It’s pretty common that you might find yourself with two columns – one for first names of clients/contacts/employees, and the other for their last names – in Microsoft Excel. This can be useful for sorting by surname, among a number of other functions.
But what if you need those names combined in a third column? Well, there are three ways to do it, and we’re here to show you how to use each to your advantage.
To learn how to combine first and last names in Excel, follow our tutorials below. For all other information, or if you have further questions, see our FAQ section at the end of this article.
Table of Contents
How to combine first and last names in Excel (Ampersand)
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device, and load the document with the columns of first and last names you wish to combine.
- Left-click in the first cell of the column into which you wish to place the combined names.
- Type ‘=’ (the ‘equals’ key on your keyboard) into the cell
- Left-click on the cell with the first of the first names, and then type ‘&’ (ampersand) on your keyboard.
1. To add a space between the combined names, type “ “& (quote marks surrounding a space and followed by an ampersand).
- Now, left-click the cell with the corresponding second name.
- Finally, press ENTER. You’ll see both names combined in the first cell of the column you typed the = into.
How to combine first and last names in Excel (CONCATENATE)
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device, and load the document with the columns of first and last names you wish to combine.
- Left-click in the first cell of the column into which you wish to place the combined names.
- Type ‘=CONCATENATE’ and then an open bracket ‘(‘
- Left-click the first cell with the first name to be combined, followed by a comma (,)
- To add a space between first and last names in the cell you’re combining them in, you have to follow this comma with “ “, (quote marks separated by a space, and followed by a comma)
- To add a space between first and last names in the cell you’re combining them in, you have to follow this comma with “ “, (quote marks separated by a space, and followed by a comma)
- Now, left-click the cell with the corresponding surname in it, type the close bracket ‘)’ and finally, press ENTER on your keyboard.
- You’ll see both names combined in the first cell of the column you typed the =CONCATENATE into.
How to combine first and last names in Excel (Flash Fill)
- Open Microsoft Excel on your device, and load the document with the columns of first and last names you wish to combine.
- Left-click in the first cell of the column into which you wish to place the combined names, adjacent to the cells with the first and last names.
- Manually type out the full combined name into this cell.
- For example: if cell A1 has ‘Sylvester’ in it, and cell B1 has ‘Stallone’, then click in cell C1 and manually type out ‘Sylvester Stallone’
- For example: if cell A1 has ‘Sylvester’ in it, and cell B1 has ‘Stallone’, then click in cell C1 and manually type out ‘Sylvester Stallone’
- Press ENTER on your keyboard to automatically take you down into the cell below this
- Search for and click on the Data tab along the top of the page, and then look for the button labelled ‘Flash Fill’
- Click the ‘Flash Fill’ button and Microsoft Excel will intelligently copy your manual name-combination process into the succeeding cells of that column, instantly combining all first names (in column A, in the above example) with all last names (in column B).
And there you have it! Whether you’re a sucker for formulae, or prefer the quick and cheerful Flash Fill method, we’ve made it super simple to combine first and last names in Microsoft Excel. Just follow our tutorials above!
If you have any further questions or would like some more information, see our FAQs below.
FAQs
What does it mean to combine first and last name in Microsoft Excel?
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet and data entry program used by millions all around the world for finance, accountancy, business planning, and management. It’s a great tool to use to keep track of specific data sets, such as cash flow, expenses, and company employees (just as an example).
More specifically, you might find yourself using Microsoft Excel to store contact information or employee information. This data would presumably contain the names of people. It might often be preferable to enter the first names into one column, and the surnames, or last names in another.
This would be useful because it would allow you to sort your data sets by surname alphabetically, for example. However, you may wish to combine these two names in a separate column, so that you have the names presented in full in one part of the document. To do this, you’d need to ‘combine first and last names in Excel.
Do I need to combine first and last names in Microsoft Excel?
You don’t need to combine first and last names in Microsoft Excel unless it would be of benefit to you. There are lots of reasons you might wish to combine the first and last names of contacts in Microsoft Excel.
It may be that you’re reformatting the document, and need the names combined within one column, rather than spread across the two. Or, it could be that combining first and last names give you additional sorting power, which you didn’t have before.
Whatever your reason for wishing to combine the first and last names of contacts in Excel, you’ve come to the right place. Simply follow our instructions above to learn how.
What is the best way to combine first and last names in Microsoft Excel?
The answer to this depends entirely on your requirements. If you’re simply looking for speed and ease, then without a doubt the ‘Flash Fill’ method is the “best” way to combine first and last name columns in Excel.
However, if you need the new column of combined names to be dynamic, constantly reflecting any changes you make to the original source name columns (i..e the ones containing the first and last names, separately), then you’ll need to opt for a formula method, the easiest one to use is the ampersand (&) method.
The CONCATENATE method can be the “best” method, despite it being the most confusing to use, in specific situations. Such as, if you have more than two name columns to combine, or you wish to present the combined names in specific formats.
