Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Capitalizing Just a Surname.
Cheryl is using a worksheet that has, in column A, client names in the format "Smith, Jane." She would like to capitalize only the surname, as in "SMITH, Jane", leaving the rest of the name unchanged.
If there is one and only one comma that separates the surname from the first name, you can create a formula to do the conversion. Assuming the name is in A1, the formula would be:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: 
=UPPER(LEFT(A1,FIND(",",A1)-1))&MID(A1,FIND(",",A1),LEN(A1))
If you prefer to not use a formula (which may mess up the look of your worksheet), you could also use a macro to convert the names, in place. Consider the following:
Sub CapitalizeSurnames()
Dim rCell As Range
Dim iComma As Integer
For Each rCell In Selection
iComma = InStr(rCell, ",")
If iComma > 0 Then
rCell = UCase(Left(rCell, iComma - 1)) & _
Mid(rCell, iComma)
End If
Next
Set rCell = Nothing
End Sub
Simply select the cells that you want to convert (such as those in column A) and then run the macro. It makes the conversion to the names in the cells.
Note:
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (6779) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Capitalizing Just a Surname.
Excel Smarts for Beginners! Featuring the friendly and trusted For Dummies style, this popular guide shows beginners how to get up and running with Excel while also helping more experienced users get comfortable with the newest features. Check out Excel 2013 For Dummies today!
Need to know the character value of the first character in a string? It's easy to do, without using a macro, by using the ...
Discover MoreIf you need to change the case of letters in a cell, one of the functions you can use is the PROPER function. This tip ...
Discover MoreYou can use the CLEAN worksheet function to remove any non-printable characters from a cell. This can come in handy when ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments