I’m switching cell phone providers, and want to get the number that spells out my surname for novelty’s sake. How much would this cost? Would anyone know of a company loony enough to indulge me in this?
Thanks. 
I don’t know if this applies to cellphone providers (personally, I doubt it), but here’s what Cecil had to say. (22 years ago)
When I got my cell phone the person asked if I had a specific number request. I was in the (781) area code, and they had a limited number of exchanges, but I could have any last 4 digits that weren’t already in use.
That was several years ago, when cell phone companies got numbers in blocks of 10,000 (a whole exchage). Now with the ability to carry your number from provider to provider, perhaps they have more leeway to assign numbers.
Some phone companies may charge a “connivence” fee (or some other euphemism), but I’ve never had a problem getting to chose my phone number. Before cell phones when it was possible to know all the exchanges in my area, I’d make a list of numbers I wanted and call them all. I’d then narrow the list down to the numbers that weren’t in service and see if they were available. A few of them were inevitably reserved for one reason or another, but there was always at least one up for grabs. When I got my cell phones, I would ask for a number that had a good nemonic ring to it, and the sales rep would go through number after number (after number) until there was one I liked. I imagine it would also be possible to ask if there were any numbers available which end in the digits you’re looking for.
Several years ago, when I got a second line, I was told that there was a fee for requesting a specific number. (And another, continuing fee, if that number was outside my central office.) But I could have any number that was available (unassigned) for no extra fee. So I just asked the operator if there was an easy-to-remember number available with my prefix. She named several that were available, and I chose one of them. Real easy to do.
Back when they were giving the new area code to Toronto, I was hoping it would be 234. Then I would have asked for the number 234-567-8901. (Looks even better in international format, with the North American telephone country code: +1 234 567 8901.)
Alas, 234 went to Cleveland or somewhere, and we got 647. But that’s still pretty cool.
I had to change my cellphone number because I was getting way too much fax spam on it, it was a voice line, and there was no way I could read the fax to get the information to end the faxes! (But that’s another rant.) The new cellphone number was in area code 647 and it was an easily-rememberable one as well, just the next one on the list! Now my friends say that phoning me is like calling a pizza place.
Back when I worked for a wireless company, we officially charged a fee for user-picked numbers. But because it was so easy to check, I never once charged anyone the fee.
Short answer: all you gotta do is ask.
You can use the NPA/NXX search here to determine which provider was allocated the block of numbers you want. This might not matter as much as it once did because of number portability and different allocation schemes, but your chances are probably best with the provider that ‘owns’ the block with the desired number.