diff --git a/.changeset/old-houses-stare.md b/.changeset/old-houses-stare.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e349761e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/old-houses-stare.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'myst-frontmatter': patch
+'myst-transforms': patch
+---
+
+Add enumerator customization to numbering items
diff --git a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/numbering.yml b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/numbering.yml
index a1002d02e..5b051b0f1 100644
--- a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/numbering.yml
+++ b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/numbering.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ cases:
     normalized:
       numbering:
         enumerator:
-          template: ''
+          enumerator: ''
         all:
           enabled: true
         figure:
@@ -268,3 +268,18 @@ cases:
         all:
           enabled: true
     warnings: 3
+  - title: enumerator validates
+    raw:
+      numbering:
+        title:
+          enumerator: '{number}'
+        figure:
+          enumerator: '{number}'
+    normalized:
+      numbering:
+        title:
+          enumerator: '{number}'
+          enabled: true
+        figure:
+          enumerator: '{number}'
+          enabled: true
diff --git a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/types.ts b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/types.ts
index bfaeb4122..c2adbd273 100644
--- a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/types.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/types.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
 export type NumberingItem = {
   enabled?: boolean;
   start?: number;
+  enumerator?: string;
   template?: string;
   continue?: boolean;
   offset?: number; // only applies to title
 };
 
 export type Numbering = {
-  enumerator?: NumberingItem; // start, enabled, and continue ignored
-  all?: NumberingItem; // start and template ignored
+  enumerator?: NumberingItem; // start, enabled, continue, and template ignored
+  all?: NumberingItem; // start, template, enumerator ignored
   title?: NumberingItem; // start, continue, and template ignored
   figure?: NumberingItem;
   subfigure?: NumberingItem;
diff --git a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/validators.ts b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/validators.ts
index 69ef45004..c076733aa 100644
--- a/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/validators.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-frontmatter/src/numbering/validators.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export const NUMBERING_KEYS = [
   ...HEADING_KEYS,
 ];
 
-const NUMBERING_ITEM_KEYS = ['enabled', 'start', 'template', 'continue'];
+const NUMBERING_ITEM_KEYS = ['enabled', 'start', 'enumerator', 'template', 'continue'];
 
 const CONTINUE_STRINGS = ['continue', 'next'];
 
@@ -111,6 +111,13 @@ export function validateNumberingItem(
       output.enabled = output.enabled ?? true;
     }
   }
+  if (defined(value.enumerator)) {
+    const enumerator = validateString(value.enumerator, incrementOptions('enumerator', opts));
+    if (defined(enumerator)) {
+      output.enumerator = enumerator;
+      output.enabled = output.enabled ?? true;
+    }
+  }
   if (defined(value.continue)) {
     const cont = validateBoolean(value.continue, incrementOptions('continue', opts));
     if (defined(cont)) {
@@ -121,15 +128,16 @@ export function validateNumberingItem(
   if (Object.keys(output).length === 0) return undefined;
   return output;
 }
+
 export function validateTitleItem(input: any, opts: ValidationOptions): NumberingItem | undefined {
   if (isBoolean(input)) {
     input = { enabled: input };
   } else if (typeof input === 'number') {
     input = { offset: input };
   }
-  const value = validateObjectKeys(input, { optional: ['enabled', 'offset'] }, opts);
+  const value = validateObjectKeys(input, { optional: ['enabled', 'offset', 'enumerator'] }, opts);
   if (value === undefined) return undefined;
-  const output: { enabled?: boolean; offset?: number } = {};
+  const output: { enabled?: boolean; offset?: number; enumerator?: string } = {};
   if (defined(value.enabled)) {
     const enabled = validateBoolean(value.enabled, incrementOptions('enabled', opts));
     if (defined(enabled)) output.enabled = enabled;
@@ -146,6 +154,13 @@ export function validateTitleItem(input: any, opts: ValidationOptions): Numberin
       output.enabled = output.enabled ?? true;
     }
   }
+  if (defined(value.enumerator)) {
+    const enumerator = validateString(value.enumerator, incrementOptions('enumerator', opts));
+    if (defined(enumerator)) {
+      output.enumerator = enumerator;
+      output.enabled = output.enabled ?? true;
+    }
+  }
   if (Object.keys(output).length === 0) return undefined;
   return output;
 }
@@ -167,6 +182,9 @@ export function validateNumbering(input: any, opts: ValidationOptions): Numberin
   let headings: NumberingItem | undefined;
   if (defined(value.enumerator)) {
     const enumeratorOpts = incrementOptions('enumerator', opts);
+    if (typeof value.enumerator === 'string') {
+      value.enumerator = { enumerator: value.enumerator };
+    }
     output.enumerator = validateNumberingItem(value.enumerator, enumeratorOpts);
     if (output.enumerator?.enabled != null) {
       if (output.enumerator.enabled !== true) {
diff --git a/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.spec.ts b/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.spec.ts
index 612f6159b..0ecf2d08c 100644
--- a/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.spec.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,26 @@ describe('Heading counts and formatting', () => {
 });
 
 describe('enumeration', () => {
+  test('figure enumerators', () => {
+    const tree = u('root', [
+      u('heading', { identifier: 'ha', depth: 2 }),
+      u('heading', { identifier: 'hb', depth: 3 }),
+      u('heading', { identifier: 'hc', depth: 3 }),
+      u('container', { kind: 'figure', identifier: 'fig1' }),
+    ]);
+    const state = new ReferenceState('my-file.md', {
+      frontmatter: {
+        numbering: {
+          heading_1: { enabled: true },
+          heading_2: { enabled: true },
+          figure: { enumerator: 'FancyTemplateSoon.%s' },
+        },
+      },
+      vfile: new VFile(),
+    });
+    enumerateTargetsTransform(tree, { state });
+    expect(state.getTarget('fig1')?.node.enumerator).toBe('FancyTemplateSoon.1');
+  });
   test('sub-equations', () => {
     const tree = u('root', [
       u('mathGroup', { identifier: 'eq:1' }, [
@@ -51,7 +71,7 @@ describe('enumeration', () => {
       ]),
     ]);
     const state = new ReferenceState('my-file.md', {
-      frontmatter: { numbering: { enumerator: { template: 'A.%s' } } },
+      frontmatter: { numbering: { enumerator: { enumerator: 'A.%s' } } },
       vfile: new VFile(),
     });
     enumerateTargetsTransform(tree, { state });
@@ -91,7 +111,7 @@ describe('enumeration', () => {
       u('container', { identifier: 'fig:2', kind: 'figure' }, []),
     ]);
     const state = new ReferenceState('my-file.md', {
-      frontmatter: { numbering: { enumerator: { template: 'A.%s' } } },
+      frontmatter: { numbering: { enumerator: { enumerator: 'A.%s' } } },
       vfile: new VFile(),
     });
     enumerateTargetsTransform(tree, { state });
diff --git a/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.ts b/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.ts
index da465e606..037634487 100644
--- a/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.ts
+++ b/packages/myst-transforms/src/enumerate.ts
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ export class ReferenceState implements IReferenceStateResolver {
       );
       this.enumerator = formatHeadingEnumerator(
         this.targetCounts.heading,
-        this.numbering.enumerator?.template,
+        this.numbering.title?.enumerator ?? this.numbering.enumerator?.enumerator,
       );
     }
     this.identifiers = opts?.identifiers ?? [];
@@ -376,7 +376,6 @@ export class ReferenceState implements IReferenceStateResolver {
     if (!isTargetIdentifierNode(node)) return;
     const kind = kindFromNode(node);
     const numberNode = shouldEnumerateNode(node, kind, this.numbering, this.offset);
-    // if (numberNode && !node.enumerator) { // Is this change a problem?
     if (numberNode) {
       this.incrementCount(node, kind as TargetKind);
     }
@@ -400,8 +399,8 @@ export class ReferenceState implements IReferenceStateResolver {
     };
   }
 
-  resolveEnumerator(val: any): string {
-    const prefix = this.numbering.enumerator?.template;
+  resolveEnumerator(val: any, enumerator?: string): string {
+    const prefix = enumerator ?? this.numbering.enumerator?.enumerator;
     return prefix ? prefix.replace(/%s/g, String(val)) : String(val);
   }
 
@@ -427,7 +426,9 @@ export class ReferenceState implements IReferenceStateResolver {
       );
       enumerator = formatHeadingEnumerator(
         this.targetCounts.heading,
-        this.numbering.enumerator?.template,
+        this.numbering[
+          `heading_${node.depth - (this.numbering?.title?.enabled ? 0 : 1) + this.offset}`
+        ]?.enumerator ?? this.numbering.enumerator?.enumerator,
       );
       node.enumerator = enumerator;
       return enumerator;
@@ -442,15 +443,24 @@ export class ReferenceState implements IReferenceStateResolver {
         ((this.targetCounts[countKind].sub - 1) % 26) + 'a'.charCodeAt(0),
       );
       if (node.subcontainer) {
-        node.parentEnumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(this.targetCounts[countKind].main);
+        node.parentEnumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(
+          this.targetCounts[countKind].main,
+          this.numbering[countKind]?.enumerator,
+        );
         enumerator = letter;
       } else {
-        enumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(this.targetCounts[countKind].main + letter);
+        enumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(
+          this.targetCounts[countKind].main + letter,
+          this.numbering[countKind]?.enumerator,
+        );
       }
     } else {
       this.targetCounts[kind].main += 1;
       this.targetCounts[kind].sub = 0;
-      enumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(this.targetCounts[kind].main);
+      enumerator = this.resolveEnumerator(
+        this.targetCounts[kind].main,
+        this.numbering[kind]?.enumerator,
+      );
     }
     node.enumerator = enumerator;
     return enumerator;
diff --git a/packages/myst-transforms/tests/enumerators.yml b/packages/myst-transforms/tests/enumerators.yml
index a532a2241..e46bc4001 100644
--- a/packages/myst-transforms/tests/enumerators.yml
+++ b/packages/myst-transforms/tests/enumerators.yml
@@ -717,7 +717,7 @@ cases:
     opts:
       numbering:
         enumerator:
-          template: A%s
+          enumerator: A%s
         heading_1:
           enabled: true
     before: