Combining first two letters from first name and first two letters from last name












9















I have a spreadsheet of usernames.



The first and last names are in the same cell of column A.



Is there a formula that will concatenate the first two letters of the first name (first word) and the first two letters of the last name (second word)?



For example John Doe, should become JoDo.



I tried



=LEFT(A1)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),LEN(A1))-IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1)))


but this gives me JoDoe as the result.










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  • 2





    Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

    – TKK
    Dec 11 '18 at 21:16
















9















I have a spreadsheet of usernames.



The first and last names are in the same cell of column A.



Is there a formula that will concatenate the first two letters of the first name (first word) and the first two letters of the last name (second word)?



For example John Doe, should become JoDo.



I tried



=LEFT(A1)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),LEN(A1))-IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1)))


but this gives me JoDoe as the result.










share|improve this question




















  • 2





    Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

    – TKK
    Dec 11 '18 at 21:16














9












9








9


2






I have a spreadsheet of usernames.



The first and last names are in the same cell of column A.



Is there a formula that will concatenate the first two letters of the first name (first word) and the first two letters of the last name (second word)?



For example John Doe, should become JoDo.



I tried



=LEFT(A1)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),LEN(A1))-IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1)))


but this gives me JoDoe as the result.










share|improve this question
















I have a spreadsheet of usernames.



The first and last names are in the same cell of column A.



Is there a formula that will concatenate the first two letters of the first name (first word) and the first two letters of the last name (second word)?



For example John Doe, should become JoDo.



I tried



=LEFT(A1)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),LEN(A1))-IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1)))


but this gives me JoDoe as the result.







microsoft-excel worksheet-function microsoft-excel-2013






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edited Dec 12 '18 at 6:05









robinCTS

4,01741527




4,01741527










asked Dec 10 '18 at 12:25









prweqprweq

4613




4613








  • 2





    Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

    – TKK
    Dec 11 '18 at 21:16














  • 2





    Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

    – TKK
    Dec 11 '18 at 21:16








2




2





Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

– TKK
Dec 11 '18 at 21:16





Essential reading: Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names

– TKK
Dec 11 '18 at 21:16










5 Answers
5






active

oldest

votes


















15














Yes; assuming each person only has a First and Last name, and this is always separated by a space you can use the below:



=LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)


I could only base this answer on those assumptions as it is all you provided.



Or if you want a space to still be included:



=LEFT(A1,2)&" "&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)





share|improve this answer



















  • 2





    @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:46











  • Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:59






  • 4





    @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 10:20








  • 2





    Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

    – Aaron
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:01






  • 1





    I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

    – Engineer Toast
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:46



















11














And to round things out, here's a solution that will return the first two characters of the first name, and the first two characters of the last name, but also accounts for middle names.



=LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(MID(A1,FIND("~~~~~",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","~~~~~",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+1,LEN(A1)),2)


enter image description here



Thanks to @Kyle for the main part of the formula






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  • 1





    You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:51













  • @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

    – Rajesh S
    Dec 11 '18 at 9:16













  • @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

    – Chronocidal
    Dec 11 '18 at 13:05






  • 2





    @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:41






  • 1





    @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:48



















9














This is another way...



Screenshot of worksheet




  • A - Name

  • B - =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))






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  • You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:53











  • Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

    – Stese
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:57











  • yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:59



















5














First off, I'd like to say that PeterH's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand. (Although my preference is to use FIND() instead of SEARCH() - typing two less characters helps in avoiding RSI ;-) )



An alternative answer that neither uses MID(), LEFT() nor RIGHT(), but instead uses REPLACE() to remove the unwanted parts of the name is as follows:



=REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND(" ",A1)+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND(" ",A1)-2,"")


Explanation:



The inner REPLACE(A1, FIND(" ",A1)+3, LEN(A1), "") removes the characters from the third character of the last name onward, whilst the outer REPLACE(inner_replace, 3, FIND(" ",A1)-2, "") removes the characters from the third character of the first name up to and including the space.





Addendum 1:



The above formula can also be adapted to allow for a single middle name:



=REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))-2,"")


by replacing FIND(" ",A1) with IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1), FIND(" ",A1)).



FIND(" ", A1, FIND(" ",A1)+1) finds the second space (by starting the search for the space after the first space) or errors otherwise.
IFERROR(find_second_space, FIND(" ",A1)) finds the first space if there is no second space.





This (long-winded) version allows for any number of middle names:



=REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))-2,"")


In this case FIND(" ",A1) is replaced with FIND("§", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))).



LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) counts the number of spaces.
SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", "§", count_of_spaces) replaces the last space with §.
FIND("§", last_space_replaced_string) finds the first § which is the same as finding the last space.



(The § could, of course, be replaced with any character guaranteed not to exist in the full name string. A more general, safer alternative would be to use CHAR(1). )




Note that, of course, BruceWayne's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand solution that allows for any number of middle names. Well it was. Until I posted my other answer, that is ;-)





Addendum 2:



All of the solutions can be adapted to cater for the case of a single name only (if there's a requirement for a four character result) by wrapping them within an IFERROR() function like so:



=IFERROR(solution, alternate_formula)



Note that the above is a general case formula, and it might be possible to make a more efficient modification to a specific solution. For example, if the requirement in the case of a single name is to join the first two letters with the last two letters, PeterH's answer can be more efficiently adapted in this way:



=LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,LEN(A1)-1),2)




To allow for the case of a single letter first name or an initial (assuming a space or dot is not acceptable as the second character) the following can be used with any solution:



=SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(solution, " ", single_char), ".", single_char))



Note that the single character can be either hard-coded or calculated from the name. (Or use "" to remove the space or dot.)





Finally, if you really need to cater for the case where the full name is a single character only(!), just wrap the single-name-only formula with another IFERROR(). (Assuming, of course, that the alternate formula doesn't take care of that special case.)





Addendum 3:



Finally, finally (no, really* ;-) ) to cater for multiple consecutive and/or leading/trailing spaces, use TRIM(A1) instead of A1.




* I'll leave the case for a single letter last name, like Mr T, as an exercise for the reader.




Hint: =solution &IF(MID(A1,LEN(A1)-1,1)=" ", single_char, "")







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  • 1





    As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:33











  • @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:55





















2














Based on this answer, here's an elegant solution which works with any number of middle names:



=LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",REPT(" ",LEN(A1))),LEN(A1))),2)


Explanation:



SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", REPT(" ",LEN(A1))) replaces the inter-word space(s) with spaces equal in number to the length of the entire string. Using the string length rather than an arbitrarily large number guarantees the formula works for any length string and means it does so efficiently.



RIGHT(space_expanded_string, LEN(A1)) extracts the rightmost word prepended by a bunch of spaces.*



TRIM(space_prepended_rightmost_word) extracts the rightmost word.



LEFT(rightmost_word, 2) extracts the first two characters of the rightmost word (last name).




*Caveat: If it's possible for a username to contain trailing spaces, you need to replace the first argument of SUBSTITUTE(), i.e. A1, with TRIM(A1). Leading spaces and multiple consecutive spaces between words are handled correctly just with A1.





Fixing Your Attempt



Taking a closer look at your attempted solution, it looks like you were very close to a working formula to concatenate the first two letters of the first word (i.e. the first name) and the first two letters of the second word if it existed.



Note that if a username were to contain middle names, the corrected formula would incorrectly grab the first two letters from the first middle name instead of from the last name (assuming your intent is indeed to extract them from the last name).



Also, if all the usernames consist only of either a first name, or a first name and a last name, then the formula is needlessly complicated and can be simplified.





To see how the formula works and so fix it, it is easier if it is prettified, like so:



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
MID(
A1,
IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
IFERROR(
FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
LEN(A1)
)
- IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
)




To understand how it works, first look at what happens when A1 contains no spaces (i.e. it contains a single name only). All the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their second arguments since FIND() returns a #VALUE! error if the search string is not found in the target string:



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
MID(
A1,
LEN(A1) + 1,
LEN(A1)
-LEN(A1)
)


The third argument of MID() evaluates to zero, so the function outputs "" and the formula result is the first two characters of the single name.





Now look at when there are exactly two names (i.e there is exactly one space). The first and third IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments but the second one evaluates to its second argument since FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)) is attempting to find another space after removing the first, and only, one:



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
MID(
A1,
FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
LEN(A1)
- FIND(" ",A1)
)


Clearly, MID() returns the second word (i.e. the last name) in its entirety, and the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the last name.





For completeness sake, we'll also look at the case where there are at least three names, although it should be fairly obvious now how to fix the formula. This time, all the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments:



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
MID(
A1,
FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1))
- FIND(" ",A1)
)


It is slightly less clear than it was in the previous case, but MID() returns exactly the entire second word (i.e. first middle name). Thus, the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the first middle name.





Obviously, the fix is to use LEFT() to get the first two characters of the MID() output:



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
LEFT(
MID(
A1,
IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
IFERROR(
FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
LEN(A1)
)
- IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
),
2
)




The simplification I mentioned above is to replace LEFT(MID(…,…,…), 2) with MID(…,…,2):



=
LEFT(A1,2) &
MID(
A1,
IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
2
)


or on one line:



=LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,2)


This is essentially PeterH's solution modified to also work with single names (in which case, the result is just the first two characters of the name).




Note: The prettified formulas actually work if entered.






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    5 Answers
    5






    active

    oldest

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    5 Answers
    5






    active

    oldest

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    active

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    active

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    15














    Yes; assuming each person only has a First and Last name, and this is always separated by a space you can use the below:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)


    I could only base this answer on those assumptions as it is all you provided.



    Or if you want a space to still be included:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&" "&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)





    share|improve this answer



















    • 2





      @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:46











    • Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:59






    • 4





      @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 10:20








    • 2





      Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

      – Aaron
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:01






    • 1





      I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

      – Engineer Toast
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:46
















    15














    Yes; assuming each person only has a First and Last name, and this is always separated by a space you can use the below:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)


    I could only base this answer on those assumptions as it is all you provided.



    Or if you want a space to still be included:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&" "&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)





    share|improve this answer



















    • 2





      @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:46











    • Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:59






    • 4





      @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 10:20








    • 2





      Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

      – Aaron
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:01






    • 1





      I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

      – Engineer Toast
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:46














    15












    15








    15







    Yes; assuming each person only has a First and Last name, and this is always separated by a space you can use the below:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)


    I could only base this answer on those assumptions as it is all you provided.



    Or if you want a space to still be included:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&" "&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)





    share|improve this answer













    Yes; assuming each person only has a First and Last name, and this is always separated by a space you can use the below:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)


    I could only base this answer on those assumptions as it is all you provided.



    Or if you want a space to still be included:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&" "&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,2)






    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered Dec 10 '18 at 12:38









    PeterHPeterH

    3,49832447




    3,49832447








    • 2





      @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:46











    • Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:59






    • 4





      @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 10:20








    • 2





      Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

      – Aaron
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:01






    • 1





      I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

      – Engineer Toast
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:46














    • 2





      @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:46











    • Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:59






    • 4





      @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 10:20








    • 2





      Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

      – Aaron
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:01






    • 1





      I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

      – Engineer Toast
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:46








    2




    2





    @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:46





    @prweq no probs, accept it as correct if it works for you

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:46













    Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:59





    Simplest and easiest to understand solution. (Well, except for using FIND() instead of SEARCH();-) ) Since you are assuming there is always a space separator, your second formula can be simplified to =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,SEARCH(" ",A1),3)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:59




    4




    4





    @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 10:20







    @RajeshS I know. That's why my answer starts with assuming each person only has a First and Last name

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 10:20






    2




    2





    Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

    – Aaron
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:01





    Falsehoods programmers believe about names ; not that it would make sense to handle all those cases from the get-go if your software hasn't an international reach

    – Aaron
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:01




    1




    1





    I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

    – Engineer Toast
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:46





    I suggest TRIM(LEFT(A1,2)) just in case their first name only has one letter, but it may be easy enough to check for those special cases manually as well.

    – Engineer Toast
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:46













    11














    And to round things out, here's a solution that will return the first two characters of the first name, and the first two characters of the last name, but also accounts for middle names.



    =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(MID(A1,FIND("~~~~~",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","~~~~~",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+1,LEN(A1)),2)


    enter image description here



    Thanks to @Kyle for the main part of the formula






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:51













    • @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

      – Rajesh S
      Dec 11 '18 at 9:16













    • @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

      – Chronocidal
      Dec 11 '18 at 13:05






    • 2





      @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:41






    • 1





      @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:48
















    11














    And to round things out, here's a solution that will return the first two characters of the first name, and the first two characters of the last name, but also accounts for middle names.



    =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(MID(A1,FIND("~~~~~",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","~~~~~",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+1,LEN(A1)),2)


    enter image description here



    Thanks to @Kyle for the main part of the formula






    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:51













    • @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

      – Rajesh S
      Dec 11 '18 at 9:16













    • @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

      – Chronocidal
      Dec 11 '18 at 13:05






    • 2





      @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:41






    • 1





      @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:48














    11












    11








    11







    And to round things out, here's a solution that will return the first two characters of the first name, and the first two characters of the last name, but also accounts for middle names.



    =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(MID(A1,FIND("~~~~~",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","~~~~~",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+1,LEN(A1)),2)


    enter image description here



    Thanks to @Kyle for the main part of the formula






    share|improve this answer















    And to round things out, here's a solution that will return the first two characters of the first name, and the first two characters of the last name, but also accounts for middle names.



    =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(MID(A1,FIND("~~~~~",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","~~~~~",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+1,LEN(A1)),2)


    enter image description here



    Thanks to @Kyle for the main part of the formula







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Dec 11 '18 at 22:47

























    answered Dec 10 '18 at 17:44









    BruceWayneBruceWayne

    1,8501721




    1,8501721








    • 1





      You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:51













    • @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

      – Rajesh S
      Dec 11 '18 at 9:16













    • @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

      – Chronocidal
      Dec 11 '18 at 13:05






    • 2





      @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:41






    • 1





      @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:48














    • 1





      You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 0:51













    • @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

      – Rajesh S
      Dec 11 '18 at 9:16













    • @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

      – Chronocidal
      Dec 11 '18 at 13:05






    • 2





      @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 15:41






    • 1





      @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

      – BruceWayne
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:48








    1




    1





    You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:51







    You beat me to it ;-) (It was well past midnight and I need to sleep - was planning on adding this to my answer afterwards.) A slight improvement to your formula would be to use a single ~ instead of four. If you are concerned that a Tilda might be used as part of a name (!) or, more likely, been accidentally typed, just use a character that doesn't appear on any keyboard. I prefer to use §. is another good one.

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 0:51















    @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

    – Rajesh S
    Dec 11 '18 at 9:16







    @BruceWayne ,, your Formula is more competent,,, since it's accessing only Firts & Last name ignores Middle name ,,, Up voted ☺

    – Rajesh S
    Dec 11 '18 at 9:16















    @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

    – Chronocidal
    Dec 11 '18 at 13:05





    @RajeshS What about people with Spanish names, such as former F1 driver Fernando Alonso Díaz who has 1 forename, 2 surnames, and no middle names? (Or even King Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia?)

    – Chronocidal
    Dec 11 '18 at 13:05




    2




    2





    @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:41





    @Chronocidal now we're going down the rabbit hole of what programmers believe about names

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 15:41




    1




    1





    @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:48





    @robinCTS - Good call! I got the formula from another answer (edited in), and didn't really dig too much deeper. Thanks for the tips!

    – BruceWayne
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:48











    9














    This is another way...



    Screenshot of worksheet




    • A - Name

    • B - =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))






    share|improve this answer


























    • You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:53











    • Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

      – Stese
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:57











    • yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:59
















    9














    This is another way...



    Screenshot of worksheet




    • A - Name

    • B - =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))






    share|improve this answer


























    • You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:53











    • Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

      – Stese
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:57











    • yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:59














    9












    9








    9







    This is another way...



    Screenshot of worksheet




    • A - Name

    • B - =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))






    share|improve this answer















    This is another way...



    Screenshot of worksheet




    • A - Name

    • B - =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Dec 11 '18 at 0:53









    robinCTS

    4,01741527




    4,01741527










    answered Dec 10 '18 at 12:50









    SteseStese

    846414




    846414













    • You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:53











    • Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

      – Stese
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:57











    • yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:59



















    • You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:53











    • Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

      – Stese
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:57











    • yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

      – PeterH
      Dec 10 '18 at 12:59

















    You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:53





    You could go even further and remove all those extra columns by merging them =CONCATENATE(LEFT(A1,2),LEFT(RIGHT(A1,(LEN(A1)-FIND(" ",A1))),2))

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:53













    Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

    – Stese
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:57





    Yeah, I did that a few moments after!

    – Stese
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:57













    yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:59





    yeah I noticed you edited the answer, Nice Answer !

    – PeterH
    Dec 10 '18 at 12:59











    5














    First off, I'd like to say that PeterH's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand. (Although my preference is to use FIND() instead of SEARCH() - typing two less characters helps in avoiding RSI ;-) )



    An alternative answer that neither uses MID(), LEFT() nor RIGHT(), but instead uses REPLACE() to remove the unwanted parts of the name is as follows:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND(" ",A1)+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND(" ",A1)-2,"")


    Explanation:



    The inner REPLACE(A1, FIND(" ",A1)+3, LEN(A1), "") removes the characters from the third character of the last name onward, whilst the outer REPLACE(inner_replace, 3, FIND(" ",A1)-2, "") removes the characters from the third character of the first name up to and including the space.





    Addendum 1:



    The above formula can also be adapted to allow for a single middle name:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))-2,"")


    by replacing FIND(" ",A1) with IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1), FIND(" ",A1)).



    FIND(" ", A1, FIND(" ",A1)+1) finds the second space (by starting the search for the space after the first space) or errors otherwise.
    IFERROR(find_second_space, FIND(" ",A1)) finds the first space if there is no second space.





    This (long-winded) version allows for any number of middle names:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))-2,"")


    In this case FIND(" ",A1) is replaced with FIND("§", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))).



    LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) counts the number of spaces.
    SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", "§", count_of_spaces) replaces the last space with §.
    FIND("§", last_space_replaced_string) finds the first § which is the same as finding the last space.



    (The § could, of course, be replaced with any character guaranteed not to exist in the full name string. A more general, safer alternative would be to use CHAR(1). )




    Note that, of course, BruceWayne's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand solution that allows for any number of middle names. Well it was. Until I posted my other answer, that is ;-)





    Addendum 2:



    All of the solutions can be adapted to cater for the case of a single name only (if there's a requirement for a four character result) by wrapping them within an IFERROR() function like so:



    =IFERROR(solution, alternate_formula)



    Note that the above is a general case formula, and it might be possible to make a more efficient modification to a specific solution. For example, if the requirement in the case of a single name is to join the first two letters with the last two letters, PeterH's answer can be more efficiently adapted in this way:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,LEN(A1)-1),2)




    To allow for the case of a single letter first name or an initial (assuming a space or dot is not acceptable as the second character) the following can be used with any solution:



    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(solution, " ", single_char), ".", single_char))



    Note that the single character can be either hard-coded or calculated from the name. (Or use "" to remove the space or dot.)





    Finally, if you really need to cater for the case where the full name is a single character only(!), just wrap the single-name-only formula with another IFERROR(). (Assuming, of course, that the alternate formula doesn't take care of that special case.)





    Addendum 3:



    Finally, finally (no, really* ;-) ) to cater for multiple consecutive and/or leading/trailing spaces, use TRIM(A1) instead of A1.




    * I'll leave the case for a single letter last name, like Mr T, as an exercise for the reader.




    Hint: =solution &IF(MID(A1,LEN(A1)-1,1)=" ", single_char, "")







    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:33











    • @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:55


















    5














    First off, I'd like to say that PeterH's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand. (Although my preference is to use FIND() instead of SEARCH() - typing two less characters helps in avoiding RSI ;-) )



    An alternative answer that neither uses MID(), LEFT() nor RIGHT(), but instead uses REPLACE() to remove the unwanted parts of the name is as follows:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND(" ",A1)+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND(" ",A1)-2,"")


    Explanation:



    The inner REPLACE(A1, FIND(" ",A1)+3, LEN(A1), "") removes the characters from the third character of the last name onward, whilst the outer REPLACE(inner_replace, 3, FIND(" ",A1)-2, "") removes the characters from the third character of the first name up to and including the space.





    Addendum 1:



    The above formula can also be adapted to allow for a single middle name:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))-2,"")


    by replacing FIND(" ",A1) with IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1), FIND(" ",A1)).



    FIND(" ", A1, FIND(" ",A1)+1) finds the second space (by starting the search for the space after the first space) or errors otherwise.
    IFERROR(find_second_space, FIND(" ",A1)) finds the first space if there is no second space.





    This (long-winded) version allows for any number of middle names:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))-2,"")


    In this case FIND(" ",A1) is replaced with FIND("§", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))).



    LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) counts the number of spaces.
    SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", "§", count_of_spaces) replaces the last space with §.
    FIND("§", last_space_replaced_string) finds the first § which is the same as finding the last space.



    (The § could, of course, be replaced with any character guaranteed not to exist in the full name string. A more general, safer alternative would be to use CHAR(1). )




    Note that, of course, BruceWayne's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand solution that allows for any number of middle names. Well it was. Until I posted my other answer, that is ;-)





    Addendum 2:



    All of the solutions can be adapted to cater for the case of a single name only (if there's a requirement for a four character result) by wrapping them within an IFERROR() function like so:



    =IFERROR(solution, alternate_formula)



    Note that the above is a general case formula, and it might be possible to make a more efficient modification to a specific solution. For example, if the requirement in the case of a single name is to join the first two letters with the last two letters, PeterH's answer can be more efficiently adapted in this way:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,LEN(A1)-1),2)




    To allow for the case of a single letter first name or an initial (assuming a space or dot is not acceptable as the second character) the following can be used with any solution:



    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(solution, " ", single_char), ".", single_char))



    Note that the single character can be either hard-coded or calculated from the name. (Or use "" to remove the space or dot.)





    Finally, if you really need to cater for the case where the full name is a single character only(!), just wrap the single-name-only formula with another IFERROR(). (Assuming, of course, that the alternate formula doesn't take care of that special case.)





    Addendum 3:



    Finally, finally (no, really* ;-) ) to cater for multiple consecutive and/or leading/trailing spaces, use TRIM(A1) instead of A1.




    * I'll leave the case for a single letter last name, like Mr T, as an exercise for the reader.




    Hint: =solution &IF(MID(A1,LEN(A1)-1,1)=" ", single_char, "")







    share|improve this answer





















    • 1





      As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:33











    • @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:55
















    5












    5








    5







    First off, I'd like to say that PeterH's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand. (Although my preference is to use FIND() instead of SEARCH() - typing two less characters helps in avoiding RSI ;-) )



    An alternative answer that neither uses MID(), LEFT() nor RIGHT(), but instead uses REPLACE() to remove the unwanted parts of the name is as follows:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND(" ",A1)+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND(" ",A1)-2,"")


    Explanation:



    The inner REPLACE(A1, FIND(" ",A1)+3, LEN(A1), "") removes the characters from the third character of the last name onward, whilst the outer REPLACE(inner_replace, 3, FIND(" ",A1)-2, "") removes the characters from the third character of the first name up to and including the space.





    Addendum 1:



    The above formula can also be adapted to allow for a single middle name:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))-2,"")


    by replacing FIND(" ",A1) with IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1), FIND(" ",A1)).



    FIND(" ", A1, FIND(" ",A1)+1) finds the second space (by starting the search for the space after the first space) or errors otherwise.
    IFERROR(find_second_space, FIND(" ",A1)) finds the first space if there is no second space.





    This (long-winded) version allows for any number of middle names:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))-2,"")


    In this case FIND(" ",A1) is replaced with FIND("§", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))).



    LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) counts the number of spaces.
    SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", "§", count_of_spaces) replaces the last space with §.
    FIND("§", last_space_replaced_string) finds the first § which is the same as finding the last space.



    (The § could, of course, be replaced with any character guaranteed not to exist in the full name string. A more general, safer alternative would be to use CHAR(1). )




    Note that, of course, BruceWayne's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand solution that allows for any number of middle names. Well it was. Until I posted my other answer, that is ;-)





    Addendum 2:



    All of the solutions can be adapted to cater for the case of a single name only (if there's a requirement for a four character result) by wrapping them within an IFERROR() function like so:



    =IFERROR(solution, alternate_formula)



    Note that the above is a general case formula, and it might be possible to make a more efficient modification to a specific solution. For example, if the requirement in the case of a single name is to join the first two letters with the last two letters, PeterH's answer can be more efficiently adapted in this way:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,LEN(A1)-1),2)




    To allow for the case of a single letter first name or an initial (assuming a space or dot is not acceptable as the second character) the following can be used with any solution:



    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(solution, " ", single_char), ".", single_char))



    Note that the single character can be either hard-coded or calculated from the name. (Or use "" to remove the space or dot.)





    Finally, if you really need to cater for the case where the full name is a single character only(!), just wrap the single-name-only formula with another IFERROR(). (Assuming, of course, that the alternate formula doesn't take care of that special case.)





    Addendum 3:



    Finally, finally (no, really* ;-) ) to cater for multiple consecutive and/or leading/trailing spaces, use TRIM(A1) instead of A1.




    * I'll leave the case for a single letter last name, like Mr T, as an exercise for the reader.




    Hint: =solution &IF(MID(A1,LEN(A1)-1,1)=" ", single_char, "")







    share|improve this answer















    First off, I'd like to say that PeterH's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand. (Although my preference is to use FIND() instead of SEARCH() - typing two less characters helps in avoiding RSI ;-) )



    An alternative answer that neither uses MID(), LEFT() nor RIGHT(), but instead uses REPLACE() to remove the unwanted parts of the name is as follows:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND(" ",A1)+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND(" ",A1)-2,"")


    Explanation:



    The inner REPLACE(A1, FIND(" ",A1)+3, LEN(A1), "") removes the characters from the third character of the last name onward, whilst the outer REPLACE(inner_replace, 3, FIND(" ",A1)-2, "") removes the characters from the third character of the first name up to and including the space.





    Addendum 1:



    The above formula can also be adapted to allow for a single middle name:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1),FIND(" ",A1))-2,"")


    by replacing FIND(" ",A1) with IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1,FIND(" ",A1)+1), FIND(" ",A1)).



    FIND(" ", A1, FIND(" ",A1)+1) finds the second space (by starting the search for the space after the first space) or errors otherwise.
    IFERROR(find_second_space, FIND(" ",A1)) finds the first space if there is no second space.





    This (long-winded) version allows for any number of middle names:



    =REPLACE(REPLACE(A1,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))+3,LEN(A1),""),3,FIND("§",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""))))-2,"")


    In this case FIND(" ",A1) is replaced with FIND("§", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","§",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))).



    LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")) counts the number of spaces.
    SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", "§", count_of_spaces) replaces the last space with §.
    FIND("§", last_space_replaced_string) finds the first § which is the same as finding the last space.



    (The § could, of course, be replaced with any character guaranteed not to exist in the full name string. A more general, safer alternative would be to use CHAR(1). )




    Note that, of course, BruceWayne's answer is the simplest and easiest to understand solution that allows for any number of middle names. Well it was. Until I posted my other answer, that is ;-)





    Addendum 2:



    All of the solutions can be adapted to cater for the case of a single name only (if there's a requirement for a four character result) by wrapping them within an IFERROR() function like so:



    =IFERROR(solution, alternate_formula)



    Note that the above is a general case formula, and it might be possible to make a more efficient modification to a specific solution. For example, if the requirement in the case of a single name is to join the first two letters with the last two letters, PeterH's answer can be more efficiently adapted in this way:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(SEARCH(" ",A1)+1,LEN(A1)-1),2)




    To allow for the case of a single letter first name or an initial (assuming a space or dot is not acceptable as the second character) the following can be used with any solution:



    =SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(solution, " ", single_char), ".", single_char))



    Note that the single character can be either hard-coded or calculated from the name. (Or use "" to remove the space or dot.)





    Finally, if you really need to cater for the case where the full name is a single character only(!), just wrap the single-name-only formula with another IFERROR(). (Assuming, of course, that the alternate formula doesn't take care of that special case.)





    Addendum 3:



    Finally, finally (no, really* ;-) ) to cater for multiple consecutive and/or leading/trailing spaces, use TRIM(A1) instead of A1.




    * I'll leave the case for a single letter last name, like Mr T, as an exercise for the reader.




    Hint: =solution &IF(MID(A1,LEN(A1)-1,1)=" ", single_char, "")








    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Dec 12 '18 at 6:06

























    answered Dec 10 '18 at 17:21









    robinCTSrobinCTS

    4,01741527




    4,01741527








    • 1





      As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:33











    • @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:55
















    • 1





      As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

      – PeterH
      Dec 11 '18 at 14:33











    • @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

      – robinCTS
      Dec 11 '18 at 22:55










    1




    1





    As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:33





    As always your answers look like they are from an advanced user guide of Excel ! This would be the top voted answer had you posted it earlier !

    – PeterH
    Dec 11 '18 at 14:33













    @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:55







    @PeterH Thanks for the complement. I only stumbled across the question once it hit the Hot Network Questions list, so I was a bit late to the party ;-)

    – robinCTS
    Dec 11 '18 at 22:55













    2














    Based on this answer, here's an elegant solution which works with any number of middle names:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",REPT(" ",LEN(A1))),LEN(A1))),2)


    Explanation:



    SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", REPT(" ",LEN(A1))) replaces the inter-word space(s) with spaces equal in number to the length of the entire string. Using the string length rather than an arbitrarily large number guarantees the formula works for any length string and means it does so efficiently.



    RIGHT(space_expanded_string, LEN(A1)) extracts the rightmost word prepended by a bunch of spaces.*



    TRIM(space_prepended_rightmost_word) extracts the rightmost word.



    LEFT(rightmost_word, 2) extracts the first two characters of the rightmost word (last name).




    *Caveat: If it's possible for a username to contain trailing spaces, you need to replace the first argument of SUBSTITUTE(), i.e. A1, with TRIM(A1). Leading spaces and multiple consecutive spaces between words are handled correctly just with A1.





    Fixing Your Attempt



    Taking a closer look at your attempted solution, it looks like you were very close to a working formula to concatenate the first two letters of the first word (i.e. the first name) and the first two letters of the second word if it existed.



    Note that if a username were to contain middle names, the corrected formula would incorrectly grab the first two letters from the first middle name instead of from the last name (assuming your intent is indeed to extract them from the last name).



    Also, if all the usernames consist only of either a first name, or a first name and a last name, then the formula is needlessly complicated and can be simplified.





    To see how the formula works and so fix it, it is easier if it is prettified, like so:



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    MID(
    A1,
    IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
    IFERROR(
    FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
    LEN(A1)
    )
    - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
    )




    To understand how it works, first look at what happens when A1 contains no spaces (i.e. it contains a single name only). All the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their second arguments since FIND() returns a #VALUE! error if the search string is not found in the target string:



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    MID(
    A1,
    LEN(A1) + 1,
    LEN(A1)
    -LEN(A1)
    )


    The third argument of MID() evaluates to zero, so the function outputs "" and the formula result is the first two characters of the single name.





    Now look at when there are exactly two names (i.e there is exactly one space). The first and third IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments but the second one evaluates to its second argument since FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)) is attempting to find another space after removing the first, and only, one:



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    MID(
    A1,
    FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
    LEN(A1)
    - FIND(" ",A1)
    )


    Clearly, MID() returns the second word (i.e. the last name) in its entirety, and the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the last name.





    For completeness sake, we'll also look at the case where there are at least three names, although it should be fairly obvious now how to fix the formula. This time, all the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments:



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    MID(
    A1,
    FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
    FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1))
    - FIND(" ",A1)
    )


    It is slightly less clear than it was in the previous case, but MID() returns exactly the entire second word (i.e. first middle name). Thus, the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the first middle name.





    Obviously, the fix is to use LEFT() to get the first two characters of the MID() output:



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    LEFT(
    MID(
    A1,
    IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
    IFERROR(
    FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
    LEN(A1)
    )
    - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
    ),
    2
    )




    The simplification I mentioned above is to replace LEFT(MID(…,…,…), 2) with MID(…,…,2):



    =
    LEFT(A1,2) &
    MID(
    A1,
    IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
    2
    )


    or on one line:



    =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,2)


    This is essentially PeterH's solution modified to also work with single names (in which case, the result is just the first two characters of the name).




    Note: The prettified formulas actually work if entered.






    share|improve this answer






























      2














      Based on this answer, here's an elegant solution which works with any number of middle names:



      =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",REPT(" ",LEN(A1))),LEN(A1))),2)


      Explanation:



      SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", REPT(" ",LEN(A1))) replaces the inter-word space(s) with spaces equal in number to the length of the entire string. Using the string length rather than an arbitrarily large number guarantees the formula works for any length string and means it does so efficiently.



      RIGHT(space_expanded_string, LEN(A1)) extracts the rightmost word prepended by a bunch of spaces.*



      TRIM(space_prepended_rightmost_word) extracts the rightmost word.



      LEFT(rightmost_word, 2) extracts the first two characters of the rightmost word (last name).




      *Caveat: If it's possible for a username to contain trailing spaces, you need to replace the first argument of SUBSTITUTE(), i.e. A1, with TRIM(A1). Leading spaces and multiple consecutive spaces between words are handled correctly just with A1.





      Fixing Your Attempt



      Taking a closer look at your attempted solution, it looks like you were very close to a working formula to concatenate the first two letters of the first word (i.e. the first name) and the first two letters of the second word if it existed.



      Note that if a username were to contain middle names, the corrected formula would incorrectly grab the first two letters from the first middle name instead of from the last name (assuming your intent is indeed to extract them from the last name).



      Also, if all the usernames consist only of either a first name, or a first name and a last name, then the formula is needlessly complicated and can be simplified.





      To see how the formula works and so fix it, it is easier if it is prettified, like so:



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      MID(
      A1,
      IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
      IFERROR(
      FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
      LEN(A1)
      )
      - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
      )




      To understand how it works, first look at what happens when A1 contains no spaces (i.e. it contains a single name only). All the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their second arguments since FIND() returns a #VALUE! error if the search string is not found in the target string:



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      MID(
      A1,
      LEN(A1) + 1,
      LEN(A1)
      -LEN(A1)
      )


      The third argument of MID() evaluates to zero, so the function outputs "" and the formula result is the first two characters of the single name.





      Now look at when there are exactly two names (i.e there is exactly one space). The first and third IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments but the second one evaluates to its second argument since FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)) is attempting to find another space after removing the first, and only, one:



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      MID(
      A1,
      FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
      LEN(A1)
      - FIND(" ",A1)
      )


      Clearly, MID() returns the second word (i.e. the last name) in its entirety, and the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the last name.





      For completeness sake, we'll also look at the case where there are at least three names, although it should be fairly obvious now how to fix the formula. This time, all the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments:



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      MID(
      A1,
      FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
      FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1))
      - FIND(" ",A1)
      )


      It is slightly less clear than it was in the previous case, but MID() returns exactly the entire second word (i.e. first middle name). Thus, the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the first middle name.





      Obviously, the fix is to use LEFT() to get the first two characters of the MID() output:



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      LEFT(
      MID(
      A1,
      IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
      IFERROR(
      FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
      LEN(A1)
      )
      - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
      ),
      2
      )




      The simplification I mentioned above is to replace LEFT(MID(…,…,…), 2) with MID(…,…,2):



      =
      LEFT(A1,2) &
      MID(
      A1,
      IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
      2
      )


      or on one line:



      =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,2)


      This is essentially PeterH's solution modified to also work with single names (in which case, the result is just the first two characters of the name).




      Note: The prettified formulas actually work if entered.






      share|improve this answer




























        2












        2








        2







        Based on this answer, here's an elegant solution which works with any number of middle names:



        =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",REPT(" ",LEN(A1))),LEN(A1))),2)


        Explanation:



        SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", REPT(" ",LEN(A1))) replaces the inter-word space(s) with spaces equal in number to the length of the entire string. Using the string length rather than an arbitrarily large number guarantees the formula works for any length string and means it does so efficiently.



        RIGHT(space_expanded_string, LEN(A1)) extracts the rightmost word prepended by a bunch of spaces.*



        TRIM(space_prepended_rightmost_word) extracts the rightmost word.



        LEFT(rightmost_word, 2) extracts the first two characters of the rightmost word (last name).




        *Caveat: If it's possible for a username to contain trailing spaces, you need to replace the first argument of SUBSTITUTE(), i.e. A1, with TRIM(A1). Leading spaces and multiple consecutive spaces between words are handled correctly just with A1.





        Fixing Your Attempt



        Taking a closer look at your attempted solution, it looks like you were very close to a working formula to concatenate the first two letters of the first word (i.e. the first name) and the first two letters of the second word if it existed.



        Note that if a username were to contain middle names, the corrected formula would incorrectly grab the first two letters from the first middle name instead of from the last name (assuming your intent is indeed to extract them from the last name).



        Also, if all the usernames consist only of either a first name, or a first name and a last name, then the formula is needlessly complicated and can be simplified.





        To see how the formula works and so fix it, it is easier if it is prettified, like so:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        IFERROR(
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
        LEN(A1)
        )
        - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
        )




        To understand how it works, first look at what happens when A1 contains no spaces (i.e. it contains a single name only). All the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their second arguments since FIND() returns a #VALUE! error if the search string is not found in the target string:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        LEN(A1) + 1,
        LEN(A1)
        -LEN(A1)
        )


        The third argument of MID() evaluates to zero, so the function outputs "" and the formula result is the first two characters of the single name.





        Now look at when there are exactly two names (i.e there is exactly one space). The first and third IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments but the second one evaluates to its second argument since FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)) is attempting to find another space after removing the first, and only, one:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
        LEN(A1)
        - FIND(" ",A1)
        )


        Clearly, MID() returns the second word (i.e. the last name) in its entirety, and the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the last name.





        For completeness sake, we'll also look at the case where there are at least three names, although it should be fairly obvious now how to fix the formula. This time, all the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1))
        - FIND(" ",A1)
        )


        It is slightly less clear than it was in the previous case, but MID() returns exactly the entire second word (i.e. first middle name). Thus, the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the first middle name.





        Obviously, the fix is to use LEFT() to get the first two characters of the MID() output:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        LEFT(
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        IFERROR(
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
        LEN(A1)
        )
        - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
        ),
        2
        )




        The simplification I mentioned above is to replace LEFT(MID(…,…,…), 2) with MID(…,…,2):



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        2
        )


        or on one line:



        =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,2)


        This is essentially PeterH's solution modified to also work with single names (in which case, the result is just the first two characters of the name).




        Note: The prettified formulas actually work if entered.






        share|improve this answer















        Based on this answer, here's an elegant solution which works with any number of middle names:



        =LEFT(A1,2)&LEFT(TRIM(RIGHT(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",REPT(" ",LEN(A1))),LEN(A1))),2)


        Explanation:



        SUBSTITUTE(A1, " ", REPT(" ",LEN(A1))) replaces the inter-word space(s) with spaces equal in number to the length of the entire string. Using the string length rather than an arbitrarily large number guarantees the formula works for any length string and means it does so efficiently.



        RIGHT(space_expanded_string, LEN(A1)) extracts the rightmost word prepended by a bunch of spaces.*



        TRIM(space_prepended_rightmost_word) extracts the rightmost word.



        LEFT(rightmost_word, 2) extracts the first two characters of the rightmost word (last name).




        *Caveat: If it's possible for a username to contain trailing spaces, you need to replace the first argument of SUBSTITUTE(), i.e. A1, with TRIM(A1). Leading spaces and multiple consecutive spaces between words are handled correctly just with A1.





        Fixing Your Attempt



        Taking a closer look at your attempted solution, it looks like you were very close to a working formula to concatenate the first two letters of the first word (i.e. the first name) and the first two letters of the second word if it existed.



        Note that if a username were to contain middle names, the corrected formula would incorrectly grab the first two letters from the first middle name instead of from the last name (assuming your intent is indeed to extract them from the last name).



        Also, if all the usernames consist only of either a first name, or a first name and a last name, then the formula is needlessly complicated and can be simplified.





        To see how the formula works and so fix it, it is easier if it is prettified, like so:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        IFERROR(
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
        LEN(A1)
        )
        - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
        )




        To understand how it works, first look at what happens when A1 contains no spaces (i.e. it contains a single name only). All the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their second arguments since FIND() returns a #VALUE! error if the search string is not found in the target string:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        LEN(A1) + 1,
        LEN(A1)
        -LEN(A1)
        )


        The third argument of MID() evaluates to zero, so the function outputs "" and the formula result is the first two characters of the single name.





        Now look at when there are exactly two names (i.e there is exactly one space). The first and third IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments but the second one evaluates to its second argument since FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)) is attempting to find another space after removing the first, and only, one:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
        LEN(A1)
        - FIND(" ",A1)
        )


        Clearly, MID() returns the second word (i.e. the last name) in its entirety, and the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the last name.





        For completeness sake, we'll also look at the case where there are at least three names, although it should be fairly obvious now how to fix the formula. This time, all the IFERROR() functions evaluate to their first arguments:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        FIND(" ",A1) + 1,
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1))
        - FIND(" ",A1)
        )


        It is slightly less clear than it was in the previous case, but MID() returns exactly the entire second word (i.e. first middle name). Thus, the formula result is the first two characters of the first name followed by all the characters of the first middle name.





        Obviously, the fix is to use LEFT() to get the first two characters of the MID() output:



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        LEFT(
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        IFERROR(
        FIND(" ", SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","",1)),
        LEN(A1)
        )
        - IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1))
        ),
        2
        )




        The simplification I mentioned above is to replace LEFT(MID(…,…,…), 2) with MID(…,…,2):



        =
        LEFT(A1,2) &
        MID(
        A1,
        IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1), LEN(A1)) + 1,
        2
        )


        or on one line:



        =LEFT(A1,2)&MID(A1,IFERROR(FIND(" ",A1),LEN(A1))+1,2)


        This is essentially PeterH's solution modified to also work with single names (in which case, the result is just the first two characters of the name).




        Note: The prettified formulas actually work if entered.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Dec 12 '18 at 10:29

























        answered Dec 12 '18 at 6:06









        robinCTSrobinCTS

        4,01741527




        4,01741527






























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