Welcome aboard
FlyingGoggles.
It's a perfectly fine question to ask and it can get very weird and is confusing, just like car manufacturers that have their own numbering schemes.
I think your question will be answered more fully in this forum:
Spectators Balcony (Spotters Corner) - PPRuNe Forums Also, they may point you to an existing thread where the numbers are explained.
BUT, the basics are that the Boeing numbers started way back and evolved and the marketing was made easy by the alliteration of 707, 727 etc. When the 'next model' came out it was not (like a car) the Mini Mk II or the 'new' Granada XL etc. They added a suffix '-100' and -'200' so 727-100 became the 727-200. In contracted form this became 721 and 722. Which is why the 747-400 is the 744. They used the numbers pretty much in sequence. We won't at the moment, get bogged down in those that have letters such as the 747-SP! That's beacuse, they all have numbers for the type.
The 737 range is very wide and there have been so many models that it does not mean that the larger the suffix the larger the machine!
Airbus started out with a scheme where all their civilian airliners start with a 3 and developed their 'families' of 320 + 321 and 330 + 340 etc. Again, an Airbus 340-600 is a 346.
You may well find that these pages are helpful:
Airbus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boeing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
With the 787, Boeing marketing have been heavily pushing this as the 'dreamliner'. This is probably becaus they saw that the 747 being dubbed 'jumbo' gave brand recognition and a unique understanding. But that was then, the greatest majority of pax have zero idea what machine they are on and there is no need for them to have. The 'dreamliner' is just the 787 and a VERY large twin engined, wide bodied aircraft. Yes, it may have some new design features but ANY aircraft could be a dreamliner to you! (That was just me riding a hobby horse!)
Enjoy the cabin, we do occaisionally experience turbulence and it is best to keep your seat belt fastened at all times.
