Nominal number

Importantly, the actual values of the numbers which these numerals represent are less relevant, as they do not indicate quantity, rank, or any other measurement.

It appears[citation needed] to have originated in school textbooks derived from the statistical term "nominal data", defined as data indicating "...merely statements of qualitative category of membership."

For the purposes of naming, the term "number" is often used loosely to refer to any string (sequence of symbols), which may not consist entirely of digits—it is often alphanumeric.

Numerical identifiers that are nominal numbers narrowly defined, viz, convey no information other than identity, are quite rare.

A more everyday example are sports squad numbers, which do not in general have any public meaning beyond identity, though they may be allocated based on some internal club or organization policy.