Onomancy - Predicting the Future from the Name of a Person

While the earliest forms of divination were based on the observation of natural phenomena like the weather, lightning and behavior of animals, over time mankind developed more sophisticated methods of predicting the future as well as of understanding personality traits. This led to various complex forms of divination based on astronomical charts as well as the value of numbers and letters and onomancy is one of these.

Onomancy is divination based on interpretation of subject's given name and is alternatively known as nomency, nomancy as well as onomantics. The term is derived from the ancient Greek word ‘onoma’ meaning name and ‘manteia’ meaning prophecy. The most common form of onomancy involved assigning specific numbers to each alphabet and then calculating the numerical value of the name in order to reveal traits of the personality as well as to predict its destiny. This form of onomancy functions like a version of numerology which in turn divines by interpreting numbers, dates and the numerical value of letters.

According to another version of onomancy, a name would be interpreted according to letters used to make the name. In this case the diviner would examine the letters of the alphabet that went to make up the name and then calculate the relative importance of the values symbolized by each letter. In this system each letter was associated with certain characteristic. The more a letter was used in a name, the stronger those characteristics are in your personality. For instance the letter A according to some traditions denoted a strong vitality. Though it would not rule out ill health, it ensured that care and common sense would see a person through the vicissitudes of life. Likewise if the letter B was prominent in a name, it meant that the ability to direct the actions of others. This was a person who would not be happy unless he/she are working toward solving a problem even though taken to an extreme, this could lead to a kind of Stubbornness. On the whole he/she was likely to be a respected leader if he/she could go about honestly and thoughtfully in life. The letter C on the other hand denoted an innate and intuitive understanding of fellow men but the bearer would have to cultivate common sense since he/she was given to impulsive and unthinking course of action. In this way each letter was associated with certain traits and the final interpretation of the subject’s personality depended upon the frequency with which an alphabet featured as well as its importance in a name.

TIP: Get 3 Free Min + 50% Off to consult a psychic!

According to another principle of onomancy, an uneven number of vowels or consonants in a man’s name would signify a lack in different parts of his personality. The ultimate implication was that a balance between the value of vowels and consonants in a subject’s name indicated a harmony among all aspects of his/her personality.

In the practical of divination, onomancy was used to predict the names of winners in competitions and even choose the worth of a potential partner over another. According to the most common method, the numerical value of all the letters in a name would be summed up and the person whose name had the highest value was predicted to be the winner in a game or a competition. According to an ancient source, this was how Achilles was predicted to win over Hector in the Trojan War. Apart from divining the winner of a contest or a battle, this form of divination was also used to determine whether a person would recover from an illness, defeat an opponent in a legal proceeding or outlive a spouse. In all these cases the numerical value of the subject’s name would be compared to the opponent, spouse or astrological planet and then the name with the greater value would be judged to be the winner.

Onomantics is another version of onomancy in which the letters in a person’s name and their computed value indicates basic tenets of his/her personality. At times the term Onomancy is also referred to the practice of divination by a person’s features even though the most popular meaning is that which is based on an interpretation of the name.

The history of onomancy, whether as a form of divining future events or a person’s character, goes back to the classical times. Both in ancient Greece and Rome there was the belief that a name can act as the basis of interpreting a person’s character as well as destiny. Among the ancient Greeks, it was the Pythagoreans who were among the first to propound the notion that an analogy existed between the name and the fortunes of a person. Later under the influence of the Kabbalist studies and the system of Gematria in particular, the letters in an alphabetical system were ascribed certain numerical  values and the values of names were thus computed with the purpose of providing both an interpretation of the character as well as prediction of the person’s future.

Later onomantic texts were include in liturgical writings since early Christianity. One example of this is Leofric Missal which includes onomantic texts among a group of additions made around 970 at Glastonbury. Another example of such a text is Psalter written at Winchester around 1050 AD. During the Middle Ages, onomancy became popular in many parts of Europe. Diviners would predict the future of a person by looking at the number of vowels in his name or converting the letters into numerical values to reveal the hidden meaning. Onomancy was also a common practice in many parts of in Asia. In China, the number of strokes used to write a name is believed to be of as much significance as its characters.

In modern times, though people don’t know about the exact terminology of onomancy, the belief in the importance of name continues. Thus even now in many cultures, some parents name their children after careful considerations of meaning and numerological value to ensure the best possible future for them. Some people alter the spelling of their names or adopt a new name later in their lives in an effort to bring good fortune. In the popular context, contemporary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov wrote a short story, "Spell My Name with an S", with this theme. The story was apparently inspired by his frustration in having to ask people to spell his name correctly.