How to Extract Last Name from Full Name in Excel

To extract the last name from a full name in Excel, you can use a combination of text manipulation functions like RIGHT, LEN, and FIND. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

1. Assuming the full name is in cell A1, click on an empty cell where you want the last name to appear.
2. Enter the following formula in the selected cell:

=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))

3. Press Enter.

This formula uses the RIGHT function to extract characters from the right side of the full name, and the LEN function to calculate the length of the full name. The FIND function locates the position of the space character in the full name. By subtracting the position of the space from the length of the full name, we determine the number of characters to extract from the right side of the full name, which is the last name.

Example

Let's say you have the following data in cell A1:

John Doe

Use the steps above to extract the last name from the full name.

1. Click on an empty cell (e.g., B1).
2. Enter the following formula in cell B1:

=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))

3. Press Enter.

The extracted last name "Doe" will now appear in cell B1.