National Insurance Number

Why is it called a National Insurance Number?

Didn't find your answer?

Why is it called a National Insurance Number?  It has half as many letters in it as numbers, shouldn't it be a National Insurance reference, or code, or series of characters?

Replies (14)

Please login or register to join the discussion.

By Tim Vane
28th Sep 2016 11:36

The OED defines a number as (among other things):

An arithmetical value assigned to something or someone, esp. to indicate position in a series, or for purposes of reference, identification, etc.

Something which graphically or symbolically represents a numerical quantity, as a word, figure, or group of these; a numeral; (also) a ticket or label bearing such signs.

So it is not limited to digits.

Thanks (2)
Replying to Tim Vane:
Quack
By Constantly Confused
28th Sep 2016 12:07

Tim Vane wrote:

The OED defines a number as (among other things):

An arithmetical value assigned to something or someone, esp. to indicate position in a series, or for purposes of reference, identification, etc.

Something which graphically or symbolically represents a numerical quantity, as a word, figure, or group of these; a numeral; (also) a ticket or label bearing such signs.

So it is not limited to digits.

How terribly fascinating! This has changed my entire world view, nothing is as it seems!

Thanks (4)
Replying to Constantly Confused:
avatar
By matthew pennifold
31st Oct 2016 17:04

So the letter "A" is definitely not a number then, according to the OED.

Thanks (0)
Replying to Tim Vane:
paddle steamer
By DJKL
28th Sep 2016 12:52

This makes sense as there are a fair few numbers that cannot be expressed without using symbols, for instance the square root of 2 requires a square root symbol to be expressed, similarly some fractions .

Numbers have to be considered as not merely integers.

Thanks (1)
Replying to Tim Vane:
By alan.rolfe
28th Sep 2016 16:29

You may like to refer to "number b" etc in conversation when discussing an ordered list - I guarantee the other people get annoyed, especially when you point out that you are correct to refer to it as a number!

Thanks (0)
Replying to alan.rolfe:
By SteveHa
29th Sep 2016 10:00

alan.rolfe wrote:

You may like to refer to "number b" etc in conversation when discussing an ordered list - I guarantee the other people get annoyed, especially when you point out that you are correct to refer to it as a number!

They won't get annoyed if you are discussing hexadecimal.

Thanks (1)
Red Kite
By Red Kite
28th Sep 2016 11:41
Thanks (2)
avatar
By KWest
28th Sep 2016 14:49

Alternatively, why call it National Insurance at all? To all intents and purposes it is simply a supplementary tax and generally expended as such.

Thanks (1)
By cheekychappy
28th Sep 2016 15:13

I think it should be renamed to:
That Thing You Pay Into That You Hope To Get a Pension From Once You Reach Retirement Age But Will Never Get Because The Goverment Robbed You

Thanks (4)
avatar
By emanresu
28th Sep 2016 19:58

Because it was, once, just a number

Thanks (0)
avatar
By DMGbus
28th Sep 2016 20:28

For several decades I have seen sequences of numbers+letters described as numbers...
"fleet number" RML2760 is an example
"drawing number" X620P is another
VIN (vehicle identification numbers) a further example
"street number" 12A again shows that "numbers" nowadays include letters
I find that what were once "registration marks" are now being described as "registration numbers" by DVLA

Thanks (1)
avatar
By raybackler
30th Sep 2016 10:35

I beg to differ! I have no problem with the use of letters as part of a number - it is virtually compulsory in algebra. However, the last letter, A B C or D was nothing to do with the original NI number or code. In the days when people actually had cards and licked the stamps that were stuck thereon, the last letter just meant the quarter when the card ran out. Otherwise they would have all run out at the same time!

Thanks (0)
avatar
By GWP
30th Sep 2016 11:19

Too much time on your hands!

Thanks (0)
RLI
By lionofludesch
31st Oct 2016 17:26

I used to like imaginary numbers.

Thanks (0)