Numerology has two main ways of turning the letters of a name into numbers, and they do not give the same answer. The Pythagorean system is the one most Western numerologists use. The Chaldean system is widely used in Indian numerology. This page shows both letter tables, works one name through each, and explains why the two differ. Neither system is proven, and neither is called wrong here.
The Pythagorean system
The Pythagorean table gives the letters the numbers 1 to 9 in alphabetical order, and starts again after the ninth letter:
| Number | Letters |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The name Pythagorean is a label of tradition. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who lived around the sixth century BCE, and his followers treated number as the key to the order of the world, but there is no evidence that Pythagoras himself devised this letter table. The system as used today took shape much later, in the early twentieth century, and borrows the ancient symbolism of the numbers. In this system the master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are usually kept instead of being reduced.
The Chaldean system
The Chaldean table gives values from 1 to 8 by the sound of the letters, not by their place in the alphabet. The number 9 is left out of the table and held back as sacred:
| Number | Letters |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The table used today, which is the one in our name numerology calculator, is the version popularised by Cheiro. It is described as the older system, and its name points to ancient Babylonia, but how far this particular table goes back is debated, so it is wise to treat the claim of great antiquity with caution. Chaldean readers also pay attention to the two-digit total before it is reduced, known as the compound number, and do not usually keep 11, 22 and 33 as master numbers.
A worked name in each system
Take the name Asha Mehta. It has nine letters: A, S, H, A, M, E, H, T, A. The vowels are A, A, E and A, and the consonants are S, H, M, H and T. Three numbers are usually found: the expression number from all the letters, the soul urge from the vowels and the personality number from the consonants.
Pythagorean values: A is 1, S is 1, H is 8, A is 1, M is 4, E is 5, H is 8, T is 2 and A is 1.
- Expression: 1 + 1 + 8 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 8 + 2 + 1 = 31, and 3 + 1 = 4.
- Soul urge (vowels): 1 + 1 + 5 + 1 = 8.
- Personality (consonants): 1 + 8 + 4 + 8 + 2 = 23, and 2 + 3 = 5.
Chaldean values: A is 1, S is 3, H is 5, A is 1, M is 4, E is 5, H is 5, T is 4 and A is 1.
- Expression: 1 + 3 + 5 + 1 + 4 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 1 = 29, and 2 + 9 = 11, and 1 + 1 = 2.
- Soul urge (vowels): 1 + 1 + 5 + 1 = 8.
- Personality (consonants): 3 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 4 = 21, and 2 + 1 = 3.
So the same name gives an expression number of 4 or 2, a personality number of 5 or 3, and, in this case, the same soul urge of 8 in both systems, because the vowels happen to have the same values in both tables. The Chaldean compound numbers here are 29 and 21. Our calculator shows the compound number, and it reduces the Chaldean total all the way down, so an 11 on the way becomes a 2.
Why the two systems differ
The Pythagorean table is arithmetical: it counts along the alphabet. The Chaldean table is phonetic: letters that sound alike share a number. Because the tables group the letters differently, the totals differ, and so do the results. The tables also differ for one letter that matters to many names: Y is 7 in the Pythagorean table and 1 in the Chaldean one. Even within a system, sources differ over whether Y counts as a vowel, and the calculator lets you choose.
Why Indian numerology often uses Chaldean
Indian numerology commonly uses the Chaldean table for names. It also tends to reduce every result to a single digit from 1 to 9, without master numbers, and it gives particular weight to the day of birth, which is often called the birth number. Our Vedic sister site follows the same habit, using the Chaldean system for names and reducing to 1 to 9. The reasons for the popularity of Chaldean in India are a matter of tradition and teaching, and we do not claim to have traced them to one source. If you are reading an Indian numerologist, it is worth asking which table and which reduction they are using, since it explains most apparent disagreements.
Which should you use?
Different traditions, different numbers. Neither is proven, so choose the one that matters to you, or read both, which is often the most honest approach. If you follow Indian numerology or were given a name number by an Indian numerologist, use the Chaldean table. If you are following Western sources, use the Pythagorean one. You can run either in the name numerology calculator, and the numerology tool on the Vedic site, which is on the free tools page of Nidarshana Vedh, uses its own Indian conventions, so its figures can differ from those here. For the date-based number, see the life path guides.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Which is more accurate, Pythagorean or Chaldean numerology?
Neither has been shown to be accurate in any scientific sense. They are symbolic traditions with different tables, so the question is which one you prefer, not which is correct.
↳ Why does Chaldean numerology have no 9 in its letter table?
The Chaldean table assigns 1 to 8 to the letters and holds 9 back as a sacred number. That is the tradition's choice and is one reason its totals differ from the Pythagorean ones.
↳ Which name should I use?
Numerologists usually use the full name as written at birth, and some also look at the name a person is known by. You can run the calculator for each and compare.
Return to the numerology section or the angel numbers hub.