How to Combine First and Last Names in Excel

To combine first and last names in Excel, type =A2&" "&B2 in an empty cell, where A2 has the first name and B2 has the last name. Press Enter, then drag the fill handle down to copy the formula to the rest of the column. You can also use =CONCAT(A2," ",B2), or skip formulas and use Flash Fill.

The formulas come from Microsoft’s Combine first and last names article. This guide covers each method, how to make the result permanent, and what to check when something goes wrong.

What you need before you start

These steps assume your first names are in one column and your last names are in the column next to it, with a heading in row 1 and the first person in row 2. If your names are in other cells, swap in your own cell references.

• An empty column for the result. The full names go in a new column, such as column C. If there is data there already, add a column in Excel first.
• Any current Excel version for the & formula. Microsoft’s example uses the ampersand (&), a symbol that joins pieces of text, and it does not depend on a newer function.
• A newer version for CONCAT and TEXTJOIN. Microsoft says both functions are available on Windows or Mac if you have Office 2019 or later, or a Microsoft 365 subscription.
• A desktop version for Flash Fill. Microsoft’s Flash Fill article lists Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2024, 2021, 2019, and 2016.

Combining names is not the same as merging cells. Merging turns two cells into one large cell, which is a layout change. Here you are building new text in a third cell and leaving the original two cells alone.

How to combine names with a formula

This is the shortest reliable method, and the result updates by itself if you later correct a first or last name.

1. Click the first empty cell in the column where you want the full names, such as C2. If you want a heading, type one such as Full Name in C1 first.
2. Type =A2&" "&B2. The equals sign starts the formula, each & joins the next piece, and " " is a space inside quotation marks so the two names do not run together.
3. Press Enter. The cell now shows the full name, such as Nancy Davolio. If you click the cell, the formula bar above the sheet still shows the formula.
4. Click the cell again. Drag the fill handle, the small square at the bottom-right corner of the selected cell, down to the last row of names. Microsoft’s fill a formula down article notes that you can also select the cells and press Ctrl+D.

Excel adjusts the references as the formula moves down, so row 3 uses A3 and B3, row 4 uses A4 and B4, and so on. To confirm it worked, click a cell near the bottom of the list and check that the formula bar points at the first and last name in that same row.

If you would rather click than type cell names, Microsoft describes this route: type =, click the first name cell, type &" "&, click the last name cell, and press Enter.

Other ways to write the formula

The same idea works in a few different forms. Pick the one that matches the layout you want and the Excel version you have.

Goal	Formula	Result
First name, then last name	=A2&" "&B2	Nancy Davolio
Last name, comma, first name	=B2&", "&A2	Davolio, Nancy
Same result with a function	=CONCAT(A2," ",B2)	Nancy Davolio
First, middle, and last name	=TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,A2:C2)	Names joined by spaces, blanks skipped

Last name first

Swap the two cell references and put a comma and a space inside the quotation marks: =B2&", "&A2. Whatever you type between the quotation marks is what appears between the names, so you can use a hyphen or any other separator the same way. To show a joined result like this in a floating box on the sheet, see how to display a formula result in a text box in Excel.

CONCAT

=CONCAT(A2," ",B2) joins the same three pieces: the first name, a space, and the last name. Each piece is separated by a comma inside the parentheses. Microsoft’s CONCAT function page says it replaces the older CONCATENATE function.

CONCATENATE still works. A formula such as =CONCATENATE(A2," ",B2) gives the same result, and Microsoft keeps it for compatibility with earlier versions of Excel. Microsoft also suggests using CONCAT from now on, because CONCATENATE may not be available in future versions.

TEXTJOIN for three or more parts

TEXTJOIN is useful when some people have a middle name and some do not. In =TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,A2:C2), the first part is the delimiter, which is the character placed between each piece. The second part, TRUE, tells Excel to ignore empty cells. The last part is the range of cells to join.

Because empty cells are skipped, a person with no middle name gets one space between the first and last name instead of two. With the & version you would get a double space in that row. See Microsoft’s TEXTJOIN function page for the full syntax.

Need to join more than two columns, like a street, city, and state? See how to combine three columns into one in Excel.

Combine names without a formula (Flash Fill)

Flash Fill is an Excel feature that fills in a column when it senses a pattern in what you type. It works well for a one-time job because there is nothing to convert afterward.

1. In C2, type the full name exactly how you want it, such as Nancy Davolio, and press Enter.
2. Start typing the next full name in C3.
3. Excel shows a preview of the rest of the column filled in. Press Enter to accept it.

If no preview appears, click C3 and go to Data > Flash Fill, or press Ctrl+E. Excel uses the example in C2 and fills the cells below it. Microsoft’s Mac instructions use the same command and shortcut.

Flash Fill copies the pattern you give it, including the order of the names and any comma you typed. Scroll through the results before you rely on them, because an unusual row can be filled in a way you did not intend. Microsoft explains the feature in Using Flash Fill in Excel.

Formula or Flash Fill: which should you use?

Use a formula when the list will change. If you fix a misspelled last name in column B, the full name in column C updates with it. The trade-off is that the full name depends on the original cells until you convert it to plain text.

Use Flash Fill when you need the combined names once and do not expect the list to change. The results are not linked to the original columns, so they will not update if you edit a name later. You would need to run Flash Fill again.

Turn the formulas into plain text

Warning: do not delete the first and last name columns while column C still contains formulas. The formulas read from those cells, so removing them breaks every full name. Microsoft also notes that replacing a formula with its value permanently removes the formula, and suggests making a copy of the workbook first.

1. Select the cells that contain the full-name formulas.
2. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Copy.
3. With the same cells still selected, click the arrow under Paste, then click Paste Values.

To confirm it worked, click one of the full-name cells and look at the formula bar. It should show the name itself, such as Nancy Davolio, instead of a formula that starts with an equals sign. After that, the original columns are safe to delete.

If you paste values by mistake, select Undo right away to get the formulas back. Microsoft covers this in Replace a formula with its result.

Clean up spacing and capitalization

Lists that were typed by hand or exported from another program often have stray spaces or inconsistent capitals. Two functions help, and you can wrap them around the formula you already have.

• TRIM removes all spaces from text except single spaces between words. =TRIM(A2&" "&B2) removes extra spaces before, after, and between the names.
• PROPER capitalizes the first letter of each word and makes the other letters lowercase. =PROPER(A2&" "&B2) turns nancy DAVOLIO into Nancy Davolio.

You can use both at once with =PROPER(TRIM(A2&" "&B2)). Be careful with PROPER on names that have a capital letter in the middle. Because it lowercases every letter that follows another letter, a name such as McDonald comes out as Mcdonald, so check those rows by hand.

Microsoft notes that TRIM removes the ordinary space character only. It does not remove the nonbreaking space that often comes along with text copied from web pages, so a name copied from a website can still show an extra gap.

Troubleshooting

The names run together with no space

The space is missing from the formula. Make sure there is a space between the quotation marks: " ", not "". With CONCAT or CONCATENATE, the space needs to be its own piece, separated by commas.

The cell shows the formula instead of the name

Microsoft’s guide to avoiding broken formulas lists two causes. First, check Formulas > Show Formulas and turn it off if it is on. Second, the cell may be formatted as text. Right-click the cell, choose Format Cells > General, then press F2 and Enter.

You see #NAME? in the cell

Microsoft says this usually means quotation marks are missing from a text piece of the formula. It can also appear when you type a function that your version of Excel does not have, such as TEXTJOIN in an older version. Switch to the & formula, which does not depend on a newer function.

There is no fill handle

The fill handle can be hidden. Go to File > Options > Advanced and, under Editing Options, check Enable fill handle and cell drag-and-drop.

Every row shows the same name after filling down

Formulas do not recalculate when automatic calculation is off. Go to File > Options > Formulas and, under Workbook Calculation, choose Automatic.

Flash Fill does nothing

Automatic Flash Fill may be turned off. Microsoft lists the setting under Options > Advanced > Editing Options, where you check the Automatically Flash Fill box. You can still run it by hand with Data > Flash Fill or Ctrl+E. If the fill still looks wrong, type the full name for a second row as another example, then run Flash Fill again.

Frequently asked questions

Can I combine names in Excel without losing the original columns?

Yes. Both the formula and Flash Fill put the full name in a new cell and leave the first and last name cells unchanged. The original columns only go away if you delete them yourself, and you should convert formulas to values with Paste Values before you do.

What is the difference between CONCAT and CONCATENATE?

For joining a first and last name, they give the same result. CONCAT is the newer function and can also accept a range of cells, such as A2:B2. Microsoft keeps CONCATENATE for compatibility with earlier versions of Excel and recommends CONCAT going forward.

Does this work in Excel for the web?

The formulas do. Microsoft lists Excel for the web among the versions where CONCAT replaced CONCATENATE, and lists TEXTJOIN for Excel on Microsoft365.com. Microsoft’s Flash Fill article only lists desktop versions of Excel, so plan on using a formula in the browser.

How do I combine names for a whole table at once?

For most lists, filling the formula down is enough. For data that you refresh regularly, Excel’s Power Query tool has a Merge Columns command on its Transform tab that joins selected text columns with a separator you choose. Microsoft suggests keeping the original columns and creating a new merged column, which helps prevent refresh errors later.

How do I go the other way and split a full name?

Flash Fill can separate names as well as combine them, and Excel’s Text to Columns tool splits text at each space. See how to split a cell in Excel for the steps.

Next steps

Once your full-name column is in place and converted to values, check it for repeated rows. Here is how to remove duplicates in Excel. For more Excel help, see our Excel guides.