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Abbreviate names into initials: 1-, 2-, and 3-word names
Extract uppercase initials from mononyms, two-part names, and full middle-name strings using TRIM, LEFT, and TEXTAFTER.
Handle 1, 2, or 3 words without #VALUE! errors
FIND(" ", name) throws #VALUE! on single-word names like "Plato" and misses middle initials on three-word names like "Grace Brewster Hopper".
Normalizing spaces first with LET(n, TRIM(A2), ...) and wrapping each TEXTAFTER(n, " ", k) in IFERROR(..., "") before taking LEFT(..., 1) gracefully appends "" whenever a second or third word is absent.
This pattern takes at most three space-separated tokens. Longer names, compound surnames, hyphens and nonbreaking spaces need a defined naming policy rather than assuming every token represents a separate name.
| FullName (A) | Word Count | Initials |
|---|---|---|
| ada lovelace | 2 | AL |
| Grace Brewster Hopper | 3 | GBH |
| Plato | 1 | P |
Uppercase initials formula
TRIM collapses repeated spaces between "ada" and "lovelace" first so instance 1 of " " always points directly to the start of the second name.
=LET(n, TRIM(A2), UPPER(LEFT(n, 1) & LEFT(IFERROR(TEXTAFTER(n, " ", 1), ""), 1) & LEFT(IFERROR(TEXTAFTER(n, " ", 2), ""), 1)))Three-word and single-word checks
"Grace Brewster Hopper" yields "GBH", while single-word "Plato" yields "P" cleanly.
=LET(n, TRIM(A3), UPPER(LEFT(n, 1) & LEFT(IFERROR(TEXTAFTER(n, " ", 1), ""), 1) & LEFT(IFERROR(TEXTAFTER(n, " ", 2), ""), 1)))Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.