Who Has Your Enneagram Number? Numbers of Famous People and People in the Bible {Enneagram Series #6}
What is Donald Trump’s Enneagram number? Oprah Winfrey? Jesus?
Once you identify your own Enneagram type, a natural inclination is to wonder:
Who else has my Enneagram number?
We’re eager to assign numbers. Numbers to our friends and family. Numbers to famous people. Numbers to people we read about in the Bible.
Is this a good practice?
Probably not. But do we do it anyway? Probably so.
Don’t Type Other People
The experts on the Enneagram suggest no. Don’t do it. Don’t type other people.
We can’t understand another person’s inner motives and thus we can’t accurately identify their Enneagram number. When we attempt it, we’re making judgments. A consequence might be we adjust our own behavior based on how we assume others will behave. Not good.
Also when we type others, we rob them of discovering it for themselves. Part of the journey of the Enneagram is coming to grips with your own number. It’s like a butterfly fighting its way out of its cocoon. If you rip it open before it’s time, it can be destructive.
But If You Do . . .
However, most of us do wonder about others’ types. And we enjoy hearing others’ guesses as well.
Just keep it as a a hunch, not a fact. Use your guess to give the benefit of the doubt, to enhance your relationships.
Never use the Enneagram as a tool against others (as in, “You’re such an 8!” or “I knew you’d say that because you’re a 6.”). Or against yourself either (“I couldn’t help it; it’s my 2 coming out.”)
The more we know, the more gracious we can be, not judgmental. Isn’t that how God is with us?
So, just for fun, below are some common assumptions (not facts!) of Enneagram numbers for famous people throughout history, including people in the Bible. They’re collected from around the web and various books. They are not definitive.
Famous People’s Numbers (Maybe!)
Which famous (or fictitious) person do you most relate to with your type?
Let these guesses help you better determine your own type.
Type 1—Perfectionist
Apostle Paul. Mahatma Gandhi. Batman. Hillary Clinton. Confucius. Nelson Mandela. Michelle Obama. Osama Bin Laden. Martha Stewart. Jerry Seinfeld. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter). Captain “Sully” Sullenberger. SNL’s “The Church Lady.” St. Augustine. Cesar Chavez. The Lone Ranger. Martin Luther. Miss Manners. Colin Powell. Condoleezza Rice. Alex Trebek.
Type 2—Helper
Mary Magdalene. The apostle John. Boaz. Jimmy Carter. Mother Theresa. Desmond Tutu. Nancy Reagan. Ken Burns. Princess Diana. Betty Friedan. Danny Glover. Barbara Bush. Whitney Houston. Florence Nightingale. Dolly Parton. Fairy Godmother. Della Reese. Mr. Rogers.
Type 3—Performer
Moses. Jacob. King Saul. King David. Judas. Pilate. Oprah Winfrey. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Lance Armstrong. Tom Cruise. Bryant Gumbel. Jesse Jackson. Mick Jagger. Michael Jordan. Carl Lewis. General Douglas MacArthur. Elvis Presley. Will Smith. Sylvester Stallone. Marianne Williamson. Tiger Woods. Justin Bieber. Scarlett O’Hara (Gone With the Wind).
Type 4—Individualist
Joseph, Jacob’s youngest son. Job. Isaiah. Edgar Allan Poe. Nicolas Cage. Prince Charles. Bob Dylan. Lena Horne. Michael Jackson. Angelina Jolie. Thomas Merton. Michaelangelo. Meryl Streep. Vincent Van Gogh.
Type 5—Investigator
Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke. Thomas the doubter. Zacchaeus. Nicodemus. Albert Einstein. Bill Gates. Sherlock Holmes. Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter). Stephen Hawking. Emily Dickinson. Stephen King. Karl Marx. St. Thomas Aquinas. Osama bin Laden. Buddha. Marie Curie. Charles Darwin. Amelia Earhart. Alfred Hitchcock. George Lucas. Sir Isaac Newton.
Type 6—Loyalist
Ruth. Apostle Peter. Timothy. Mark Twain. Rodney Dangerfield. Ellen DeGeneres. Richard Pryor. Sigmund Freud. J. R. R. Tolkien. Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings). David Letterman. Charles Manson. Chris Rock. Marilyn Monroe. Richard Nixon. Adolf Hitler. Woody Allen. Spike Lee. Tom Selleck. Bruce Springsteen.
Type 7—Enthusiast
Barnabus. King Solomon. Woman at the Well. Rich young ruler. Robin Williams. e.e. cummings. George W. Bush. Benjamin Franklin. Peter Pan. Thomas Jefferson. Sarah Palin. Steve Jobs. Terry Bradshaw. Antonio Banderas. Jeff Bezos. Leonardo DaVinci. George Clooney. Buffalo Bill Cody. Whoopie Goldberg. Andy Griffith. Tom Hanks. Magic Johnson. Eddie Murphy. Brad Pitt.
Type 8—Challenger
Samson. John the Baptist. Miriam, the sister of Moses. Martha. Donald Trump. Joseph Stalin. Martin Luther King, Jr. Muhammed Ali. Ernest Hemingway. Charles Barkley. Fidel Castro. Dr. Phil. Darth Vader (Star Wars). Hans Solo (Star Wars). Theodore Roosevelt. Queen Latifah. Roger Ailes. Napoleon Bonaparte. Morgan Freeman. Saddam Hussein. John McEnroe. Shaquille O’Neal. George Wallace. Muammar Qaddafi.
Type 9—Peacemaker
Jonah. Abraham. Man at the pool. Abraham Lincoln. The Dalai Lama. Bill Clinton. Jane Austen. Harry Potter (Harry Potter). Dwight Eisenhower. Mr. Magoo. Will Ferrell. Carl Jung. J. K. Rowling. Dorothy (The Wizard of Oz). Laura Bush. Julia Child. Clint Eastwood. James Earl Jones. Ronald Reagan.
All Types
Jesus. He has the best traits of every number, every personality, every person.
Spiritual Practice #4—Connect with People in the Bible
In AJ Sherrill’s excellent small book, Enneagram and the Way of Jesus, each type is paired with a person from Scripture. Read the following passages related to your type. How do you connect?
As Sherrill reminds us,
“The accounts of Scripture are not arbitrary tales, but were recorded for both the purpose of historical veracity, and as a means of personal growth.”
1—Perfectionist. Read Philippians 3:2-9 about Paul’s credentials to the Philippian believers.
2—Helper. Read Matthew 25:34-46 about loving the person in front of you.
3—Performer. Read 1 Samuel 13:8-14 about King’s Saul commitment to success instead of obedience.
4—Individualist. Read Job 7:11-21 about Job’s feelings against God.
5—Investigator. Read about Nicodemus in John 3:1-15 coming to Jesus at night.
6—Loyalist. Read about Peter walking on water in Matthew 14:22-33.
7—Enthusiast. Read Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 about a time for everything.
8—Challenger. Read Mark 7:24-30 about the Syrophoenician woman.
9—Peacemaker. Read Genesis 12:1-9 about Abraham’s willingness to follow God.
In case you missed it, likely numbers are: Donald Trump–8, Oprah Winfrey–3, Jesus–All.
Who are you glad is in your group? Any surprises among those with your number? Please share in the comments.
Previous: 5 Enneagram Tests to Determine Your Type {Series #5}
Next: Where Did the Enneagram Come from? What Does the Symbol Mean? {Series #7}
- 5 Enneagram Tests to Determine Your Type {Enneagram Series #5}
- Where Did the Enneagram Come From? What Does the Symbol Mean? {Enneagram Series #7}
I know it’s against the rules, but I’m gonna guess that Moses and King David both had a big 4 Wing to complicate their lives.
I agree, Michele. 🙂 Personally, I would guess that King David was a 4, based on the Psalms.
“The more we know, the more gracious we can be, not judgmental. Isn’t that how God is with us?” Yes! One of the major problems I have with personality tests in general — though the psychology behind them is fascinating to me — is that not only are they often based on humanistic philosophy but they are also used to justify our weaknesses and judge others who are different from us.
I think I’m supposed to be a loyalist, and I did not appreciate Adolf Hitler as one of them. 🙁
I agree with you, Lila. As much as I’d like to get out of some events by claiming my introvertedness, for example, I know I can’t use it as a shield to hide behind. Knowing our personality better may help us understand ourselves, but it’s not meant to excuse bad behaviors.
Yeah, Hitler is a hard one to have in your type. 😉 Whatever his number, we can count him as the unhealthiest of the unhealthy version of it. I have Osama bin Laden in my type (5); I’m not thrilled about that either.
I just took another quiz yesterday to find out my Enneagram number is 7 (and 2). The verse you suggested I read is actually one of my favorites. Bill and I had it read at our wedding. And the woman at the well (who is on my group) is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I like that Leonardo da Vinci is in my group! 🙂
This was a fun read today, Lisa! I’m still vacillating between 2 and 9, but I love that the character of Dorothy is in the 9 group (I don’t know about Mr. Magoo!) as she was my favorite always in The Wizard of Oz.
Blessings!
I see a little bit of me or the Bible women in me. The tests I took I didn’t always agree with. I do think it is a good idea not to label or number people or rely on that alone. Challenger is one I don’t like, I hate confrontations but sometimes they are necessary.
Lisa,
Glad to see that, generally, I’m among good company 🙂 Enjoyed reading “my” scripture that goes along with my #. All very interesting…
Blessings,
Bev xx
I don’t want to be in the same category with some of my famous people! Ha!
You certainly have done a tremendous amount of research, Lisa. These posts are so interesting. I have taken three different tests. The first one said I’m a 5, 6, and 2. The second one said I’m a 4. Then I took one on your list, the Rhett, and all of them were among the top points except for 3, 7, and 8. I already knew by descriptions that those three are definitely not me. So I guess I haven’t narrowed it down yet, because of those top point ones, I can see a bit of me in each one. 🙂 Thank you, Lisa, for this fun series. Love and blessings to you!
Lisa what a great post! I’m always intimidated by the tests and shy away from them. I’m too indecisive with my answers! You’ve given me great information!
Tammy
I love the list of Scriptures, one for each type, that you share at the end here! I definitely need to go back and take one of the tests you link in the previous post. I’ve taken two tests before, but still have a doubt…
thanks for your warnings lisa. they are wise ones. it’s nice to know which eneagram i am now. i kept forgetting! then i kept getting tie scores. now it is clear that i am a 9.clarifies quite a few things!
I thought I was a two for the last few months, then was challenged on that. I did some more reading and deep discussions and found out I am a nine. Jane Austin in my group has made my day. Abraham was a surprise for a second, and then upon reflection, of course he was. So interesting. Loving your posts.
This is such a great series, Lisa! Thank you!
The ladies in my small group will love reading this!
What a fun read! I am surprised, and also yet not surprised–that Jesus was probably all of them. Definitely a cool thought. As a 4, it was interesting to read in the comments that my favorite bible character, David, was probably a four too 🙂
THis series is so good. I ordered the Enneagram and the Way of Jesus from the library and can’t wait to get it. I love the scriptures that go with each number. As a two, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Mr. Rogers also has this number.
I don’t know my ennegram number but I identify with the investigator list the most. I’ve always been the quiet, studiuos type
I have not taken time to dive into Enneagram numbers but a friend recently pointed me to this – thanks for run-down!
This is so interesting, Lisa! I just began digging into the whole Enneagram thing last summer and find it absolutely fascinating. I’ve never really considered Biblical characters in this… but it is food for thought. I love how in learning about other numbers (I’m a 2 with definite wings on both sides!) it’s given me greater compassion for others in understanding where they may be coming from. And I LOVE that Jesus is all!
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I love how you mentioned Bible characters in each and listen Sherrill’s books with verses… I never thought of Abraham as a 9 but I totally see it. God definitely stretched him from his comfort zone, calling him out of his hometown and sending him off. And then he pleaded with God to have mercy on Soddom & Gomorrah, was willing to sell his wife into a harem of a foreign king to not stir things up and cause danger to himself by admitting he was her husband (a low point in his life, in my opinion.. and he does it twice!), tries to appease his wife and her servant when she becomes pregnant, the list goes on and on how he just wanted some peace and quiet and tried to avoid conflict but would get himself in more trouble by avoiding it (and taking things in his own hands)
Richard Rohr says King David is an 8 and another book I am reading, “Biblical Characters and the Enneagram” says he is a 3. I would have to agree with 3 (definitely not a 4, and I am not a fan of wings). Remember, 3’s are heart types (thus explaining his proclivity for poetry, song and dance.) Plus, in the Hebrew culture at that time, the psalms were often used as chants at the commencement of a battle and other various events in their culture. In his daily life, David was a king, a ruler, commanded armies, and planned for the future of Israel. His legacy was such a central part of his story and his self-deception held him back. For most 3’s, a massive failure can set them on the course of transformation. This is certainly true of David, though God would not let him see his legacy in his lifetime, the building of the temple. This was carried out by his lineage, and he ultimately reconciled with God. I don’t think he can be anything but a 3!