Baby Name Numerology: How to Choose Your Baby's Name
A name stays with a person for life. In numerology, its letters add up to numbers that describe who that person is and what they do (Destiny), what they desire inside (Soul Urge), and how others see them (Personality). That's why some families, besides liking the name, want to know what number it gives.
Step 1: write out the full name
Use the name exactly as it will appear on the birth certificate, including the last name or names. Last names count too: changing the first name changes the result, but the last names are already given.
Step 2: add up the letters
Each letter is worth a number from 1 to 9 according to the Pythagorean chart: A, J, and S are worth 1; B, K, and T, 2; C, L, and U, 3; D, M, and V, 4; E, N, and W, 5; F, O, and X, 6; G, P, and Y, 7; H, Q, and Z, 8; I and R, 9.
Lía Ruiz Soto would have a Destiny 3: expression and creativity. A Soul Urge 7: the desire to understand things deeply and to have her own space. And a Personality 5: others would see her as free, curious, and eager for movement.
Step 3: see what each number conveys
- 1 · initiative and independence
- 2 · cooperation and tact
- 3 · expression and creativity
- 4 · order and consistency
- 5 · freedom and change
- 6 · care and responsibility
- 7 · analysis and inner faith
- 8 · balance between power and spirituality
- 9 · service and a broad vision
- 11 · inspiration and intuition
- 22 · building big
- 33 · love that heals and teaches
No number is bad. Each one has talents and challenges; what changes is how they're lived.
Step 4: once the baby is born, the date
The date of birth gives the Life Path: the lesson the person is here to learn. If you choose the name after the birth, you can see how the Destiny relates to the Life Path: when they go in the same direction, they strengthen each other, and when they're different, the person usually grows by learning to balance them.
For example, a baby with Life Path 8 and a name with Destiny 22 would have a way of being that helps them build big on what they're here to learn: material success with balance.
The name you'll call them
If you'll call the baby by a short form or a nickname, that name counts too: its first vowel shows the person's first reaction to what happens. And remember that the number is only one part: a name chosen with love is already a good start.
Read more in Soul Urge Number, Destiny Number, and Life Path Number. And if you're naming a dog, see dog name numerology.
