What do the phone number suffixes J, M, R, W in 1940 New York phone book mean?

History

What did phone numbers look like in the 1940s?

They used to start with letters.



Up until about the 1950s, phone numbers were alphanumeric, eventually settling on a 2-letter, 5-number system that usually identified the region of the phone number and also aimed to make it more memorable.

What does M before a phone number mean?

M= Mobile phone. Note: some people don’t list their mobile number for obvious reasons such as privacy.

What did the letters stand for in old phone numbers?

The first two letters of the name were usually capitalized, and they corresponded to the first two digits of the phone number on a dial. This system started in the 1930s and lasted well into the ’60s. Before that, three letters and four numbers were used. The phone exchange was prior to area codes and prefixes.
 

What is a 4 digit phone suffix?

A line number is the last four digits of a phone number. It’s a code that belongs to a specific device (within the area code and prefix).

What does the R stand for in a phone number?

Answer: R is an abbreviation for “Reference,” the section in the library that contains encyclopedias, directories, etc. As a call number prefix, it identifies material that does not circulate, i.e., may not be borrowed, and is kept in the Reference areas of the RIchardson and Loop Campus Libraries.
 

Did people have phone numbers in the 1940s?

In the 1940s, the Bell System developed the nationwide telephone number plan for Operator Toll Dialing, a system of initially eighty-six numbering plan areas (NPAs) that were assigned the first set of area codes.

How long were phone numbers in the 1940s?

one to three digits

When telephone numbers were first used they were very short, from one to three digits, and were communicated orally to a switchboard operator when initiating a call.

What were phones called in the 1940s?

Rotary phone – 1940s



A typical 1940s rotary phone.
 



Were phone numbers always 7 digits?

As 1994 neared its end, ten-digit dialing became required throughout the numbering plan in preparation for interchangeable NPA codes. All local numbers now had seven-digit, as the last technological hold-outs had given way to modern switching technology.

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