Name Gematria
Calculating a name is the most common reason people arrive at gematria, and it is also where the method is easiest to misuse. Both halves are worth understanding.
The Straightforward Part
Calculating a name is no different from calculating any other word. Take the letters, apply a cipher, add. In English Ordinal, DAVID is 4 + 1 + 22 + 9 + 4 = 40. In Pythagorean it is 4 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 4 = 22, reducing to 4.
The question that follows is which form of the name to use. Full legal name, everyday name, name at birth, name with or without a middle name: each gives a different number, and no tradition settles the matter. In practice, decide in advance which form you are using and apply it consistently, especially if you are comparing several people.
The Transliteration Problem
This is the real difficulty and it is usually ignored. If you want a Hebrew value for an English name, you must first spell it in Hebrew, and that spelling is a judgement call. Vowels may be written with letters or left unwritten. A "v" sound may be vav or bet. A "k" may be kaf or qof, values 20 and 100 respectively, which alone can swing the total by 80.
The consequence is that a "Hebrew gematria of your name" is really the gematria of one particular spelling somebody chose. Change a reasonable spelling decision and the number changes. Any interpretation resting on the exact figure is resting on that arbitrary choice, not on the name.
Names that genuinely originate in Hebrew are the exception. David is דוד, 14, because that is how the name is actually written, not a transliteration anyone invented.
What the Number Is Worth
Arithmetically, it is exact. Interpretively, it is worth being honest about the range. There are only about a hundred plausible English Ordinal totals for a typical name, and millions of people share each one. Whatever a number is taken to mean, it is being applied to a very large group at once.
Modern name numerology, which uses the Pythagorean cipher and reduces to a single digit, narrows this further to nine categories. That is a horoscope's worth of resolution, and it is worth knowing that this practice is a twentieth century construction rather than an inherited tradition.
Doing It Well
If you are going to calculate names, a few habits make the results at least reproducible. Fix the cipher before you start. Fix the form of the name. If you are working in Hebrew, write down the spelling you used so the figure can be checked. And run more than one system, since a conclusion that only holds in one cipher is telling you about the cipher.
Calculate a Name
The English calculator gives all seven ciphers at once, the Hebrew calculator handles Hebrew spellings including final letters, and the date calculator covers birthdays. Nothing you type is sent anywhere; the calculation runs entirely in your browser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I use my full name or my everyday name?
There is no traditional rule. Choose one form, state it, and use it consistently, because the number changes with the form.
How do I write my name in Hebrew for gematria?
You transliterate, which involves real choices between letters that carry different values. That is why a Hebrew value for a non-Hebrew name is the value of one chosen spelling rather than of the name itself.
Does my name's number mean anything about me?
The arithmetic is exact but very coarse: enormous numbers of people share any given total, and reduced values sort everyone into nine groups. Treat it as a curiosity rather than a description.
Continue Reading
What Is Gematria?
Where the practice came from, what it actually does, and what it was never meant to do.
How to Calculate by Hand
The three steps every system shares, worked slowly on a short word.
The Hebrew Alphabet
Twenty two letters, three ranks of value, and the five that change shape at the end.
See all lessons or go straight to the gematria calculator.