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How to generate initials from a name in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Text manipulationExcel & Google Sheets
=LEFT(A2,1)&MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1)✓
Verified example
Computed by a real spreadsheet engine on the sample data below.
| Full Name | Initials |
| Jane Smith | JS |
| Alan Turing | AT |
| Marie Curie | MC |
| John von Neumann | JN |
=LEFT(A2,1)&MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1)→JS
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Step by step
- 1Ensure your name data is in a single cell (e.g., 'Jane Smith' in A2).
- 2Enter =LEFT(A2,1)&MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1) in the result cell.
- 3LEFT(A2,1) extracts the first letter; FIND(" ",A2)+1 locates the character after the space; MID grabs the first letter of the last name.
- 4To get uppercase initials, wrap the whole formula: =UPPER(LEFT(A2,1)&MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1)).
- 5Press Enter and copy the formula down for all rows.
Tips
- For three-part names (First Middle Last), chain a second MID using FIND to locate the second space. Alternatively, use a helper column to split names first.
Need it for your exact data?
Describe your columns in plain English and get the precise formula for your sheet, with the right Excel or Sheets syntax.
Frequently asked
What if the name has only one word and no space?
FIND will return a #VALUE! error if there is no space. Wrap with IFERROR: =IFERROR(LEFT(A2,1)&MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1), LEFT(A2,1)) to fall back to just the first letter.
How do I add a period between initials?
Insert a period in the concatenation: =UPPER(LEFT(A2,1))&"."&UPPER(MID(A2,FIND(" ",A2)+1,1))&"." to produce 'J.S.'.
More on Text manipulation
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How-toHow to remove extra spaces
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How-toHow to convert text to a number
Turn numbers stored as text into real numbers with VALUE or by multiplying by 1 — the fix for sums that ignore values.
How-toHow to extract the domain from an email address
Pull everything after the @ from an email using FIND and MID. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to extract the first name from a full name
Get the first name from a full name with LEFT and FIND, splitting on the first space. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
How-toHow to add leading zeros
Pad numbers to a fixed width with leading zeros using TEXT, or a custom number format. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.