How To Separate First And Last Name In Excel Formula

We have a list of names in column a and we need to pick the first name from the list.

How to separate first and last name in excel formula. In situations when you have a column of names of the same pattern for example only first and last name or first middle and last name the easiest way to split them into separate columns is this. Select the entire column containing names click on the data tab in the top menu bar and click on text to columns option in data tools section. To separating names follow below steps in excel example. Use the left function combined with search function for picking the first name and forthe last name use the right function combined with len function and search function.

Lefta2search a2 into a blank cell c2 and then drag the fill handle down to the cells to apply this formula and all first names have been split into column c see screenshot. If you want to split full names to first middle and last names into separate columns the following formulas may do you a favor. Separating first names this is the generic formula. Left cellfind cell1 1 to execute it replace cell with the cell pointer that contains the first full name that you want to split up.

Select the column of full names that youd like to separate. For first and last names all is text. Change them into text do it one by one. Select the cell b2 write the formula left a2 search a2.

We write the left function along with the search function. Head to the data tab data tools group and click text to columns.