Welcome to another juicy tutorial where we’ll show you how to easily sort by last name in Google Sheets. Sorting your data is essential for organizing information effectively, so let’s dive right in!
Sorting by Last Name when First and Last Name are in Separate Columns
If your first and last names are already in separate columns, follow these steps to sort by last name.
1. Highlight your dataset
Start by highlighting the dataset that contains the first and last names you want to sort. Make sure to exclude any header rows, as we’ll be using the basic range sorting option.
2. Click on “File,” then select “Data” > “Sort Range” > “Sort Range by Column (A to Z)”
In the “Data” menu, you’ll find the option to sort the range by column. Select this option and choose the column containing the last names. It’s important to start with the first value in the last name column to ensure the correct sorting order.
3. Your dataset is now sorted by last name
Congratulations! Your dataset is now sorted by the values in the last name column. By default, it sorts from Z to A, but you can also choose to sort from A to Z if that suits your needs.
Sorting by Last Name when First and Last Name are in the Same Column
If your first and last names are in the same column, don’t worry! You can still sort by last name with a few simple steps.
1. Highlight the entire dataset and select “File,” then “Data,” and finally “Split Text into Columns”
Click and drag to select the dataset you want to sort by last name. In the “Data” menu, choose “Split Text into Columns” from the dropdown.
2. Select “Space” as the separator in the popup menu
A small popup menu will appear. Choose “Space” as the separator from the dropdown list. If your names are separated by commas or another character, select that instead.
3. The last name values have now moved to a new column
With the space selection made, the last name values from cells A2 to A10 have now been moved to cells B2 to B10.
4. Rehighlight the dataset and select “File,” then “Data,” followed by “Sort Range,” and finally “Sort Range from A to Z”
To sort the data by last name, you’ll need to select the dataset starting from the first cell of the last name values. In this case, click, drag, and highlight the dataset from cell B2 to A10.
Once the dataset is highlighted, go to the “File” menu, select “Data,” choose “Sort Range,” and in the additional menu, click on “Sort Range by Column B (A to Z).”
5. Your dataset is now arranged in alphabetical order by last name
Congratulations! Your dataset is now sorted in alphabetical order according to the last names in column B.
If you found this article helpful, you may also enjoy reading our guides on how to sort by row in Google Sheets or how to split a cell in Google Sheets.
Looking to enhance your Google Sheets skills and discover more marketing tips? Pay a visit to Crawlan.com for more information on Google Sheets best practices and other marketing tricks.
Happy sorting!
