How NUI is calculated
The Name Universality Index (NUI) is a 0–100 score. It is the weighted average of four axes, computed for each of 65 languages and then averaged worldwide.
Pronunciation — 30%
Each language has expected letter combinations and awkward ones. We score how naturally a name flows in that language's phonology — rewarding natural digraphs, penalizing hard consonant clusters, forbidden letters, and excessive length.
Meaning safety — 35%
We check the name against a curated list of vulgar, taboo, or otherwise unsuitable words per language, blended from the open LDNOOBW dataset and a small set of hand-curated cultural flags. Exact matches weigh most heavily.
Cultural fit — 20%
Religious, regional, or cultural conflicts are flagged. Languages whose cultures favor shorter names apply a gentle length penalty.
Script support — 15%
Whether the name can be naturally written in the language's script — Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Devanagari, Hangul, Hiragana, or Hanzi. Names in non-native scripts get a best-effort transliteration preview.
Notes & limitations
- Scoring is rule-based and heuristic — no AI, and intentionally transparent.
- Everything runs in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.
- Transliterations are approximate, meant as a recognizable preview rather than an authority.
- Think of NUI as a fast first impression, not the final word on any name.