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Extract the first name

Get everything before the first space in a full name.

The formula

Argument separator
Excel and Google Sheets
=LEFT(A2, FIND(" ", A2&" ")-1)

How it works

  1. A2&" "

    Adds a space at the end so names with no space still work.

  2. FIND(" ", …)-1

    The position of the first space, minus one, is the length of the first name.

  3. LEFT(A2, …)

    Takes that many characters from the start.

Example

A: Full nameB: Result
Maria LopezMaria
Jean-Paul MartinJean-Paul
CherCher

Tips

  • In Excel 365 you can also use =TEXTBEFORE(A2, " ", , , , A2).
  • Run TRIM first if names have leading spaces.