4 Methods to combine first and last names in Google Sheets:
- Use the CONCATENATE function
- Use the TEXTJOIN function
- Use the Ampersand operator
- Use the Smart Fill function
Method #1: Use the CONCATENATE Function
Step #1: Open the Google Sheet
Open the Google Sheet in which you have a list of first and last names in different columns.
Step #2: Enter the formula
Double click on the cell next to the surname, where you want the full name to be displayed.
Enter the formula
=CONCATENATE(First Cell Number," ",Second Cell Number)
In simple words, the Concatenate function is combining 3 value :
- First Cell Value: It is A2 in our case. Cell Value
- The Blank Space: We use blank space in this example, but we can also use the delimiters like commas, hyphens, etc.
- Second Cell Value: It is B2 in our case.
For our example, the formula will then be:
=CONCATENATE(A2,” “,B2).
Step #3: Press enter
Once you are done, press enter on your keyboard to get the result for the first entry in the Google Sheet.
Step #4: Fill the remaining cells
Once done, you will note a tiny blue square in the bottom right corner of the first field containing the Full Name.
Click on the blue square, hold your mouse button down and drag the cursor down to the last entry.
Release the mouse button.
You will note the remaining cells have now all been filled with the full names.
Method #2: Use the TEXTJOIN Function
Step #1: Open the Google Sheet
Open the Google Sheet in which you have a list of first and last names in different columns.
Step #2: Enter the formula
Double click on the cell next to the surname, where you want the full name to be displayed.
Enter the formula
=TEXTJOIN(" ",TRUE,First Cell Number,Second Cell Number)
- First Cell Number would be the cell containing the first name, in our example, that is A2.
- Second Cell Number would be the cell containing the last name, in our example, that is B2.
- To add a space between the two, you need to use a second argument, i.e., space, which is shown as “ “
For our example, the formula will then be
=TEXTJOIN(” “,TRUE,A2,B2).
Step #3: Press enter
Once you are done, press enter on your keyboard to get the result for the first entry in the Google Sheet.
Step #4: Fill the remaining cells
Once done, you will note a tiny blue square in the bottom right corner of the first field containing the Full Name.
Click on the blue square, hold your mouse button down and drag the cursor down to the last entry.
Release the mouse button.
You will note the remaining cells have now all been filled with the full names.
Method #3: Use the Ampersand Operator
This method is equivalent to using the Concatenate function. The only difference is the syntax being used. Instead of using CONCATENATE(), you use Ampersand (&) operator.
Step #1: Open the Google Sheet
Open the Google Sheet in which you have a list of first and last names in different columns.
Step #2: Enter the formula
Double click on the cell next to the surname, where you want the full name to be displayed.
Enter the formula
=First Cell Number&" "&Second Cell Number.
- First Cell Number would be the cell containing the first name, in our example, that is A2.
- Second Cell Number would be the cell containing the last name, in our example, that is B2.
- To add a space between the two, you need to use a second argument, i.e., space, which is shown as “ “
For our example, the formula will then be:
=A2&" "&B2
Step #3: Press enter
Once you are done, press enter on your keyboard to get the result for the first entry in the Google Sheet.
Step #4: Fill the remaining cells
Once done, you will note a tiny blue square in the bottom right corner of the first field containing the Full Name.
Click on the blue square, hold your mouse button down and drag the cursor down to the last entry.
Release the mouse button.
You will note the remaining cells have now all been filled with the full names.
Method #4: Using the Smart Fill function
Smart Fill is a function that understands the pattern you input and copies the same pattern as an output. It is the easiest of all the methods mentioned above, when you are not dealing with a huge amount of data.
Step #1: Open the Google Sheet
Open the Google Sheet in which you have a list of first and last names in different columns.
Step #2: Enter the first and last names
In the adjacent cell (C2), type in the first and last names.
Step #3: Accept the Google Sheets suggestion
Likewise, enter the details in the next cell as well.
After the first few letters, you will observe that Google Sheets will suggest the combination you want. A message box will appear, suggesting that the formula be repeated to the remaining cells.
Accept the Smart Fill suggestion by pressing Enter or by clicking the tick sign in the message box.
Conclusion
By using the methods given above, you can easily combine the first and last names in Google Sheets. This will save you a lot of time and cut down on your manual effort.