Forum Discussion
Formulas to help differentiate similar names
Maybe by using the first two letters
=CONCATENATE(LEFT(D3,2)," , ",C3)
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If I may recommend, here is some information about it.
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Hope I was able to help you with this information.
I know I don't know anything (Socrates)
Thanks. I thought about that. I have a list of several hundred names. I do use CONCATENATE to separate the first letter of the first name already. I didn't want to get the first 2 letter of every name on the list. Just doing the first letter of the first name works for about 98% of the names . It's the repeat names like "Smith, J." that do not work. I have a few others names (married couples with a first name that start with the same letter). I was wondering if I could tell Excel to perform a separate function - look over the CONCATENATE list of names I created to find any matching names (i.e. Smith, J.), and then do another CONCATENATE for the first 2 letters. I'm thinking maybe a IF formula?
Something like (and here is where I don't know how to do it), IF(CONCATENATE name list has a match), then perform CONCATENATE for 2 letters). I know that's not how the IF formula is populated, but that is what I'm trying to figure out.
