The problem we are dealing with is that we need to tell Excel where we want to separate the string. In case of Smith, Mike the comma is at position 6 while in case of Williams, Janet the comma is at position 9.
1. To get the first name, use the formula below.
Explanation: to find the position of the comma, use the FIND function (position 6). To get the length of a string, use the LEN function (11 characters). =RIGHT(A2,LEN(A2)-FIND(",",A2)-1) reduces to =RIGHT(A2,11-6-1). =RIGHT(A2,4) extracts the 4 rightmost characters and gives the desired result (Mike).
2. To get the last name, use the following formula.
Explanation: to find the position of the comma, use the FIND function (position 6). =LEFT(A2,FIND(",", A2)-1) reduces to =LEFT(A2,6-1). =LEFT(A2,5) extracts the 5 leftmost characters and gives the desired result (Smith).
3. Select the range B2:C2 and drag it down.
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