By Name
Name compatibility is calculated from the numbers of the names: each letter gives a number from 1 to 9, the total is reduced, and the sum of the two numbers gives the “pair number,” the theme the two of them keep coming back to.
How it's calculated
The Russian (Cyrillic) letter table: а, и, с, ъ — 1; б, й, т, ы — 2; в, к, у, ь — 3; г, л, ф, э — 4; д, м, х, ю — 5; е, н, ц, я — 6; ё, о, ч — 7; ж, п, ш — 8; з, р, щ — 9.
Add up the numbers of all the letters in the name and reduce the total to a single digit. Repeat for the second name. The sum of the two numbers, reduced to a single digit, is the pair number.
The calculator uses this same table. More on the method is on the Expression Number page, which also covers the Soul Urge Number (from the vowels) and the Personality Number (from the consonants).
Worked Example
“Илья” (Ilya): и 1 + л 4 + ь 3 + я 6 = 14 → 5. “Анна” (Anna): а 1 + н 6 + н 6 + а 1 = 14 → 5.
The numbers match. The pair number is 5 + 5 = 10 → 1: the theme of unity and leadership, meaning these two will argue about whose decision comes first.
Try entering the full name instead of the short one: the result will change, and that's normal. Name numerology is sensitive to spelling, and that's its weak spot.
What the result means
In the numerological tradition, the Expression Number describes not a person's character but how others see them. So name compatibility is about communication style, not deeper needs; for those there's the calculation by birth date.
The pair number is the most useful part of this calculation: it names the theme that will keep recurring in the relationship. 1 is about leadership, 2 about compromise, 3 about communication, 4 about everyday life, 5 about freedom, 6 about home and care, 7 about distance, 8 about money, and 9 about sacrifice and compassion.
The compatibility percentage is a rough estimate based on the “Relationships and Compatibility” sections of the number pages: 90% if both pages praise the pairing, 80% if one does, 65% if neither mentions it, 50% if one calls it difficult, 40% if both do. That is why two 1s or two 8s get a low percentage: two leaders in one couple rarely get along. The master numbers 11, 22 and 33 are reduced to a single digit in this calculation.
Table of Meanings
The meanings of all the numbers are in the number table. For names, the sections on how a person comes across to others are especially useful.
If the names are in different languages or one of them isn't written in Cyrillic, it's better not to do the calculation: the letter tables for the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets differ, and mixing them makes no sense. For the Latin alphabet there's a separate Chaldean system.
Frequently asked questions
Which name should I enter, full or short?
The one the person actually goes by. The schools hold that the name in your passport describes your formal role, while the everyday one describes how you're really perceived.
Should I include the patronymic and last name?
That's up to you: the longer the string, the more the result averages out. We calculate from whatever you enter.
Why is the letter “ё” different from “е”?
Because the table numbers all 33 letters of the Russian alphabet in sequence. Some schools don't treat “ё” as a separate letter, and then the result will differ.
Does it work?
The method has no verifiable predictive power. As a starting point for a conversation about what each partner expects, it works quite well.