and a consonant in others, which changes Soul Urge and Personality numbers.
Because of this, a result is only repeatable if the method is stated. Our calculators show every letter value and every addition in the method section, so you can check the working.
Where the systems really come from
Pythagoras
Pythagoras was a Greek thinker of the 6th century BCE. He and his followers believed numbers lay behind the order of the universe, and they made real discoveries about numbers and musical harmony. But there is no evidence that Pythagoras created the letter chart that carries his name. Modern "Pythagorean" numerology took shape in the late 1800s and early 1900s, through writers in Britain and the United States, and grew in popularity through the 20th century.
The Chaldeans
"Chaldean" was an old Greek and Roman name for the astrologers of ancient Babylon. The name suggests great age, but the modern Chaldean chart is not found in Babylonian sources. It was popularised in the early 20th century, notably by a famous palmist and writer known as Cheiro. Babylonian scribes wrote in cuneiform, a script that did not even use our alphabet.
The genuinely ancient roots
Letter-number systems really are old, just not these two in their modern form. In Hebrew gematria and Greek isopsephy, letters doubled as numbers, so every word had a number value. Writers in both traditions found meaning in words that shared the same total. Arabic has a similar system called abjad. Modern numerology borrows the general idea from these traditions.
Which one should you use?
- Choose Pythagorean if you want to follow most Western books and websites, or you want a simple, regular system.
- Choose Chaldean if you are drawn to its focus on sound and compound numbers, or if you follow a teacher who uses it. It is especially popular in India.
- Or try both, and see which description you find more useful for reflection.
What numerology can and cannot do
Numerology is a symbolic system. The maths is exact: given a chart and a rule, anyone will get the same number. But the meanings attached to the numbers come from tradition and from the writers who developed them. There is no scientific evidence that your name or birth date number shapes your personality or your future. Many people enjoy numerology as a playful way to think about themselves, and that is how we offer it.
Try it
Our Destiny (Expression) number calculator works out your name number and shows each letter's value. Your Life Path number comes from your birth date instead, and the Soul Urge number uses only the vowels in your name.