What the Greek Name Scribe does

Type a name or word in Latin letters and this tab writes it in Greek script, in uppercase and lowercase, with the correct word-final sigma (ς). It also shows the ISO 843 transliteration and adds up the Milesian isopsephy value of every letter, then writes the total as a Greek numeral with the keraia sign (for example LOGOS = 373 = ΤΟΓʹ).

Below the result you get a card for each letter of your word with its own value. Click a card for details, listen to the Greek pronunciation, copy the result, or print a personalized A4 sheet with your name and its isopsephy sum. The quick example buttons let you try well-known names and philosophical terms.

What is Milesian isopsephy?

Isopsephy (from Greek isos, “equal”, and psephos, “pebble”) is the ancient habit of giving every letter a number and adding the numbers of a word. The Milesian system, named after the Greek city of Miletus and used from about the 5th century BC, assigns 1–9 to Α–Θ, 10–90 to Ι–Ϟ and 100–900 to Ρ–Ϡ. Greeks used the same signs for letters and numbers, so every name had a hidden numerical value, later known as Greek gematria.

What is ISO 843?

ISO 843 is the international standard (1997) for converting Greek letters into the Latin alphabet, so that Greek names and words can be written the same way in passports, maps and libraries. Each Greek letter has a fixed Latin equivalent, for example Β is written “v” in modern Greek, Φ is “f”, Χ is “ch” and Σ/ς is “s”. The “ISO 843 transliteration” card shows your word written this way.

How does LOGOS become a Greek number?

Take the Greek word LOGOS (λόγος, “word, reason”). First each Latin letter is converted to a Greek one: L→Λ, O→Ο, G→Γ, O→Ο, S→Σ (written ς at the end of a word). Then the Milesian values are added: Λ = 30, Ο = 70, Γ = 3, Ο = 70 and the final sigma = 200, giving 373. Finally 373 is written with Greek numeral letters: 300 = Τ, 70 = Ο, 3 = Γ, so the result is ΤΟΓʹ. The small mark ʹ (keraia) at the end shows that the letters are a number, not a word.