Name numerology most likely originates from ancient Egypt. The first known example of its use comes from ancient Assyria. Sargon II, the Assyrian ruler of the 8th century BCE, built a wall in the city of Khorsabad whose total volume corresponded numerically to the value of the king’s own name.

The Greeks called word-based numerology isopsephy. The term derives from the words ἴσοσ (ísos) meaning equal and ψῆφοσ (psêphos) meaning count. Early examples of using the Greek alphabet for analyzing names and phrases date from the 3rd century BCE. Within isopsephy, a distinction between vowels and consonants was already being observed.

Among the Hebrews, name numerology (originally still Chaldean in nature) was known from at least the 1st century CE onward as gematria (גמטריא). The term may have originated from the Greek word for geometry. An early example of Hebrew gematria is the analysis of the name of Emperor Nero, which in Hebrew transcription — NRVN QSR (that is, Neron Caesar) — produces the number 666, the number of the beast and of man. The calculation uses the classical Chaldean “large values” (mispar hechrachi) rather than the later Jewish “great values” system (mispar gadol), which came into use only later, perhaps with the development of classical Jewish Kabbalah.

N (Nun) = נ = 50
R (Resh) = ר = 200
V (Vav) = ו = 6
N (Nun) = נ = 50
Q (Kuf) = ק = 100
S (Samech) = ס = 60
R (Resh) = ר = 200

Total: 50 + 200 + 6 + 50 + 100 + 60 + 200 = 666.

Much later, the word gematria also came to be used for the analysis of Christian names and expressions written in the Greek alphabet — though in reality this represents a Christian adaptation or extension of isopsephy. In late antiquity or the early Middle Ages, India also developed its own systems for encoding names with numbers. The main figure associated with numerology is the Indian scholar Vararuci. The Arabic system analyzed names based on 28 letters and was called ʿilm al-ḥurūf (علم الحروف).

The analysis of names for the purpose of studying human destiny appeared in Europe only around the 16th century. From this period onward, two main schools began to take shape. One is known as the Pythagorean school (which, despite the name, has only limited connection to the original ancient Pythagorean numerology), and the other is the Chaldean school, which is based at least in part on the reconstruction of numerological knowledge once held by the Western Semites.

Both schools went through several stages of development. There are also notable similarities between them, as their traditions influenced each other over time. Name numerology that uses the same type of alphanumeric coding later employed by Cheiro first appeared shortly before his time. However, Cheiro’s interpretive method itself is much older — it incorporates both Tarot symbolism and ancient tradition.

Modern Pythagorean numbering of the English alphabet emerged slightly earlier than Cheiro’s approach, but the method of interpreting names as we know it today took shape within the Pythagorean school only sometime between 1907 and 1930.